From looms to labels: Kochi’s fashion boom

Way back in 2018, in the aftermath of the floods in Kochi, a group of stakeholders in the fashion industry got together for the sake of the weavers of Chendamangalam. It was Onam, most of the stock was soiled by flooding waters there was no avenue for sale. Almost eight years to the date, Kochi-based designer Shalini James, of the designer label Mantra, put out an impassioned plea on Facebook asking for help selling the saleable stock. Other designers from Kochi joined in the endeavour, pulling their weight, forming groups/collectives to help, while putting the Kerala handloom on the fashion map of India. The rewards of which the industry continues to reap.

This coming together for a cause is one of the high points of the Kochi fashion industry’s work in the past 25 years. Everyone involved agrees. “It was a moment when all of us came together, setting for a cause, which was way more important than anything else. In retrospect, that drew attention to the Kerala handloom, which has been good for it, and to some extent, the weavers too.”

The other event, not in chronological order, of importance was the Kochi Muziris Biennale, which, alongside art, brought in, with international tourists, the domestic traveller who was also looking to shop for designer goods. With Fort Kochi as the locus, fashion also spread its wings. It made Fort Kochi an address for city designers to retail to. Designers from other cities began retailing from Kochi.

The business of fashion has evolved the most in the past 25 years, with different players coming in. What was largely boutique-bespoke tailoring, with a couple of exceptions, became ‘designer’. With or without degrees in fashion design, with access to Bengaluru’s Chickpet, Commercial Street, and other cloth markets, Kochi saw a burgeoning number of ‘designer boutiques’.

Fashion, in the context of Kochi, is not one-dimensional, and it is serious business. There is more to fashion than garments; it is also accessories, jewellery, lifestyle goods like home decor, too. Kochi-born and bred labels today exert a pan-Indian influence across segments.

Some of the country’s top actors, celebs, and A-listers have at one time or the other worn threads by a Kochi designer. And we are not talking just about women, even the men.

For instance, designer (garments, accessories and jewellery) labels from in and around Kochi, such as Rouka by Sreejith Jeevan, Inkpikle, Mantra by Shalini James, Jebsispar, Annahmol, House of Urmi, Trumpet by Vanessa Meister and Salt Studio, swimwear label Cocopalm, all came to establish themselves in the period spanning the past 25 years. The city’s fashion scene has been growing concurrently with the city, and is a reflection of how Kochi has developed in the past 25 years. There has been an explosion of options and players, be it the cheaper, affordable fast fashion, multibrand stores, to designer studios.

The bridal/wedding sector too has grown exponentially, with an explosion of designers in the segment; gone are the days of trousseau shopping in stores. The go-to option for most brides and grooms today is the specialised designers. Labels such as Pranaah, Label M, Briella, Pallavi Namdev, Kim, and Thunnal are among those which have established themselves in Kochi. Apart from designers and labels that have made Kochi home and continue to be inspired by this city by the sea, it is also a viable market for those from outside the State to retail here or make regular rounds of the city with exhibitions.

Apart from designers, even shops such as Seematti, Jayalakshmi, Milan, alongside bespoke tailoring stores such as Paris De Boutique and their designer label Anil and Jamal Luxe Couture have shifted gears to keep up with the city’s changing, evolving sartorial style.

The past 25 years have seen unprecedented growth in the fashion industry, especially in the past five years. Its growth can be attributed to the inherent and historically cosmopolitan nature of the city, which absorbs and embraces influences, making it a welcome space to inhabit.