The Perfect Union

For her wedding wardrobe, Palak Shah of Ekaya Banaras looked to kindred spirits from the design world to create custom confections, finds CHLOE CHOU

- CHLOE CHOU

WHEN PALAK SHAH MARRIED AVNISH CHHABRIA, the co-founder of Wellbeing Nutrition, in February, the couple celebrated their union surrounded by their loved ones, beginning with an engagement party and puja in Benares (the bride's hometown) followed by a host of celebrations in Chandigarh. It wasn't long after the two got engaged in August of last year that Shah began dialling up her favourite designers (who also happen to be her friends) to get started on her outfits. Even before the venue for the nuptials was finalised, the bride-to-be knew she wanted to work with Kunal Rawal, Gaurav Gupta and Shantnu & Nikhil to bring her wedding wardrobe to life.

"I believe when two strong sensibilities come together, you create something that's out of the box. When it came to picking the designers, the choice was a no-brainer," says Shah. Since its inception, her label Ekaya Banaras has championed collaboration as part of its business model. So, for the wedding, using the brand's thaans (fabric rolls) as their canvas, each designer brought their artistic vision to the table.

First was the wedding lehenga, for which the CEO of the Indian textile brand turned to none other than her father Bharat Shah and her best friend, the designer Nikhil Mehra of Shantnu & Nikhil. The base of the lehenga-the kalis-was designed by Shah's parents using real zari and silk fabrics from Ekaya.