Why these indie brands are favourites with Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, and Soha Ali Khan

Celebrities endorsing fashion brands is nothing new. In India, a celebrity wearing a Sabyasachi or a Masaba creation or clad in Manish Malhotra couture is a sight for sore eyes. So are the other big brands that use “celebrity power” to bring their brands into the spotlight.

But it’s heartening to note that there are a number of smaller brands that have caught the eye of celebrities due to their sheer attractiveness, appeal, and out-of-the-box designs.

While they may not be celebrity endorsements in the real sense of the word, flaunting these brands has led to their popularity among fashionistas, and increased their brand value.

Here are a few fashion brands that have benefited from celebrities wearing them.

Inaaya – Shivangi Lahoty

Swara Bhaskar and Mithila Palkar swear by Inaaya’s creations, designed by Mumbai and Ahmedabad-based fashion designer Shivangi Lahoty.  Shivangi wanted to study fashion design since she was eight years old. She launched her brand Inaaya soon after she graduated from National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in 2015. Inaaya works with handloom fabrics sourced directly from Kolkata, Bhagalpur, Kota, Maheshwar, and Hyderabad, and ensures fair wages for their karigars (artisans).

Shivani splits her time travelling between Ahmedabad, where she has her flagship store, and Mumbai, where a lot of Inaaya’s sampling happens.

“Our target audience is every woman who wants to experience comfortable clothing in pastel hues and wants to feel young. Inaaya is a name that is becoming synonymous with vacation wear in India, and our clients love wearing our clothes for their holidays,” Shivangi says.

NakhreWaali – Gursakhi Lugani

There is an interesting story behind how Gurugram-based designer Gursakhi Lugani attracted celebrity attention. She was fast asleep when she received a call. The person at the other end was fashion designer Rhea Kapoor. She wanted Gursakhi’s earrings, which she had seen designer Masaba wear at a party, for her sister Sonam. Since then, the brand Nakhrewali has become quite the hit with celebrities like Sonam Kapoor and Mallika Dua, among others. In fact, film producer and Oscar winner for short film Period. End of a Sentence, Guneet Monga wore NakhreWaali’s Sheila blouse to the Academy Awards event.

NakhreWaali features statement earrings, nose rings, neck accessories, bangles, haathphool, head accessories, bags, blouses, and mass products such as notebooks and keychains.

All products from NakhreWaali are handcrafted and are sold at a premium. A pair of earrings starts at Rs 1,300 and can go up to Rs 6,800.

“NakhreWaali is standing up for who you are and being proud of your nakhras,” Gursakhi says.

Pancchi – Kanupriya Tibrewala

Kanupriya Tibrewala is a self-trained fashion designer who, through sheer passion, launched Pancchi, a brand of kidswear from a small room in her house in Hyderabad in 2017. In just two years, the brand has become a hot favourite among B-town celebrities. Panchhi’s Instagram account is a huge hit and attracts a large number of customers. It has also partnered with other popular retail channels, and is also present at Petit Royal (Mumbai), and online stores like Little Muffet and Little Tags.

She styles the kids of Soha Ali Khan-Kunal Khemu, Farah Khan-Shirish Kunder, Tusshar Kapoor, Mini Mathur-Kabir Khan, Adnan Sami, and Poonam Mahajan in her creations. The celebrity attention began coming when Kanupriya sent some of her clothes as gifts to famous mothers on Panchhi’s first anniversary.

“Fortunately, several celebrity mothers appreciated the clothes and actually used them, and some have gone on to become our regular clients. The industry is very well connected, so word of mouth and Instagram posts have helped us knock on a lot more popular doors. It has been overwhelming,” she says.

Outhouse – Kaabia and Sasha Grewal

Grewal sisters Kaabia and Sasha launched Outhouse in Delhi in 2012 to offer a range of scintillating and sophisticated jewellery lines to the discerning fashionista. As little girls, they were always mesmerised by their mother’s handloom collection and this interest piqued as they became adults, studied jewellery designing, and decided to become entrepreneurs. They presently run multiple stores in India and one in Pakistan too. Stars like Deepika Padukone, Shraddha Kapoor and Bipasha Basu are fans of the Outhouse brand.