Radhika Merchant in a phool dupatta by Floral Art
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement
Hours before Radhika Merchant’s haldi ceremony, a group of five karigars sat huddled around a mound of fresh flowers at Srishti Calcuttawala’s Floral Art Studio in Vile Parle, Mumbai. They then deftly stitched them together to create an ornate floral dupatta and jewellery. Little did they know that in a few hours, this handiwork of theirs would be trending on social media. This is the phoolon ki chadar dupatta that Radhika Merchant wore for her haldi ceremony along with a custom Anamika Khanna silhouette.
The dupatta measures nine feet by two feet and features tagar kali, yellow button daisies and Thai crown flowers
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
“It was done at a very short notice. The function was on July 8th and we got a call from Rhea Kapoor’s team on the evening of the 7th,” says Srishti, who specialises in floral jewellery. She normally get orders a month in advance but did not want to pass up this opportunity. “The brief given to us was that they wanted tagar kali detailing. It gives a very Indian look,” explains Srishti. So, the next day, Srishti and her team went to the Dadar flower market to source tagar kali, yellow button daisies and Thai crown flowers. It then took them six to seven hours to complete the order.
Floral jewellery by Srishti and her team
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
The dupatta measures nine feet by two feet, and is bigger than the floral dupattas most brides wear. “We also made a choker, long necklace, haath phool and kaleera (worn on the wrist by brides) for Radhika,” says Srishti.
This is not the first celebrity wedding that Srishti’s company has crafted floral jewellery for. In the past they have made kaleera for Sonam Kapoor, dry flower kaleera and earrings for Katrina Kaif, fresh flower bracelets for Alia Bhatt, fresh flower matha patti for Karishma Tanna, among others. The trend of floral jewellery has picked up in the last 10 years, she adds.
Kavita Kapur and Srishti Calcuttawala
| Photo Credit:
Special Arrangement
When Floral Art first launched in 2002, they started off making bouquets, home decor and trousseau packaging. “It was started by my mother Kavita Kapur, an ikebana expert. Around 15 years ago we began experimenting with floral jewellery. Wearing flowers has been part of Indian culture for many years. It took us a year to understand this skill,” she says.
Floral accessories usually stay for a day. The jewellery and dupatta together cost around ₹27,000, says Srishti. While phool dupattas are not uncommon, the one worn by Radhika has piqued interest. “What we are used to seeing is brides wearing the dupatta on their heads but here its draped around the bride. It’s grander and overall the vibe worked well. And now, enquiries are pouring in even from brides who are getting married in November and December,” laughs Srishti.
