There’s something very satisfying about someone quizzing you on your clothes or accessories and then filling them in on your latest fashion discovery. What else happens when you’re wearing a new brand? There’s also the added benefit that you minimize the risk of turning up in the exact same kurta or handbag as someone else – #twinning. As style
aficionados, we’re always on the lookout for newbie brands that pique our interest and truth be told, the world of Instagram opens up a whole new world of brands and ideas every single day. Here’s our round up of new brands and fresh collections loved by fashion insiders that you can follow and snap up too.

Jooti Kapra Makaan

We love a brand that knows its wordplay. As women we know that the jootis can be almost as integral as the makaan and this under the radar brand recognizes that. Recently, there’s been a profusion of new footwear brands specializing in hand made shoes while reviving traditional craft. Each brings something new to the table whether it’s JootiShooti or Odd and Eve and the newest one on the block is Jooti Kapra Makaan. Ever wondered what an Alice in Wonderland theme or Gustav Klim’s The Kiss would look like on a khussa? Well, you now know. Ranging from 6000-8000, these khussas can be worn with eastern or western outfits and we’re particularly impressed by the attention to detail on their designs.

Souchaj

Launched in June 2016, Souchaj is a bridal and luxury wear studio in Lahore that has definitely managed to make its mark. Revivalist brands are close to our hearts for their determination to keep the crafts alive and that’s the basis of this new brand. Their launch campaign was based on mother-daughter duo Mira Sethi and Jugnu Mohsin and their relationship and the tradition of passing down heirlooms. Most of their pieces are heirloom worthy in earthy tones with marori, tilla and other intricate work. The price ranges are from 75,000 to 300,000 for formals and 350,000 onwards for bridals and we hope to keep seeing more from the brand.

Flora

Flora happened when a talented freelance fashion illustrator met leather handbags. Flora’s Instagram boasts a whole range of hand painted bags with inspirations from flora (naturally), fauna and even Dolce & Gabbana. She creates customized pieces and takes limited orders on her designs to maintain exclusivity. Priced at 3000 to 5000, these handbags are ones we can’t wait to get our hands on!

 

Esfir x BTW

BTW (By The Way) is a Lahore based affordable high street store that’s been creating eastern and western lines alongside a selection of accessories. Esfir is a Karachi based jewelry design house that’s been creating more high end jewelry. The two fairly new brands recently collaborated for an accessories line where the price range falls under 5000 rupees while Esfir’s own series is anywhere between 5000-15,000. Through this collaboration called Spring Break, we have available to us an inexpensive collection but one with Esfir’s usual aesthetic mixed with on trend additions like tassels, big stones and unusual structures. We hope the two continue collaborating!

 

 

Coiled

We discovered this brand on a recent Instagram expedition (guilty) and were bowled over by their uniqueness of design. Coiled is an initiative to empower women and revive the craft of ‘paranda making’ but with a distinctive twist, in that the technique is applied to jewelry design. As the ladies of Jamshoro have been originally selling their parandas for 10-20 rupees to the local vendors, they are happy to work on this initiative with the founder, Zehra. Each piece is handmade by these artisans under supervision and it takes an average of 3-4 hours uninterrupted to make a single product. The price range of these jewelry pieces begins from 1500 rupees for earrings and can go up to 3500 rupees for heavily designed neck pieces.

 

Frower

Sarah Cheema of WhatSaraWore fame has launched her own couture and pret brand called Frower. While her debut SS ’17 exhibition is yet to take place, our curiosity is piqued looking at her designs on social media. So far we’ve seen kaftans with hand embroidered work, cutwork kurtas and a sari dress outfit that she wore to the PSFW red carpet. Her designs are a breath of fresh air in a market saturated with too much of the same. We have a feeling this brand is one to watch out for!