Cashing in on Kalamkari

Little did Moulika Reddy imagine that 10 years ago when she forayed into fashion designing she would make it big with kalamkari as there were enough players in the field; however, she has managed to make a mark of her own with her style.

Two years ago she opened her own boutique - Satyabhama at Film Nagar. About her boutique name she shares, “Satyabhama is the wife of Lord Krishna and known as a lady with the combination of beauty and attitude. She is a complete woman like me. The way she carries our old mythology, I am very much attracted to her. So that’s how I named my boutique and wanted all the women to be that way.”

Maulika informs that she was passionate about designing since her teenage. “I did fashion designing from NIFT Bangalore, and also from NIFT Hyderabad. I am freelancing from past eight years as my daughter was too young and hence I did not want to set into the profession. Once she started growing up and I was able to manage things and I felt that this is the right time for me to set up my own boutique.”

The fashion designer states that Kalamkari and Madhubani works have always fascinated her. “The motifs in Madhubani and Kalamkari when fused in textile they give an ethnic feel and that is beyond words.”

“A few of my unique pieces in Lenin work made many traditional Madhubani art forms into intricate creations apart from that I have also made some good paintings on Lenin and also transformed the ‘Pen Kalamkari’ into Lenin sarees and silk with good mudra (doll) pieces. This time my collection is all about Lenin and Kalamkari.

I have five people working with me, and I have customers from all walks of life; a few don’t mind shelling a few extra bucks and some have a tight budget so I keep experimenting with the designs, styling and look according to colour combination.”

Sharing about her experience in Craft Council of Telangana, she says, “We had good footfalls at the stall and a few celebrities also walked into our stall and the kind of response we got in the exhibition was really good.”

“Further, I will be working more on handlooms and also make a fusion of our tradition with the new fashion industry, and take that modern classic look with art,” she concludes.

By Heena Mishra