Kerala, with a quirky twist
Known for its quirky, statement-making designs, the brand is back with another Onam collection this year.
The new line features bold and vibrant shirts, saris, and for the first time, mundus. Its Kerala-inspired collection has already become popular, with Vishal Venugopal, who heads the brand, noting that knock-off versions of some of its designs have entered the market. The original, he says, continues to stand apart for its finish and detailing.
The prints, featuring pookalams, thiruvathira kali, chenda melam, onathappan, Maveli, Kathakali and so on, took around eight to nine months of planning and designing.
“Our aim has always been to set the trend every Onam,” says Vishal. This year, the team decided to add a mundu to the collection after noticing growing interest in the traditional garment.
“Over the years, I noticed that a lot of other brands designed mundus based on our shirt designs, so this year we decided to create our own line,” he smiles.
Celebrating Malayaliness
Sinu Rajendran has been a familiar name in Kerala’s design scene for years, having made her mark in macrame before venturing into jewellery with Knot Stories. Now she has been exploring jewellery inspired by Kerala and calls the line ‘Kaathilola’. Her latest creations play with the idea of “Malayaliness” in a distinctly contemporary way.
For Onam, Sinu has created a pair of handcrafted brass earrings featuring Malayalam alphabets that spell ‘Malayali’.
“The design took around six months to develop. We experimented with the form and detailing before arriving at the final version,” she says.
The earrings, which combine tradition with a quirky aesthetic, are already a hit. Before this, she had introduced a Theyyam-inspired necklace and earrings, which are also available this Onam season.
Sinu also runs Doodle Muni with her husband, Aarosh Thevadathil. For Onam, the brand has introduced a limited-edition Doodle Mundu, featuring a whimsical illustrated border.
The design brings together elements of Kerala’s culture and everyday life — from a toddy tapper to the iconic boat race — in Doodle Muni’s characteristic hand-drawn style.