OUR BRAND
SR by Sonali Raman stands for slow, responsible, and inclusive fashion. The brand believes in sustainable design and offers mindful choices to clients who want to tread a different path. It is a tribute to those Indian crafts and textile traditions that are nearly disappearing.
When you buy an SR by Sonali Raman, you get an enduring piece of fashion. You invest in being kinder to the environment by choosing a timeless apparel or jewelry.
SR by Sonali Raman Apparel lines are made primarily from handwoven and natural fabrics, sourced exclusively from small weavers who focus on keeping time-honored weaving methods alive even today. Our garments are designed to be enduring and effortlessly chic.
Our silhouettes are
- flattering, edgy, set new trends
- suit all body shapes
- combine comfort and luxury
SR by Sonali Raman Jewelry lines showcase Zardozi (Zur: gold; Douzi: embroidery), a long-forgotten craft form that uses gold and silver wires, metal spangles, and tiny dots and seed pearls to create intricate patterns on royal garments. We have revived and reimagined this art form for everyday wear, using it to embellish our line of earrings, bracelets, neckpieces, and other accessories. Every piece is carefully handcrafted, using the best of materials, lovingly put together by master karigars (artisans) who excel in this craft. Made from high-quality, ethically sourced left-over leather that would otherwise be sent to a landfill, these unique pieces channel international cultures in pattern and design.
Our Jewelry is
- classic, with its artisanal embroideries
- quirky, with a modern sensibility
- handmade art
At the very heart of the brand is the chevron motif. SR’s signature chevron patterns are delicately worked into every piece of jewelry and apparel.
The core pillars of our brand are:
Mindfulness:
We produce less but produce mindfully, with respect and regard for the supply chain. Our designs are seasonless, of the highest quality yet affordable, and a wardrobe staple that stays with you for years.
We choose fabrics that are a blend of natural and biodegradable elements.
We work on just two to three collections a year, with the production process being slow and respectful. We have limited lines for each style as we work to honor the principles of slow fashion—to produce less and to encourage conscious consumption.
Behind every piece of an SR by Sonali Raman garment and jewelry are the rock-solid principles of direct sourcing, traditional methods, hand-cutting, hand finishing, and providing fair wages and a safe workplace to our artisans and garment makers.
Support Traditional Crafts and Textiles:
Our products are intrinsically linked to India’s rich repository of crafts and textiles.
We strive to use fabrics that are handspun and handwoven the traditional way. Of the mass-produced textiles, we consciously choose those that incorporate some natural elements and are biodegradable.
The embellishments in our jewelry hearken back to the ancient artisanal craft of zardozi, which has been done on textiles for centuries.
The hand embroideries in our apparel echo the simple stitches that Indian village women use in their daily lives.
Zardozi is intricate embroidery that has always been done on textiles. Using this craft on leather to make our jewelry required us to upskill our artisans to work with new material—leather. We spent several months retraining them to use their inherited skills on new materials—and the results were nothing short of stunning.
Support Weavers, Women, and Artisans:
We help small weavers by placing orders directly and encouraging them to keep producing fabrics rather than abandon their craft and move to a city for menial labor.
We employ unskilled, underprivileged women and train them in hand finishing and adding embellishments to our products, giving them a marketable skill that enables them to earn an income that will offer added security to them and their families.
We hire traditional craftsmen, especially Zardozi embroiderers, who would otherwise be abandoned by their families for being a burden on them.
Being Inclusive:
We strive to be truly inclusive in everything we do. This means that our apparel is intended for every woman out there, irrespective of color, shape, or size.
We do not endorse form-fitting and bodycon styles that exclude women who do not conform to a certain size and are uncomfortable wearing styles that promote a certain body shape.
Our silhouettes are anti-fit yet sleek. Flared, yet fitted. Comfortable, yet fashionable. Flowing, yet draping.
Zero Waste:
We use leather that would otherwise be discarded for making our line of jewelry.
We use our left-over fabrics to make handles for our packaging bags, jewelry pouches, masks, and trendy all-purpose pouches.
We use cloth bags to package our merchandise.
And finally, we use our left-over scraps of fabrics to cover store-bought hangers to give them a quirky, unique look!