As I mull over the year that was 2009, there were highlights for Shubrah.com and also some wonderful moments for me, personally. Recently, a customer who ordered our red girl's dress from the Misshree line called me. She is from the UK and has been living in New York, recently. Her daughter was going to her first school dance and when the red dress arrived, it fitted her like a glove! She looked beautiful in it and I was so happy to receive this phone call out of the blue! It made my day. We have celebrated a year in business now. A year of tremendous ups and downs in this dismal economy. But, a phone call or an e-mail from a happy customer is all it takes to make us want to run out and create another wonderful collection! So keep you feed back coming.
We are thinking of creative ways of stretching a very small marketing budget with e-mailed newsletters, facebook, twitter, linkedin, the blog and of course, our wonderful website. So visit us often, read the blog, spread the word by becoming a fan on our facebook page and forwarding our newsletter to friends. We don't believe in cluttering your inbox or using paper to fill your mailbox, so anything you do to spread the word, counts for us! If you have a great tip for us, send it along. We are happy to hear from you anytime!
We pray for peace, a greener and gentler world in 2010. We wish for more time to pursue what we love to do. It may be traveling safely to loved ones during this holiday season or sharing a locally sourced meal with our family. We hope that 2010 brings harmony, peace, joy and eco-friendly-ness to you.
Onwards in search of the "new" spice route this week....exotic silks, sheer organic cottons, bewitching gems, aromatic spices, marigolds and jasmine, all beckon to be hunted and gathered! Happy Holidays from Shubrah.com!
Shubrah.com was invited to participate in KATwalk, a fashion show at M.I.T, Cambridge MA, on Nov 11th, along with other boutiques and designers. The event is an annual show that is organized by students at M.I.T and is a fundraiser for a worthy non-profit that supports children's issues called CASA. The venue, is a glorious hall, part of Walker Memorial Building along Memorial drive with beautiful high ceilings supported by massive pillars and giant paintings as a backdrop on the walls.
There is a balcony surrounding the entire hall, where the students gathered and cheered the proceedings below. The catwalk was set up on the main floor, with front row chairs as well as tables for guests for desserts and beverages. We showed our collection modeled by 20 college students from MIT, with great music, choreography and ambience, all created by the students.
The MCs for the evening, introduced Shubrah.com as an emerging Boston area design company to be watched for fusion as well as environmentally conscious design. The music they picked for this part of the show was fusion, some western, bollywood and bhangra, all mixed live by the student DJ. The show was a great success, with a live auction as well as two very talented groups of MIT students dancing and singing for the audience. There was a segment called "MIT couture" that was created by students, a tongue-in-cheek take on the clothing with college insignia, sold on the campus. The audience applauded in delight, at the hip music, choreography and at their friends who modeled during the course of the evening. A wonderful event, worth attending again, next year!
These are pictures from the wedding, at the Castle in the Clouds, in the Lake Winnipesaukee area in New Hampshire. Oct 9th dawned cloudy and cold, unfortunately. But the warmth of the two families, their friends and the love apparent during the ceremony made it all worthwhile. The view from the side of the mountain was breath taking. The reception was glorious and here are some pictures of the bridal party, the wedding and the reception. The designs blended perfectly with the East meets West fusion this wedding represented. The bridal party was resplendent till the very end!
Happily married in Shubrah.com! Bride and groom in Benarasi silk dress and vest and tie.
Bridesmaids in Shubrah.com couture Benarasi sari dresses
A bridesmaid's dress at the reception, perfect blend of Indian Benarasi silk saris cut into halter dresses.
The groom and his brother wearing the vest, ties and raising a toast to Shubrah.com!
The gown, bridesmaids dresses, groom's vest and tie and all the other people of the wedding party were dressed by Shubrah.com couture ensembles made from silk sari fabrics.
Wedding of the happy couple took place at Castle in the Clouds in New Hampshire. In an east meets west ceremony where both Hindu and Christian weddings were performed!
Parents of the bride- ensembles designed by Shubrah
India meets Texas, the theme was carried over in the table decorations at the wedding reception. Elephants, cowboy boots, horseshoes and saffron colored flowers!
