Ashima Gupta of Silai Studio introduced their brands, Silai Studio and MAIDAAN, which are contemporary women’s clothing brands founded in 2014 and 2021, respectively. Silai Studio is driven by a passion for handcrafted textiles, emphasizing weaving, printing, and embroidery techniques. They recently launched MAIDAAN, catering to the modern Indian consumer’s needs for casual ethnic wear and everyday cotton clothing.
The core mission of both brands is to preserve and promote traditional textile techniques while infusing a modern, global perspective into their designs. They aim to bridge the gap between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary fashion.
Handcrafted techniques like weaving, printing, and embroidery are carefully integrated into their clothing designs, ensuring a blend of aesthetics, comfort, and cultural authenticity.
Silai Studio aims to reach a global and modern audience while preserving India’s textile heritage by infusing traditional techniques into contemporary designs.
MAIDAAN was born to address the market gap where the modern Indian woman seeks well-designed clothing with a solid connection to Indian roots. The brand offers handcrafted dupattas sourced directly from weaver artisans and coordinated kurta sets for versatile, ready-to-wear ensembles.
(Q) Can you briefly introduce Silai Studio and MAIDAAN to our readers who may need to become familiar with your brands?
Silai Studio and Maidaan are contemporary womenswear brands. Silai Studio was founded in February 2014, driven by a passion for handcrafted textiles. Our brand strongly emphasizes handmade techniques like weaving, printing, and embroidery. Recently, we ventured into our other label, MAIDAAN, in March 2021, explicitly targeting the modern Indian consumer dealing in casual ethnic wear and everyday cotton clothing.
(Q) What inspired you to embark on this creative journey, and what is the core mission that drives both Silai Studio and MAIDAAN?
The inspiration for Silai Studio and MAIDAAN comes from a deep appreciation for India’s rich textile heritage. We aim to preserve and promote traditional textile techniques while infusing a modern, global perspective into our designs. Our designs aim to bridge the gap between traditional craftsmanship and contemporary fashion.
(Q) Your brands emphasize using handcrafted techniques like weaving, printing, and embroidery. Could you share insights into how these techniques are integrated into your clothing designs to create comfortable and simple attire?
At Silai Studio and MAIDAAN, we integrate handcrafted techniques like weaving, printing, and embroidery to create comfortable clothes. These techniques are carefully woven into our clothing designs, ensuring a blend of aesthetics, comfort, and cultural authenticity.
(Q) Silai Studio’s reach intends to be both global and modern. How do you balance the rich Indian textile heritage with an international and contemporary perspective in your designs?
I believe in balancing India’s rich textile heritage with a contemporary and international outlook. Silai Studio strives to achieve this by integrating traditional techniques into modern designs and silhouettes, allowing our clothing to appeal to a global audience while preserving India’s cultural legacy.
(Q) MAIDAAN, your new label, was born in March 2022, focusing on the modern Indian consumer. What inspired this new venture, and how does MAIDAAN cater to the evolving tastes of today’s Indian audience?
There was a vast market gap, where the modern Indian woman is looking for something designed well and has a particular connection to the Indian roots. We decided to go with handcrafted dupattas, directly sourced from weaver artisans and block print artisans, and design coordinated kurta sets with those to offer a ready-to-wear everyday kurta set that is so versatile that you could wear it to an office meeting or a puja at home.
(Q) Could you provide some insights into the design philosophy underpinning Silai Studio and MAIDAAN? What elements make your creations stand out in the fashion industry?
Our design philosophy at Silai Studio and MAIDAAN is rooted in preserving traditional craftsmanship while infusing a modern, sophisticated aesthetic. Attention to detail, craftsmanship, sustainability, and a commitment to creating versatile, timeless pieces are the elements that set our creations apart in the fashion industry.
(Q) With Silai Studio being present in physical stores and online marketplaces and MAIDAAN purely an e-commerce brand, what unique challenges and opportunities do you face in both retail spaces?
Silai Studio faces challenges and opportunities in physical and online retail spaces, while MAIDAAN operates purely in e-commerce. The former involves managing inventory, ensuring excellent customer experiences in physical stores, and expanding our geographical reach. On the other hand, MAIDAAN allows us to maximize our digital space and effectively penetrate the online market.
(Q) Sustainability and ethical practices are essential considerations in today’s fashion industry. How does your brand incorporate sustainable practices into your design and production processes?
Sustainability and ethical practices are at the core of Silai Studio and MAIDAAN. We prioritize using sustainable materials, ethical production processes, fair labour practices, and minimizing environmental impact throughout our supply chain to positively contribute to the environment and the people associated with us, focusing on social sustainability and the environment.
(Q) As the visionary behind Silai Studio and MAIDAAN, could you share some core values and guiding principles that have led to your success in the fashion industry?
Fundamental values that have led to our success at Silai Studio and MAIDAAN include a commitment to craftsmanship, sustainability, cultural appreciation, innovation, and a dedication to fostering a strong community of artisans and customers passionate about traditional textiles and modern design.
(Q) What are the aspirations and plans for both Silai Studio and MAIDAAN? Are there any exciting developments or expansions that our readers should anticipate?
At Silai Studio and MAIDAAN, our aspirations include expanding our global reach while staying true to our core values. We plan to introduce new collections, collaborations, and initiatives aligning with cultural preservation and the ‘Made in India’ phenomenon. We are constantly engaging with more and more artisanal communities to bring Indian craft and textiles back into the mainstream industry.
