I DON’T WANT TO BE CONTENT WITH LIFE

Palak Shah, 27 ceo, ekaya, delhi ekaya.in

Palak Shah grew up in a family that has been in the business of preserving the tradition of Benarasi textile weaves for over three generations. An ardent lover of sarees herself, she always dreamt of selling Indian textiles in a novel way, of revolutionising the industry and breaking away from the stereotypical methods used for their production and retail. Before diving into the business, she decided to arm herself with the requisite skills and went on to study management at King’s College, UK. It was only after she returned to India in 2012 that Ekaya, a brand that celebrates the contemporary face of the family business came into existence. While the first store opened in

Delhi in September

2012, the other two stores came up in

Hyderabad and

Ahmedabad soon after. “There are endless possibilities to innovate with textiles. At Ekaya, we are experimenting every day and curating everything,” says Shah. In the span of just six years, she has managed to not only grow the brand by embracing heritage and using it as a springboard for inspiration, but has also sealed quite a few collaborations including those with Indian designers and lifestyle retail stores. For the Cousu d’Or, the IndoFrench collaboration with Federation Francaise de la Creation Couture Sur Mesure, Ekaya demonstrated how Indian fabrics can be a part of French couture. For this, 15 designers showcased how seamlessly Indian fabrics could fit the global market. In her drive to take the brand to new heights, Thaan by Ekaya—where you find woven fabrics in signature patterns drawn from the inhouse archives alongside works of known weavers—was launched last year.