Punjab's Phulkari Finds Expression in Contemporary Silhouettes

Born in a traditional business household with engineering the preferred career, the then 24-year-old had no clues about the fashion industry. “My involvement in fashion was confined to knowing what I can wear. A complete novice to the garment industry, I didn’t even know how to hold a running fabric and measure its yardage. I took my cousin on a video call when the first 5 metres of fabric arrived to understand how to measure it. Thus, to learn the very basics without any background in the garment industry was the first challenge. 

“Secondly, I didn’t know how and where to start. I shortlisted the names and locations of phulkari clusters in Punjab, visited them, gave them my designs and got samples made on waste fabric lengths. I also could not find any phulkari in contemporary wear. Hand-embroidered phulkari was hard to find though machine-made on dupattas and kurtas were aplenty. It was tough trying to explain to the artisans what I wanted. I was also disappointed because some pieces lacked quality and good craftsmanship. The craft had lost its beauty; it was nothing like the antique pieces I had seen. The stitches were loose and not done with care and attention. I was disheartened because it seemed a never doable task. But the beauty of the antique pieces and the desire to recreate them kept me going”.

It took another two months of frantic search to find a few good artisans. Shreya started to train them based on the research and study of phulkari that she had undertaken. The tailoring was outsourced and she got 8 dresses done to see if the product that she had been visualising for so long could even be made or not. “When the first set arrived, I got a few changes done and showed to a few friends and family who wore it to a few gatherings. After the initial feedback I started to build a website and worked on the brand a bit more. The concept was then tested through an 8-piece display of phulkari dresses and tops at a local FICCI FLO event where actor Bhumi Pednekar marked her presence. Aab had put up a stall in the Green Start-Up Stories section winning accolades from the actor, the FICCI team and the visitors. We sold about 70% of our stuff and many followed up with us later to place more orders. Apart from the sales, the collaboration with FICCI helped us create awareness for the concept while testing the idea at the same time.

“After almost 7 months of first having thought of this concept, I was finally able to launch a website and gather feedback on a larger scale. Almost everyone I spoke to encouraged me to continue on the path of hand-embroidered phulkari garments. There was no stopping me!”

Planning a collection? Shreya again was clueless but now she was wiser and soon onboarded a friend who had studied textiles at NIFT to help her design and add more pieces to the collection. “All along, in every person that aligned with Aab, a major challenge was to get my vision across. I was asking graphic designers to help me create a visual identity without being able to show the product or anything akin to it. What existed was the phulkari dupatta or kurta and that too predominantly machine-made. To be able to see it as an embroidery that can be done on anything was what no one could grasp. Thus, to tell people and create awareness that phulkari is a type of embroidery and not a dupatta was a challenge in itself. The Aab Label, I would like to believe, was the first brand to be reviving this hand-embroidered art and using it as an embellishment on contemporary silhouettes to increase its versatility and appeal. 

“While we have changed the form of the garment from dupattas to everyday wear like tops, jackets, dresses, pants, we have made sure that we retain the use of the same type of handwoven handloom fabrics used in antique phulkaris and also use the techniques of yore. Earlier, the phulkari was done on khadi or khaddar. What is new however, are the designs which are developed based on the characteristics of the craft”.

Aab is now working with local artisans in Amritsar to understand and retain the technical know-how of the craft, even as its creative team conducts research-based study of phulkari’s antique pieces. Its teams then infuse the artisanal knowledge and defining features of phulkari to develop new motifs and place them on contemporary silhouettes. The result is elegant clothing that fits modern sensibilities while breathing new life into an heirloom craft.

“We are gaining traction for the craft, which was previously limited to Punjab. We want to make a strong statement, something that will resonate with the handcrafted consumer. There are few high-fashion designers who create western, contemporary clothing using Indian techniques without being labeled as ‘ethnic’. This entire initiative also helps artisans who were being replaced by machines to find work”.

The Aab Label has been around for a little over a year. It's all been about learning, striving, and taking small steps. It expects a 50% increase in revenue this year. “Since Aab is bootstrapped we keep investing as per the need of the hour. “With the initial inputs, I bugged my fashion and design friends, watched tonnes of YouTube videos, and then made a plan with everything that was absolutely necessary to launch the brand. Based on this, I began contacting vendors to get the project started, from artisans to web developers. I began talking to more and more people in order to find the right fit. Finding good quality and craftsmanship was the most difficult challenge because hand-embroidered phulkari was not a commercially done craft. Furthermore, as a female entrepreneur, many vendors and people I interacted with did not take me seriously at first. Along the way I learnt the delicate balance between asserting myself when required to get things done and letting go when necessary. Since the concept of phulkari on contemporary wear was new and no earlier images or examples of it existed, it was hard to explain what I was visualising to the designers and kaarigars. Ultimately, I realised that for the first few pieces I will have to sit with the designers while the sampling was being done. Often, people stick to what they know and it's hard to convince them on a new idea — that's where I learnt to trust my instincts and assert while letting go and trusting them with the technical processes and ideations. What began as a search for phulkari artisans has evolved into a multi-team startup of designers, artisans, tailors, a tech team, and marketers. “Today, we are a strong team shaping Aab Label's growth and success”.

Manufacturing & Retail

Aab Label is now available to the global market through its website. “We wanted to establish an online presence because the future is digital. We are collaborating with MBOs to provide customers with offline access to the product so that they can touch and feel it, as well as review the quality, designs, and embroidery”.

Aab has its manufacturing facility in Amritsar. It was launched with an initial investment of ₹10 lakh with support from family resources. It now has a team of 9 karigars, earning around ₹200-300 per hour.

To ensure that they produce authentic phulkari in 100% handwoven cloth, the team conducts preliminary research on suppliers who claim to provide hand-woven and sustainable fabrics, followed by visits to their production facilities and sample sourcing. Over the past year, “we have been able to build a list of vendors who supply handloom fabrics.”

The entire quality control process, from fabric procurement to final product delivery, is difficult because quality control must be maintained at all times. “We have a dedicated team for quality checks. There are checks and balances in place at all stages of production. We have strict guidelines in place — from artisans to tailors, and each team follows what is important to them while being constantly monitored.

The Aab Label, concludes Shreya, was born during the pandemic and so we really didn't have to adapt. The set-up is such that it meets the needs of a post-pandemic world. The target and hope is that Aab will soon have a brick-and-mortar store too soon.