A crack in time runs along the southern wall, leading back into a royal past where zari-pure spun gold and silver-in the form of sarees and dupattas finds its way into 2021. Shanti makes 4 generations of India’s most cherished craft accessible with its introduction in Mehrauli.
The brand’s gifts are a personalised legacy to be passed down from one generation to the next, steeped in Banaras’ heritage and handmade mastery. Silk combines with gold to tell every tale via elaborately woven sarees and lehengas, reflecting the intergenerational dynamics in family heirlooms and the intergenerational dynamics of the family behind the company.
The store’s deep warmth, designed by Rama Mehra Studio, allows you to immerse yourself in this living legend of a trade. Against a rich colour scheme lighted by delicate mogra light fixtures, splashes of gold and silver welcome you. This iconic Mogra chandelier, which hangs beneath the blanket of an ancient mirror, takes centre stage, bathing the room in light and romanticism. Every piece of furniture, in calming tones of green, prune, and taupe, urges you to slow down and soak up the legacy you’ve brought home. The sweeping stairs, which are flanked on one side by the heritage compound wall of Qutub Minar and on the other by the store’s modern front, are a mirror of what you’ll discover inside the store: old-world craftsmanship meets 21st-century aesthetic, surrounded by fresh greenery. “We wanted the store to communicate Shanti’s language of history colliding with avant-garde fashion, where the showcase is of thoughts and values in addition to the products,” Mrs. Mehra says.
The store is divided into three areas, the first of which features a gallery of pichwai paintings beside a mesmerising display of shawls. The second segment includes Dampaj weaving zari sarees, jangla, and exquisite brocades. Hand-embroidered lehengas with beautiful zari work are featured in the final portion.
“This business carries four generations of ambitions and goals for a craft that we adore,” says Khushi Shah, the store’s creator. Similarly, Rama Mehra Studio is a family of designers with similar styles to ours – from their house to a wedding setup to now a store, these intergenerational interactions and contrasting aesthetics mirror the completeness of Shanti.” “Our ambition was to develop a store that gives easy access to true Zari,” says co-founder and brother Amrit Shah. “That is why we are bringing this experience of Banaras and its handmade mastery to Mehrauli.”
A genuine Banarasi zari is a one-of-a-kind heirloom, a treasured family heirloom with inherent and emotional worth that is passed down from generation to generation. Silk and gold are spun and weaved into beautiful zari work, bringing generations of stories and celebrations – your family’s stories and festivities – together.
