Luxury wear brand MALA CHETTY was founded only a year ago by the eponymous designer in her living room. Her cosmopolitan lifestyle and the lack of appropriate destination wear off-season in stores inspired Mala to create her own unique collection of luxurious dresses and kaftans. With a simple sketchbook and some colourful paint the first designs were drawn and today the collection has 15 beautiful dresses and kaftans made of 100% handwoven silk, four stylish clutches and six elegant sandals.
Altogether this is full-fledged first line characterized by the day-to-night aspect of the garments. With a simple change of accessories and shoes, each garment can be worn all day for different occasions. The silk fabrics ensure that the fit is always soft and comfortable, yet flattering and elegant. Another great quality of silk is that it’s extremely lightweight and nice to wear during warm weather. Perfect for traveling to a summery destination.
The craftsmanship
During her travels, Mala discovered the beautiful silk villages of Vietnam. With a dream to create a collection that is mostly made of organic silk, she visited several villages before meeting the best silk artisans. These families have been hand-weaving the most precious silk for generations and worked to perfect their unique craft over the years.
As the brand stands for powerful, independent women, Mala chose to work with independent artisans to support the local community. Hand-weaving silk is a unique craft that the brand finds important to maintain and also support a sustainable livelihood, therefore she solely works fair trade.
All garments are designed by Mala herself and produced in The Netherlands. The silk woven for the MALA CHETTY garment is made with an exclusive, one-of-a-kind technique that gives the fabric the most beautiful fit while wearing it. Some garments are hand painted, applied by the MALA CHETTY team themselves – creating a truly unique touch.
The sustainability
The choice of fabric for creating these garments was simple, as silk is the epitome of luxury. It’s perfectly suited for creating high-end fashion due to its drape and elegant appearance. But aside from its gorgeous and lightweight qualities – silk is an incredibly durable fabric that retains its beauty and shape up to 2000 years. So these garments are made for life.
Traditionally, silk has always been dyed with natural ingredients only. Although this craft has become rare, it has not been lost. The MALA CHETTY silk artisans have optimally mastered this technique. The ingredients used for colouring are fully organic and the dye is done by hand. The pigments used consist only of natural ingredients, such as bark, berries, wildflowers, leaves and tree roots. The artisans treat silk with the utmost care, resulting in a perfect colouring that can only be achieved by this ancient technique.
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