Chennai’s Koyambedu market conjures up Sanjay Garg of Uncooked Mango as he brings his festive assortment Garland to Chennai

Sanjay Garg is not any stranger to Koyambedu flower market. It’s a place he frequents throughout his visits to Chennai. He loves flowers, jasmine being his favorite. Little marvel that his retailer in Chennai — that he launched in 2002 — is known as Malligai.

The inspiration

And now, the Koyambedu flower market is the inspiration for his Uncooked Mango Festive 2024 assortment titled Garland. “I like to select my very own flowers,” says the designer, who spent the morning shopping for flowers from the marketplace for his present. He then wandered across the “mandi” at 6 am, admiring the garlands. “If you’re doing a line with garlands central to the theme, then it’s worthwhile to perceive them, know what flowers and leaves are used, the way it’s woven collectively. To attract inspiration from something, one have to be observant and sensitised to their environment. These observations inform my design,” he says. Consideration to element is vital to him.

Sanjay Garg

Just a few hours later, he storms into the Museum Theatre (the venue for his trend present), wanting victorious, with a bagful of contemporary jasmine. He fingers it over to his group, who rapidly get to work. In between getting the area prepared for the night, he sits down and exhibits me images of garlands from Koyambedu. “Garlands have a sculptural high quality. You don’t see craft like this in a flowery flower store. How did they put this collectively?” he says pointing to a thick yellow and inexperienced maalai.

“They are often interpreted in several kinds — this one appears to be like like a human kind, and this appears to be like like a temple,” he says, swiping previous images. He then jumps out of his seat and brings a fistful of leaves. “Scent them,” he says as he affords me basil, sage, and marikozhundu. “So aromatic, I’m including them to the armrest of every seat right here,” he says.

The color palette consists of purple, pink, inexperienced, and yellow

Sanjay enjoys doing issues otherwise. “I don’t like standardised issues. Which is why I choose staying at golf equipment over 5 star accommodations, they’ve life. Equally, I selected Museum Theatre because it has a lot character,” says Sanjay. Over time he has chosen unconventional areas as venues for his exhibits — the parking zone of a mall in Mumbai, the Royal Opera Home additionally in Mumbai, a pathway in a jungle close to Bengaluru, a wrestling stadium in Delhi… Subsequent, he says he want to host a present at a library or prepare station… “I’m not a trend particular person, I have a look at trend design, artwork and tradition as a complete. So, my focus throughout exhibits isn’t just on the garments alone however on each component to do with the present together with area, music, show,” he says.

The present

On the Uncooked Mango Festive 2024 Style Present hosted by FICCI FLO, males in white, seated on cane muras (conventional spherical stool), take centre stage. These are three generations of saperas (snake charmers) from Rajasthan. Because the curtains go up, the lads play the been and tumba, and this kinds the background music for the fashions. It’s pure, uncooked music, minus any digital intervention. Although charming at first, in the direction of the top of the 19-minute present, the music begins to really feel a tad overbearing.

The fashions weave out and in by the aisles of Museum Theatre in Uncooked Mango’s newest assortment teamed with festive jewelry by Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers.

A mannequin showcases festive items by Vummidi Bangaru Jewellers

Uncooked Mango’s Garland assortment is shiny and glossy, virtually like firecrackers lighting up the night time sky. It encompasses a solitary cape, saris, kurtas, and blouses in brocade silk, organza and tissue. Every with motifs within the type of zardosi, tiki, nakshi, zari or thread embroidery.

On a more in-depth look you’ll be able to spot patterns of lotus, rajnigandha or buds of mogra entwined collectively forming a serpentine maala across the breadth of the saris. One other piece is ruched on the backside to offer the looks of strung garlands, and that is sealed with dabka embroidery. Taking a cue from the layers in flower garlands, the layering right here options zardosi, tiki and nakshi embroidery on prime of the woven brocade garland motifs. And all these in Uncooked Mango’s trademark vibrant hues of pink, inexperienced, yellow, purple. With a number of the kurtas, the shades transition from gentle to darkish identical to in petals the place you see one color fuse into one other, explains Sanjay.

Candy 16

Uncooked Mango is 16 this yr. However regardless of its success, Sanjay says he has by no means had a sense of feat. “There may be a lot to do. I’ve been stressed. I really feel like time is operating out.”

Sanjay has shops in six cities, with the seventh opening in Kolkata shortly. He needs to take his model to extra cities, together with Tier 2 cities. He’ll, nonetheless, proceed to do one assortment a yr. “I don’t imagine in seasons or traits. What you see is me expressing my mind-set. I will be impressed when I’m blissful, indignant, unhappy… and that may’t be restricted to seasons.”