London's Dover Street Market sees a new Indian store -- Varana

As a part of London Design Week, Varana has opened its flagship store in Rei Kawakubo’s Dover Street Market in Mayfair, London. Dover Street Market is home to Comme des Garcons and its subsidiaries and was conceived of by the label’s founder, Rei Kawakubo. The multi-brand designer store houses luxury fashion from around the world with a focus on avant garde designs. The store’s latest addition Varana, is an Indian label that specialises in turning Indian embroidery and printing into a modern and experimental vision.

Sujata Keshavan, Creative Director, Head of Design, points out Varana takes its names from Varanasi, which means it is the heart of India. The brand aims to showcase the finest textiles and skills, also the USP is stitched garments.

Varana, was founded in 2015 by Sujata Keshavan, Ravi Prasad, and Meeta Malhotra. Keshavan has headed the graphic design firm Ray plus Keshavan Design for over 25 years. Prasad worked with bringing the Himalaya brand to 92 countries and Malhotra has worked as a brand strategist for a number of brands including Xerox. Dover Street Market is the brand’s first flagship presence and their spring/ summer collection is also available in department store Harvey Nichols, in London.