Anavila Misra is now thinking of Gen Z

For the last two years, designer Anavila Misra has stayed away from fashion weeks, choosing, instead, to showcase either at her own stores (she has a flagship boutique in Mumbai and a studio in Gurugram) or at destinations that fit in with the brand’s ethos, whether culturally or business-wise. “It’s not a very conscious decision,” says Misra. “I’m thinking more about what the experience is like for the clientele, people beyond the fashion community, who are the actual end users.”

Last week, that took the form of a presentation hosted by The Leela Hyderabad, home to a new boutique called Maison Isa, which will house exclusive collections of Anavila’s clothing and home textile line. For Gurugram-based Misra, Hyderabad is almost like home. “Some of our first few clients who put their faith in the brand were from Hyderabad,” she says, when we talk over a call a few days later.

The store is helmed by Deepthi Reddy, managing director of Pioneer Holiday Resorts Limited (the group that owns The Leela Hyderabad) and a client turned close friend of Misra, and the curation is focused on women-led brands that work to empower artisan communities. This is where Misra’s eponymous brand, with its emphasis on handwoven textiles and sustainable practices, fits in.

The evening at The Leela Hyderabad saw the hotel’s lobby overtaken by towering floral arrangements, silver candlestands, velvet tablecloths, chandeliers that lay strewn on the floor, and expansive grazing boards. The display was by wedding designer Devika Narain, her handiwork recognisable from the similarly decadent set-ups she has done for Sabyasachi Mukherjee’s shows. Musician Rachel Varghese, in a silvery-white sari that was draped to look like a lehenga and tube top, set the scene singing jazzy covers of English and Hindi songs. “We wanted it to look like the morning-after a party at the Nizam’s palace,” says Misra. Specifically, she was thinking of the galas hosted at the former Basheerbagh Palace by Nawab Sir Asman Jah Bahadur in the late 1800s. The Nawab was known for his extravagant costume balls where both Indian and European guests mingled freely and danced into the night.

Models sauntered out in Anavila’s sheer organza saris edged with rosettes, linen saris whose zari thread shimmered under the light, lehenga skirts printed with floral creepers, and even shift dresses and softly tailored suits in brocade. Each sari was draped in its own distinct manner and paired with a different blouse (or, in some cases, none at all)—everything from Victorian poet-sleeved shirts to delicate lace tops, silk corsets, sheer pussy-bow blouses, bralettes with dainty ruffled sleeves, and more. Misra’s brief to her styling and design team included references to the Baroque era. “The women wore so many layers apart from their gowns, and everything underneath was just as intricately made. We wanted to play with that idea of taking the inside out,” she explains. Clearly, anything goes when it comes to how you wear your sari, which was kind of the point that Misra was trying to make.

“I have an 18-year-old son and I’ve been noticing his friends, especially the girls. Each time I’m just amazed by their confidence. They really express themselves in what they wear. They are confident in their sexuality, and freely mix East and West,” says Misra who turns 50 next year. “When I started the label [in 2012] I was always designing for myself, but then as I got older, so did my clothes. With this collection I wanted to push myself a little bit and think of the customer, not the one who has been with us for a long time but someone new. So, while I might not wear a camisole or a bralette, my younger team or my clients might.”

It’s a surprising admission from a designer whose philosophy so far has seemed to be timelessness, an aversion to shifting trends. A dedicated sari wearer, her own biggest sartorial experiment of late was probably when, pushed by Reddy, she added hair extensions and some kajal for the show in Hyderabad, a moment she recalls with a laugh.

And yet as a business, the story of Anavila reveals a well-paced evolution. Misra started her line over a decade ago with 12 unadorned linen saris, and since then she’s been slowly building up. In fall/winter 2017-18, she added ready-to-wear. In 2023 she launched her first bridal couture collection, which included prints inspired by miniature paintings, embroideries, and applique details. Yet all of it has retained her steadfast adherence to a more pared-back, subtle sort of elegance. The kind that’s won her fans like Karisma Kapoor and Konkona Sen Sharma and also increasingly, new-gen stars like Janhvi Kapoor and Ananya Panday.

The newest addition to the business is home decor. Think cushion covers, blankets, table runners, and sheets, all in natural fibres like linen, of course, but also silk, kala cotton, and khadi—Misra’s preferred textiles. “Linen resonates with us as humans on the highest level. The day you sleep on linen or pure cotton sheets you will have a much better, more restorative sleep,” says Misra.

At Maison Isa there are pops of richness in the jewel-toned silk pillow covers and sweet poppy prints. It’s all stuff that caters to brand faithfuls while courting an audience who might seek something more opulent. After all, as Misra says, “In Hyderabad you go all out with the celebrations, with the hospitality. That’s why I love this city.”