About Us
Our brand is called “Paromita Banerjee” named after our namesake founder, Paromita Banerjee.
We find magic in the touch of the human hand.
What do we do?
Starting in 2009, our brand is about a local approach to global aesthetics rooted in the handloom sector of India.
Our brand works with weaver clusters across India, innovating fabrics at the loom stage which is then fashioned into sarees, garments and accessories from our studio in Kolkata in West Bengal, India. The fact that no two handloom items can ever look the same inspires us, because that way, each of our creation stands out. The products that we make have passed through the hands of multiple artisans from weavers, dyers, printers, tailors, hand-finishers, before finally reaching you.
With the core value of handmade and handweave in place, our brand’s signature style has references of Japanese minimalism and has a trans-seasonal heft. As such, our products are trans-seasonal and we believe it blends from one season to the next and becomes classics in your wardrobe.
We follow the concept of "BORO" in our studio. The Japanese term "Boro" loosely means too good to waste. We believe in the slow process of making and creating fashion and as such, we value our waste and hold it very dear. Since we are very sentimental about our fabrics, (each of the base fabrics have been created by us from scratch and we have seen each fabric go through the stages of hand sketching and then to our weaver homes for weaving), we heart to let them go waste and we guard them diligently and meticulously. With these upcycled fabrics of past stories, we make products like bags, khaata notebooks, single edition kimonos, and with the smaller pieces, tassles and buttons.
The brand has represented India at the United Nations ‘Fashion for the Development and Peace’ show in Shanghai. The brand has been showcasing at the fashion weeks in India like Lakme Fashion week and India Fashion Week since 2009 and a member of the FDCI , The Fashion Design Council of India. You will find the brand retailing in multi designer boutiques across India and abroad.
With our forward thinking, sustainable approach forming the backbone of our brand, we have journeyed 10 years in this industry.
About the founder
Paromita Banerjee, our founder and director, the brain behind the brand, is an alumni of the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, class of 2001 having specialized in textile design.
She is an old soul, she draws inspiration from ancient charms and antiques, old furniture and artifacts, narrow bylanes with vintage houses in rustic neighborhoods charm her. She owns more books than she can manage reading, and if she had her way, you might find her in the quaint café down the road, reading a book and sipping chai !
While in NID, she had the opportunity to be a foreign exchange student to Stockholm, at Konstfack University of Art and Culture, which opened her mind to the opportunities available back home in India, and the treasure trove that is India. She has undertaken numerous craft research projects in and around India, significant amongst them, being the Himachal chapter of the textile encyclopedia, “Handmade in India” under the DC(h) Handicrafts.
With over 15 years experience in the field of craft, design and textiles, she is also an avid photographer. Some of the product shoots in the website would have been done by her.
She was one of the finalists of the British Council Young Entrepreneur Awards.. She is also a guest lecturer at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and is also called for speaking at sessions on Design, Art, Culture and Entrepreneurship.
Paromita Banerjee is a fiercely dynamic woman with an eye for detail – someone who places heritage and tradition on a pedestal and believes the old always becomes the foundation for the new. In these 10 years of the brand, she has successfully managed to keep indigenous talent relevant and desired, in this age of mechanization and global assembly line of production where each product loses its character amongst multiple similar counterparts.
When not in the studio, Paromita keeps herself busy learning the art of juggling, of juggling with her 3 year old daughter , who keeps her on her toes and firmly grounded !
Our studio
Our superbly close-knit studio is based in Kolkata in West Bengal, India and this is where our ideas grow wings and fly off to you, anywhere in the world. Our team of designers, back-end team, pattern cutters, tailors, our ladies at hand-finishing, packing etc, all sit here. Our ground staff, our precious weavers and artisans are based across India.
Besides loving us, by buying our products here (!), you can also write in to us at paromitabanerjee.online@gmail.com if you wish to drop by our studio. We would love to meet you or hear from you.