Nafisa Rachel William Gives Sarees A Fresh, Unconventional Twist

Delhi-based Nafisa Rachel William’s collection of sarees focuses on women of all ages. She also taps into casual and formal Indo-Western wear.

Taking inspiration from her love for literature, Nafisa Rachel William’s collection of sarees is brimming with all things vintage, history and culture. What we particularly like about her, though, is that she seems to ignore all fashion rules, does not care about what’s trending and basically starts from a clean slate, every time. From unseen colour combinations to edgy shararas, casual handloom sarees to stylish canvas pants, Nafisa’s outfits are as much for the unconventional as for those who like to play it safe.

She started her label as an attempt to discard the assumption about sarees being a boring thing that older people wear. She’s 29 and wears the humble nine yards on an almost-daily basis, encouraging younger women to embrace what according to her is the sexiest piece of clothing in the world. Hailing from a family in Jammu, she grew up around women who never wore anything but sarees, and has been in love with them since she was five. She claims she can drape one in under one minute! Her collection also has a range of western and Indo-western wear, something she started only after clients abroad loved her aesthetics and demanded it of her. While some of her sarees are Bollywood-inspired, a white georgette one with assorted borders, some beautiful leheriya sarees and this particular crepe and silk one are swoon-worthy.

Her latest collection, Beauty In The Breakdown I {which also happens to be a line from an Imogen Heap song Let Go}, celebrates imperfection and features Indian wear in hand block print, a lot of mul mul, bright colours {think yellow, fuchsia and neon orange}, banjara styles, sequin and Mokash handwork. Oh! And our current favourite – Gumcha Kurtas! Unconventional in every sense, this collection caters to all moods whether you’re channeling the inner hippie, feeling sexy or want to look your classy best. Although not all, some of her clothes are organic. In other words, Nafisa’s designs are for somebody who isn’t attention-seeking, but gets the attention anyway. #sareenotsorry

Shop online here or here.

Price: INR 3,000-INR 35,000

Contact: Email her at nafisarachelwilliam@gmail.com to place an order.

Follow her on Facebook here.