Beautiful saris that look both regal and contemporary make up the SónChiraiya experience. Preety Singh Pareek, founder, SónChiraiya, tells us more about ‘Naveli’, a lovely campaign shot with Calcutta girls Diti Saha and Tanisha De, with make-up by Mainak Das.
The images look stunning. Can you tell us about the motifs?
Thank you. The motifs used are generally inspired by the Mughal era and revolve around flora and fauna, as well as Shikargah designs, which include deer, peacocks and other animals.
The saris look gorgeous. Where did you weave them?
Our saris are conscientiously woven by expert artisans over the span of a month or three, in and around Kaithoon, a small village on the outskirts of Kota, Rajasthan. Our skilled weavers use authentic, age-old weaving techniques that produce lustrous, delicately textured, lightweight zari Kota fabric.
Zari Kota is a luxurious fabric produced by blending pure silk and cotton threads with pure gold and silver zari threadwork that makes it incredibly iridescent. Staying true to ancient traditions, our weavers only use genuine and pure gold and silver zari.
How old is the brand?
Our brand, SónChiraiya, came into being in 2017. We, however, commenced our Zari Kota revival project, now our primary purpose, in 2020, during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The name is so sweet…
Our brand name SónChiraiya means ‘The Golden Bird’, which is what India was known as in ancient times. Our brand name aligns with our aim to revive India’s golden ages in our own unique way by reviving and representing the best of the best in terms of art forms, weaves and craftsmanship.
Is this how millennial brides are dressing? Cool and effortless?
Based on the trends that we’ve observed, more and more millennial brides are straying away from heavy, gaudy and extensively embroidered and sequinned saris. Modern brides prefer dressing in a cool, effortless and hassle-free manner. Their fashion sensibilities are still steeped in tradition and they want their bridal attire to reflect that.