Now Bengal’s famed ‘Baluchari’ launched as a brand by Abhishek Dutta

Designer Abhiskek Dutta has launched a premium fashion brand called ‘Baluchari’. The line includes saris, shoes, bags, wallets, belts and furnishing made of silk. The traditional Baluchari sari has its roots in Murshidabad district of West Bengal, it is a handwoven, richly dyed silk, with intricate motifs from Indian mythology woven onto its large pallu. The sari takes a week to be woven, and the and the designs are inspired by Ramayana and Mahabharata. Baluchari is mostly a connoisseurs’ item in Bengal.

Dutta aims to make this traditional silk a high fashion fabric and attract the younger people to save a dying textile art of West Bengal. While saris are a prominent part of the collection, there are bags and shoes with Baluchari patches and leather inputs to make it sturdy. Then there are jackets and home furnishings to make the product attractive enough and break free from Baluchari’s only sari fabric image.

While Baluchari silk is mostly used to make saris, brand Baluchari will use the silk in innovative ways. The brand is being sold through Amazon and Flipkart. West Bengal has had success with two other fashion brands Biswa Bangla and Club Muslin.