aarké Ritu Kumar launches its Autumn-Winter 2022 collection, stressing pre-drapes and layered clothing

New Delhi: Keeping in line with the forthcoming festive season, aarké Ritu Kumar launched its AW’22 (Autumn-Winter) Collection. Bringing in an elegant assortment for the everyday woman’s wardrobe, the collection boasts an artistic amalgamation of prints, patches, colours and fabrics the collection, and embarks on the season of fall and festivities. Designed for hassle-free intimate gatherings, the ensembles in the new collection showcase delicate floral motifs and intricate geometric patterns in jewel tones.

The new collection stresses the wearable ease of pre-drapes that make saris an effortless choice for the modern woman. One can spot celebrities from the leggy beauty Shilpa Shetty Kundra to the newbie Kiara Advani sporting sequined and shimmery pre-drapes proving that it is indeed the hottest attire of the moment. Pre-drapes are also the perfect attire for intimate weddings and pre-wedding functions. The fabrics used by aarké’s new collection depict festive times through the shimmer and shine of sequin and satin, from lehengas to signature suits and trendy co-ords.

“The pre-drapes widen the target audience because of the ease of wearing it and the contemporary hint it brings in. The collection is for those women who want to keep their festive winter dressing classy yet minimal. It’s perfect for the ones who are looking to make a statement with classics,” says Amrish Kumar, the fashion house’s Managing Director and Creative Director.

Rooted in tradition fused with a modern spirit, aarké is for any woman who dresses with Indian sensibilities. With the idea of rediscovering and diversifying the offerings and amplifying the reach of Ritu Kumar, aarké caters to women who want affordable designer wear for occasions in their daily life. “An aarké woman for us means one who lives in the moment and is yet rooted in Indian sensibilities, is a multi-tasker, and someone who does not shy away from her preferences of what she wears. With aarké we aim to reach a more varied audience for whom design and quality along with a certain price sensitivity are at the core of shopping,” says Kumar.

aarké, a portmanteau with the initials of the Ritu Kumar brand, captures the various moods of the urban woman. Launched in the summer of 2021, the brand headlines the cool, casual look. It reflects the signature statement of designer Ritu Kumar, who since 1969 has developed a unique style vocabulary of her own, reflecting the heritage of Indian craftsmanship in a contemporary vocabulary. Kumar’s understanding of design and innovative use of crafts has created a new classicism. She is known for her distinctive use of colours, quality of fabrics, intricate embroideries and a gloriously rich Indian aesthetic.

“The brand is for any woman who dresses with Indian sensibilities. With the idea of rediscovering and diversifying the offerings and to amplify the reach of Ritu Kumar, aarké caters to women who want affordable designer wear for occasions in their daily life,” stresses Kumar, adding that the colour palette of aarké boasts the quintessential Ritu Kumar shades of sandy pastels, cappuccino, mocha, teal, forest green and the like.

The new collection also calls for layering. In fact, post-pandemic layering has become the go-to look for the office-going woman. Layering with mix-and-match accessories stresses sustainability and slow fashion, as one dress can be styled in multiple ways. One can style outfits with the brand’s signature waterfall shrugs, trench coats, statement bomber jackets in print or snug woollen scarves. The playful accessories from the brand also add the right note of pizzazz to any outfit. Elaborating on the art of layering, a mainstay for Autumn-Winter fashion, Kumar says, “Layering can distinctively change the look and vibe of an outfit. For instance, just adding a quilted jacket to a sari or a lehenga helps you bring in the twist that the younger audience is willing to experiment with.”

The collection will be available on the official website  and aarké stores in Jalandhar, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Udaipur, Pune, Mumbai and Bengaluru, to name a few, besides through tie-ups with various retail websites. The brand is also in an expansion phase and is looking at opening more stores in cities such as Noida, Chennai, Hyderabad, Ahmedabad, Siliguri, Delhi, Indore, Baroda, Rajkot, and Pune.