Handloom clothes are the best for the Indian climate
Photos: A model wearing a handloom dress; Owner Neelima Chandran
By
Shevlin Sebastian
Six
months after her son was born, Neelima Chandran was feeling out of
sorts. She was doing nothing except look after her child. Neelima is
a chartered accountant who had worked in companies like the Trident
hotel and Federal Bank at Kochi and McMillan publishers in Bangalore.
“Since I wanted flexible timings, I decided to do something on my
own,” she says.
Her
initial plan was to do an online business. So she travelled to
Balaramapuram in Thiruvananthapuram, which is the centre for handloom
textiles. Thereafter, Neelima went to Pondicherry and saw some
contemporary handloom styles.
That
was when Neelima decided she would concentrate on handloom. “It is
a fabric that breathes,” she says. “Once you wear handloom you
will not wear anything else. It makes you feel so cool. For the
Indian climate, handloom is the best. It is light on the body. It
lasts longer than cotton clothes provided you take care of it.”
The
best way is to wash the clothes by hand and dry it in the shade. “If
you hang it to dry in the sunshine, the colours will fade fast,”
says Neelima.
Apart
from the online trade, Neelima opened a shop, 'Neelaambari', at
Bangalore in 2010. But last year, Neelima relocated to Kochi and has
opened an outlet at the DD Milestone in Kochi. She sells kurtas,
short tops, skirts, trousers, kurthis and dupattas. “My clothes are
a bit off-beat, and not the normal, jazzy, sequenced, button-wear
kind,” she says. “We don't have party wear. We only have handloom
clothes with a contemporary touch.” In fact, Neelima does the
designing and has tailors to implement her ideas.
The
most popular item is Ikkat, a handloom fabric from Andhra Pradesh.
“It is a rage with everybody,” says Neelima. “These are
contemporary designs and appeal to 80 per cent of the customers.”
Indeed,
buyers are happy. “The selections are awesome, elegant and classy,”
says Nashiya Salim. “And the prices are reasonable.” Yes, one of
the attractive aspects are the affordable prices: from Rs 450 to Rs
1000.
Jeeva
Jayadas is another satisfied customer. “I liked the clothes and
would definitely recommend it to my friends,” she says. Buyer
Reshma Rao says that Neelima has an awesome collection of kurthis.
Meanwhile,
Neelima has an interesting observation to make about her customers.
“Many of them, especially in the over-35 group, are conservative in
their dressing,” says Neelima. “They are reluctant even to wear
sleeveless blouses. Somehow, they lack the confidence. Maybe, it has
got to do something with our patriarchal society.” However, the
college-going generation is willing to try out anything, thanks to
their exposure to the outside world, because of Facebook and the
Internet.
Incidentally,
Neelima started the business with a social aspect. She bought the
fabrics from non-governmental organisations, self-help groups, tribal
communities, and women associations. “In the beginning, I just
wanted to help these people,” she says. “But then I realised that
if I had to make my business a sustainable one, an income is
necessary. Otherwise, the enterprise will die.”
So,
with a mix of a social conscience and entrepreneurial spirit, Neelima
is steaming ahead.
(The New Indian Express, Kochi)
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