Known as the master reviver and promoter of Indian heritage textiles such as Jamdani, Kanjeevaram and Paithani, Gaurang Shah has launched two fashion e-stores this week, one for men and another exclusively for kids. Taking rich handcrafted karigari online for his consumers, Shah is offering ready-to-wear handwoven apparel for multiple occasions.
Along with the surge in online shopping, people have also progressed towards vocal for local and eco-conscious buying habits. Tapping into this market, Shah’s eponymous brand GAURANG is focussed on high-end, sustainable clothing, which is delicately handmade by around 800+ craftsmen.
Natural dyed bandhani angrakha, Little Gaurang
The designer’s website for kidswear – Little GAURANG – caters to girls and boys aged between 0 to 12 years. An assortment of petit outfits for girls include dungarees, pyjamas, shorts, angrakhas, frocks and shirts. For the little gentlemen, coats, shirts, angrakhas, kurtas, pants and pyjamas make up the collection. Every piece of clothing is made with Khadi, while the vibrant, soft colour palette comes from the use of natural dyes.
Keeping in mind the sensitive nature of kids’ skin type, Shah’s aim is to keep the kidswear line as natural as possible, without synthetic fibres and colours.  “As a parent, I am extremely conscious of the profound and long-lasting impact we can have in the child’s development and wellbeing, draping them in aspirational clothes. This special line made for the little digital fashion consumers reflects that belief,” says Gaurang.
For the new-age, fashion-loving men, the website (men.gaurang.co) will showcase a mix of Shah’s statement bandi jackets, sherwanis, ajrakh and woven kurtas, all handmade from local textiles such as Banaras Georgette, Khadi, muga silk, and Ikkat Patan. “There was always a strong demand from my clients to expand my signature to menswear, and I thought this is the right platform to launch them,” says Shah.
Perfect for festivals, weddings and even casual wear, the made-to-fit tailoring vocabulary, painstakingly executed by the karigars stands out. Shah also makes sure to lend plenty touches of desi culture and heritage to his designs for menswear – think geometrical, floral and animal prints and motifs.
