Square Root

A couture label in the city blends the past with the present

A little away from the Sukhna Lake — one of the city's more prominent landmarks — are old homes, including heritage properties, many of which still retain a red brick façade in Le Corbusier's signature style in architecture. It's in one such home that SP Square, a haute couture label by designers and twin sisters Suneet and Puneet Brar, finds its roots. There's been a buzz about the 28-year-old Brar sisters in the region's fashion circles, including among those who visit Punjab annually.

"Our collections have aroused interest in California, Vancouver and Toronto as much as in Amritsar and Jalandhar,"says Puneet, looking chic in a pair of ink blue palazzaos paired with a black tee. There are racks with "samples" of the forthcoming Autumn-Winter collection for display, including floor-kissing gowns with dabka embroidery on yokes. "We only do bespoke tailoring," points out Puneet as we take in the riot of colours. Magenta, mustard, turquoise, emerald and aubergine — all vie for attention.

The robust use of the shade card is complemented with ornate traditional hand embroideries such as zardozi, dabka, gota patti along with stone work and sequins. "For us, Punjab is a muse because of its vibrancy and spirit as well as traditional embroideries. We are also inspired by Mughal artwork," shares Puneet. Both sisters are alumnae of the Delhi-based Pearl Academy of Fashion and now have a team of craftsmen working for them. Contrasting use of fabrics (silk, velvet and georgette mostly), colours and predominantly A-line silhouettes appear to be their signature style. That and the "corset with ghagras" that the collection is replete with. "We do mostly trousseau wear and the new brides don't want to opt for a heavy lehenga that will never see the light of day again," says Puneet, who gets a lot of orders for gowns, corset with skirts and jacket kurtas. "In our experience, everyone is looking for traditional crafts that don't look dated. That's when we work on the fits and styling. For a recent baby shower outfit, we designed a floor-kissing dress with a fitted bodice. It works well as a dress and if needed can be paired with a churidaar," she adds.

... contd.

ALSO READ

Best of both worlds

A Martyr’s Diary

Girl in the Centre

Dance Like a Man