Naushad Ali hasn’t designed a sari—until now

In 2008, the designer Naushad Ali was still a student at NIFT Chennai when he walked into Sundari Silks looking for inspiration for his final-year project. K Rajaram, founder of the iconic sari house, recognising the young man’s promise, entrusted him with an armful of precious, expensive fabrics. Ali went on to win the award for best collection at NIFT, marking one of the earliest milestones in a journey that has now returned to where it began with the launch of Sundari Silks x Naushad Ali, a collaboration that reimagines the grammar of south Indian silk through a language of restraint.

Sundari Silks, the iconic Chennai-based retailer known for their lush Kanchipuram silk saris, was started in 1998 by K Rajaram and named as a tribute to his wife, Sundari. Naushad Ali, the Puducherry-based designer celebrated for his quiet minimalism, turned towards memory, lineage, and Tamil inheritance as inspiration for this collection. The delicate curve of anklets and the grace of the nethi chutti (maang tika), the celestial diagrams of the panchangam, or the Tamil calendar, and the fragrance of jasmine buds immortalised in Sangam poetry became a motif that was reinterpreted on the saris.

Years after that fateful trip that Ali took to the store as a student, Manmohan Ram, Rajaram’s son and managing partner of Sundari Silks, was introduced to the designer by his wife, Pavithra Mahendran Manmohan, an admirer of the brand’s menswear. What followed was first a line of men’s shirts in 2020 and now, five years later, this new sari collection. “[It] grew out of our shared love and respect for each other’s brands and was organic,” says Ali. “I gave them 24 design options and was delighted when they decided to go ahead with all of them.”

“Having previously collaborated with designer Naushad Ali on a menswear collection, we experienced firsthand his exceptional eye for detail and craftsmanship… What truly sets this collaboration apart is our conscious decision to invite a designer who has never designed saris before. We wanted a fresh perspective—someone who could reinterpret the sari with originality while respecting its heritage. That distinct vision is what makes this collection truly special,” says Ram.

The collection was two years in the making. Together, Ali and Ram travelled to Varanasi, working closely with weavers, choosing colours, refining textures, and overseeing the weaving process. The brief was clear: craft saris that are light, fluid, and wearable, an unexpected departure from the traditional heft of south Indian silks.

“I am a Tamil boy, deeply shaped by our cultural references and rich heritage,” Ali reflects. “My work is usually a cocktail of crafts and influences, but here I draw consciously from home.” The motifs, like flowers, checks or celestial references, are rendered in abstraction rather than obvious forms. The palette moves between the timeless shades of ivory and gold and Kanchipuram’s jewel tones like Ramar pachai, a popular shade of turquoise green-blue, and kumkum red, resonant and sacred. Many of the saris come in as many as six colour variations.

“We wanted something that speaks to both the young and the old,” Ali explains. “For those who no longer want heavy saris but still want grace. I didn’t want to design a sari worn once a year. I wanted one you reach for effortlessly and something that could be worn for any occasion.”

The collection is available at Sundari Silks, Usman Road, T Nagar, Chennai – 600017, and Sundari Silks, Indira Nagar, Adyar, Chennai - 600020. Price: ₹28,000 onwards. Sundarisilks.co