“Every saree of mine is a show-stopper.” says the lovely Sujata Pai (50) as I marvel at the veritable cornucopia of colours, weaves and designs in her studio. Located in a cul-de-sac off Eldams road, Chennai Sujata and her team of artisans create one-of-a-kind sarees, blouses and Indo-western silhouettes using fabrics sourced from across India.
“I only work with handlooms.” the designing woman tells us of her predilection for handcrafted fabrics. “India is so rich, so blessed to have so many diverse arts and crafts. From north to south, whichever way one goes there is always beauty to be found.”
Sujata has been working for the last four years with an endeavour to create designs which cannot be found anywhere else, even in her own studio. The self-taught designer confesses she does not photograph her rich body of work as she does not want her designs to become unoriginal.
“I started my label ‘AMBI by Sujata Pai’ because I felt that saree-wearing had come down as had the appreciation of handmade things. So I ensure every collection of mine has something new to offer. My latest collection has a lot of hand-printed Chanderi and linen silk which are perfect for summer weddings. I design the wooden blocks myself and have them handcrafted in Jaipur. My printers are from Delhi...”
Sujata’s USP, in addition to her ‘one design-one saree’ philosophy is her bold sense of colour. Expect the unexpected on her racks —we see a stunning red shibori body with a dark ajrakh pallu and hand-embroidered border, an elegant Benares silk pallu on a checked Kancheevaram silk, a magenta tussar saree with a blouse piece embroidered in Bengal (Kantha), a block-printed muga silk with a velvet blouse and much more. “I love working with brides on bespoke garments for their special day.” adds Sujata “...and on demand I have introduced some smart Indo-Western silhouettes including the dhoti-saree, palazzos, capes and crop tops.”
Mumbai-born Sujata says her customers range from age 15 to 85 given her penchant for colour and versatility. “I am always asked about what I am wearing - I only wear my own — and that is what I hope to give to my clients. A sense of joy and confidence in the saree that they are wearing...”
