Ashdeen’s Bandhani-Gara sari is wedding season’s new it-piece

If we’ve learned anything about the way we dress for weddings lately, it’s that the era of the one-hit-wonder outfit is officially over. We’re all looking for those rare and unique pieces that tell a story and that we can wear again and again. This is exactly where Ashdeen Lilaowala lives. He has spent years taking the Parsi Gara, a craft that could easily have been relegated to heirloom trunks, and has made it something you want to wear to everything from a sundowner roka to a friend’s engagement and that office cocktail party. His work has always been about that sweet spot between serious craft and effortless style.

His new collection, Tarana, feels like a natural evolution of that aesthetic. He’s played matchmaker between the two very different worlds of the sharp, rhythmic essence of hand-tied Bandhani and the soft, romantic narratives of Gara embroidery, before. He returns to this, this time, by layering delicate silk appliqué over the geometric energy of Bandhani, creating a texture that genuinely feels and looks bespoke. It’s subtle enough to be sophisticated but interesting enough to make people stop and ask where you got it.

For a bride building her trousseau in 2026, or even the bridesmaid looking for something that won't just sit in the back of her closet, Tarana hits all the right notes. These are saris meant for the Mehendis, the family brunches, and the intimate dinners where you want to look polished but feel like yourself. Think of them as modern heirlooms in the truest sense, designed for women who want their trousseau to have character, craft, a bit of a soul and a lot of rewear.

We sat down with the founder ahead of the launch and dived into the thought behind this textile experiment, the art of keeping heritage crafts alive, and why their saris, at the end of the day, are designed keeping the heirloom-factor in mind.

Tarana brings together Bandhani with the Parsi Gara, two traditions with incredibly distinct visual languages. What did you want this dialogue to evoke?

“At Ashdeen it’s always been our endeavour to push the possibilities of the Parsi Gara tradition in new directions while retaining its soul of handcrafted luxury. We’re also textile designers at heart, curious about what happens when you start a conversation between two distinct traditions. We have been experimenting with Bandhani—an art form we’ve always loved. Tarana is the third collection where we combined Parsi Gara hand-embroidery with the art of hand-tied Bandhani. From an audience’s perspective we wanted this coming together to evoke a similar curiosity about the two distinct craft forms, their provenance and how enriching such a collaboration of crafts could be when done with respect and an understanding of textiles.”

Where and how do you see Tarana fitting into the modern bridal wardrobe?

“This coming together of cultures that Tarana represents and the graphic realisation of appliqué on bandhani in bright festive shades lends itself beautifully to pre-wedding ceremonies and celebrations like mehendi, haldi, roka etc. Saris from this edit would also dress the bridal party beautifully including the mother of the bride, close relatives, etc., who would like to wear something handcrafted with cultural significance.”

Many brides today are looking for textiles that feel deeply rooted yet contemporary. How did you ensure the collection embraces heritage but remains modern, wearable and relevant?

“This is at the heart of everything we do at Ashdeen. We are a brand that focuses on revival but contemporisation at the same time. A craft has to appeal to younger people and move forward with the times. That’s the only way to keep it alive. Parsi Gara is a living, growing tradition and at Ashdeen we see ourselves as custodians of this craft bearing the duty of modernising it while keeping its soul intact.”

The idea of “heirloom dressing” feels central to your work. What does an heirloom sari mean to you in 2026, especially for a younger bride?

“We see our pieces as modern heirlooms that can be worn on repeat and passed on to the next generation. Our saris are trend agnostic, yet are designed to be contemporary and timeless at the same time. This is what makes it perfect for younger brides looking for character in their bridal outfits and trousseau.”

The collection is about craftsmanship as a living practice. Tell us about the collaboration between craft communities and how that plays out?

“This collection was realised through a collaborative effort from various craft communities across Gujarat, Kolkata, and Delhi. The hand-tied bandhani was done by artisans in Gujarat, after which the saris were sent to Kolkata and Delhi for the appliqué work and hand bead embroidery. Around 6–10 artisans worked on each sari at different stages. The process was very collaborative, and many ideas, like the placement of appliqué and bead outlines, came through discussions with the artisans themselves.”

There’s an intimacy to the detailing—the beaded outlines, the layered embroidery, the movement of the silk. Which details do you hope gets noticed, when you wear the sari?

“During the birth of the Parsi Gara in the 19th century, when the Parsi women in India started to adopt the embroidered Chinese silks as their costume, they intuitively paid attention to what parts of the sari should carry the embroidery, eventually working with different weights of fabric that made it easier to move in. In the same spirit, our design work happens three dimensionally where each placement is thought through and each fabric choice is made mindfully for them to work together in tandem. The saris are made to be enjoyed in person, where the delightful details will reveal themselves to the wearer gradually.”

Your work has always balanced heritage with restraint. In a bridal landscape that often equates luxury with excess, how do you define opulence today?

“Opulence is a state of mind and this philosophy is especially relevant to brides. Look at our royal princesses of the past—they rarely resorted to excess but always managed to paint a picture of elegant opulence. It’s how you carry something off, the proportions, the colour choices, how you accessorise something… the Parsi Gara and its iterations with harmonious colour stories, thoughtfully placed intricate embroidery and rich fabrics is the perfect representation of this very sensibility.”