CLOTHING BRAND ROUKA'S NEW STORE IN KOCHI WEAVES FOUNDER-DESIGNER SREEJITH JEEVAN'S MEMORIES WITH A KERALA MODERN AESTHETIC.

As the first showers of monsoon wash over Kochi, fashion label Rouka's new flagship store feels like a cool, dimly lit sanctuary.

- SOHINI DEY

Plantain leaves painted on the walls, and tapestries featuring elephants and jackfruit trees remind you of Kerala's lush backwaters. Vintage wooden furniture evokes an intimate feeling and a deep shade of crimson spreads across the entire space. From the walls and the red oxide floors to the plush velvet curtains circling the trial rooms, it references the red altar of the Parumala Church, designed by Charles Correa.

The colour palette goes back to 2013 when designer Sreejith Jeevan laid the foundation of Rouka, a clothing label that has come to be known for its Kerala Modern aesthetic. Rouka began in his grandfather's old house—a 1960s bungalow with red oxide floors and laterite walls layered with white. “Those became the colours of Rouka—my refuge, my language, my beginning,” says Jeevan. “When the new store began to take shape, this was my first certainty: it had to be red and white. It had to feel like home.”