Fashion, Food & TLC: Visit These Women-Led Places In Hyderabad

If you know us, you know how much we love The Willow Bake Shop. Tucked in the alleys of Banjara Hills, we're giving you three reasons to sprint to this new bakery — choux pastries, themed weekend dinners, and a whole bunch of Instagram-worthy corners. Their chef and co-founder, Chaitali Pednekar puts in so much love in her cooking that it shows. A Lavonne Academy graduate, her dishes can instantly lighten your mood on a dark day. We absolutely love Willow's soups, pizzas, and desserts.

Dipti Mrinalini's very own label — Dipti Mrinalini in Banjara Hills is all about slow-fashion, ethical fashion, and organic clothing. Dipti started out with a sewing machine in her parents' garage, and that's when she floated her label. She works with local artisans and weavers, makes use of organic cotton, natural dyes, etc. Apart from boxy tops, tunics, and jackets, you'll also discover a fine curation of handloom sarees that are handpicked by Dipti. Plus, you can find the elements of traditional Indian art comfortably co-existing with contemporary designs.

Founded by Shruti Padala and Divya, Booch Please is a kombucha brand based out of Hyderabad. On a visit to Gokarna, Shruti tried kombucha and loved it, however, on her return to Hyderabad, she couldn't find this fun and fizzy drink. So, she began brewing kombucha in small batches; after experimenting for about a two and a half years, she floated the brand with Divya. You can place an order via Instagram or email or try out their kombucha at Comic Social, The Pet Cafe, and Good Vibes Only. If you've been meaning to cut down on sugary beverages, Booch Please is worth giving a shot.

Founded by Priyanka Paul, One Shutter Moment aims to capture our pets at their happiest and goofiest selves. One Shutter Moment — a pet photography service frames all the good times, and also allow your pet to have their star moment. Here's how this works — when you schedule a shoot, Priyanka visits you personally to get familiar with your pet. When your pet is comfortable and playful enough, she tries to understand their personality, and has a conversation with you. You can pick either an outdoor or an indoor shoot. On the shoot day, she brings her own equipment and adorable props like bows, hats, treats, etc. She usually takes 7-10 days to deliver the edited pictures. 

The Conscious Storey in Banjara Hills is one of the best sustainable stores in Hyderabad. This store is founded by Hema Balakrishnan who works with women artisans and mostly curates from women designs and small businesses. At the store, you can expect a vast range of handicrafts that include crockery, jewellery, clothing, skincare products, and hygiene products. They've got brands like Earthy Sapo, The Period Hub, Pure Ghee, Abhihaara, Color D Earth, etc.

Marzia Ali is probably one of the first artists LBB, Hyderabad collaborated with, and her workshops are always a blast. Marzia has been making art ever since she was a child but on a professional level, she began when she was 16. She specialises in watercolour, acrylic, oil, resin, fluid art, calligraphy, and alcohol ink art. Her pre-made creations usually cost you INR 500 upwards and they can go up to INR 1 lakh. But if you're planning to get art customised, the price range begins at INR 10,000. She is also the founder of The Duende Box — a subscription box for art supplies and OG art pieces. 

Looking for a home chef for dinner parties with your fam? check out Manju's Kitchen. Founded by Manju Saraogi and her daughter, Nehal Saraogi, Manju's Kitchen is all about fresh bakes, hygienic, and delicious food at affordable prices. Manju started her entrepreneurial journey at 61; she loves experimenting with dishes and as a result, we can dig into a wide range of cuisines. From Focaccia Bread and Baby Corn Rolls to Dal Baati and Meher Paneer Curry — Manju's Kitchen has a lot to offer and you can grab more details on their Instagram page.

Ramya Koduri and Swarna Vemulapalli have been running PeaceLily for over four years now with an all-girls team. And recently, they've also started a cafe in Kavuri Hills — Hush Cafe. Their dainty studio has a nursery; when we stepped in, we spotted plenty of charming terrariums, succulents, and self-watering plants. Not restricting themselves to just creating terrariums in glass bowls, they make use of super quirky glass boxes and vessels that come in myriad shapes. Ramya and Swarna draw inspiration from the people around them, and that clearly reflects in these miniature gardens. Want to surprise a certain someone with a customised plant? PeaceLily is all you need.

Founded by Manpreet Kaur, Inheritance Studio is a three-storeyed home studio in Yapral that houses furniture, paintings, and decor accessories. Each floor has a diverse section of items and for the convenience of the customers, they are decked in living-room and bedroom format for you to visualise your space. But if you're looking for more, they are also experienced in interior design and can transform your home to your taste. The studio sources and deploys Indian fabric (except leather, which is sourced from Italy); the skilled artisans come from Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Rajasthan and UP.

We're being super candid as we say this — Sucre Bakehouse in Jubilee Hills has to be one of the best places in Hyderabad for picking brownies. Founded by Niyatee Ravipati, Sucre makes use of premium French bread flour, French butter, dark chocolate, couverture chocolate, and Callebaut Dutch-processed cocoa. Although Niyatee is a self-taught baker, she has undergone a professional training and what sets her baked goods apart is — she uses no maida. Do pick their brownies, blondies, and Double Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Tease Dry Bar in Jubilee Hills is where all you ladies need to head out! Of course, for some tender loving and care. Founded by Priyanka Parvathaneni and Spandana Gangasani, this dry bar offers services like Hair Spa Filler Therapy Treatment, hair wash and a variety of stylings like updos, braids, dry curls, and the likes.  Talking about exclusivity, they’re also first in the city to use Dyson Blow Dryer, which doesn’t harm your hair even a tiny bit, and the best part? They don’t even charge extra for this. Want to go beyond styling? Apart from Hair Spa Filler Therapy, Tease pampers your tresses with a Deep Infusion spa.

Whether you are a hardcore Ghibli fan or want your love story knitted on your wedding cards, Radhika Pitti — designer and the human behind Radhika Pitti Studio is who you should talk to. The studio specialises in a wide range of personalised wedding stationery and invitations. Radhika makes use of materials like paper, fun pop-ups, wood, and even metallic sheets. If you notice their creations, florals, motifs, traditional elements and colours that jump right at you are a common sight. But don't let that stop you from asking something that you'd prefer!

It is so difficult to let go of your old silk sarees or your momma's treasured (but almost ruined) Kanchipattu saree. But what if someone could redesign or upcycle them for you? Label Aavanya — a local brand by Lavanya Rao does that, and more. She undertook professional training under Weavers Service Centre before floating her own label. At the moment, Aavanya has spread its wings by offering services like block printing and dyeing, unisex clothing, block printing on handlooms limiting not just to sarees but also handbags and coffee mugs.