Greetings from Shubrah.com on the this festive month! The end of September and early October this year, brings festivals for all. There is a nip in the air, the leaves are already changing color and our website now has updated fall fashions! If you are looking for fashion advise, send us an e-mail or sign up for our newsletters, we will be letting you know about all the exciting happenings at our end. As we bring out our favorite fall colors, sweater and scarves, I marvel at all the feathery accessories I am seeing out there. Headbands, tie necklaces and even trims on dresses. Well, we have all these "peacock" colors in our fashions this fall. From the gorgeous rich blues to the most vivid reds and purples, the peacocks are imbedded in our fabrics. We had a great first time showing at Stylefixx. Those of you who attended and shopped, thanks and hope to see you at future events! Watch out for our Fall/Holiday 09 fashion show at Tantric in Boston on Oct 2nd. It's part of Boston Fashion week. Visit the new event's page on our website for details.
As we near Sorboni's wedding, I am adding some initial sketches I did during the brainstorming sessions with the bride and the bridesmaids. More pictures to come after the wedding on Oct 9th. So follow our blog for updates later in the month. Our Diwali/holiday trunk show and sale is on the weekend of Oct 16th, check out the timings and come and shop for our fabulous parties this season! Our accessories and scarves make fine gifts this season. The men's shirt collection is gorgeous and varied, so check it out for that special guy in your life! A great collection of plaids, stripes and solid colors in rich handmade silks. We will see you around town wearing our designs, send in pictures of yourself or friends in our designs. Stay tuned for more events to come. Happy Autumn!
As the colors change in New England, the days and nights turn chilly and the afternoons are warm, every religion seems to be celebrating some festival. Whether it is a harvest festival or a new year event, October is full of celebrations. Chrysanthemums, pumpkins, haystacks, candles, lanterns and rich color. At Shubrah.com we are celebrating our first year in business. Come to our fashion show at Tantric in Boston for our Fall/Holiday 09 fashion show within the Boston Fashion week calendar.
Had a wonderful and productive trip to India. Hunted, gathered, designed, executed and we are now poised for Fall/holiday 09 events. Sorboni's wedding is in October, with the White Mountains and fall colors as the stunning back drop. It started a year ago as a creative journey for this beautiful TV news anchor and bride to be and lead us to delve into her Indian roots and mine too.
We did what we do best with this bridal collection, blend the beauty of natural Indian silk fabrics with western design. Plan to take lots of pictures at the wedding and share the stages from concept to wedding day with you, stay tuned to the blog in Oct.
India is all about the Mango People...trees and flowering plants that survive amid high rises, birds on wires, road side gardens and temples on every curve. Gorgeous fabrics, hand made shoes, brilliant glass bangles and spicy flavorful food. Peeple trees, under which Buddha was said to have achieved enlightenment mingle with flowering mango, frangipani and jasmine. The scents are stronger in the heat- of flowers, incense, sweat, spices and of stagnant rain water that does not drain easily from the muddy roads. Cups of Darjeeling tea, conversation, music and old friends. As I bought fabrics, linings, trims and shopped the small bazaars of Delhi, I would marvel at the way of life where fresh vegetables are sold long side a little stall selling nose rings. The way art, music, culture and yes, Bollywood seeps into every narrow lane of this diverse country and makes us richer when we travel there. Finishing this post on my flight back to Boston, I look forward to sharing the new fall fashions with you, starting with Stylefixx- Girls night out- on the 15th and 16th of Sept in Boston and on the website.
One of the most beautiful areas of Massachusetts is Cape Cod and the islands. Being there for a weekend was a treat, the weather was perfect! Arnold and Maria were roaming around in Hyannis port, the Kennedy compound looked beautiful! There are wonderful old businesses run by people who live there year around and have been there for generations.
Ice cream and sandwich shops, candy stores and old B&B's that have been there for years. People on the lakes have sailed there for generations and are now bringing their children and grandchildren back to the same waters.
I could not resist adding some pictures of the sights! There seems to be no one doing any town wide recycling on the Cape, which seemed at odds with the beautiful environment. Perhaps, something to think about for the folks who run Town halls there.
I will be traveling to India soon to finish designing the new Fall/Holiday 09 and Sorboni's bridal collections. Will be hitting the hot spots in New Delhi too, will keep everyone posted. Planning to do some events around the Boston area in fall, fashion shows, trunk shows, sales and other fund raiser events that help the causes we support at Shubrah.com. So stay tuned.
You may spot the Obamas or the Governator and Ms. Shriver here someday...
Fusion fashion collection of east meets west styles for the globe trotting woman, man or kids who care about the environment and being seen in sustainable fashions. www.shubrah.com
Creating fusion fashion and products that suit today's globe trotting lifestyle. Art, travel, aesthetics, east and west fuse into clothing, graphics, fashion for the discerning woman, man, child and home. Working with environmentally responsible processes and eco-friendly products to create a better world. A percentage of the sales goes to non-profit organizations involved in the betterment of the lives of poor women and children around the world.