How ready-to-wear saris and veshtis are bringing tradition back to everyday style

Discover the evolution of traditional wear with ready-to-wear saris and velcro veshtis, blending heritage with modern convenience.

The sari, with its folds and layers, holds more than just fabric; it preserves the stories of generations and skills passed down over time. Draping it is an art — a sequence of gestures repeated until they become muscle memory. The act of draping is a subtle homage to the cultural tapestry that has withstood shifting trends.

While eager to embrace tradition, younger generations often find it challenging to master the draping of a sari as their mothers and grandmothers did. As this garment becomes a regular part of their wardrobe, it is also being redesigned and reintroduced to be more accessible and less daunting.

In recent years, saris have taken a new form, known as the ready-to-wear sari, a trend popular on social media. These saris can be easily clipped or fastened, making them quick and effortless to wear, with no need for pins or extra adjustments.

The ready-to-wear sari comes in many types and sizes — they can be easily customised by taking a few measurements. Many tailors around the city, who stitch sari blouses now provide this service.

One such boutique is Velachery-based Fashionous. What started as a fashion accessory e-commerce platform in 2015, has now grown to become a larger entity that includes customised tailoring of all kinds. “Around 2017-18 when we were experimenting with customised tailoring, one of the tailors we were partnering with told us about this trend of ready-to-wear saris, and we started doing it as an experiment. In the last couple of years, we have seen a huge rise in demand,” says founder of the brand Antony Ponniah Joseph.

Over the last two years, they have converted more than 1,500 saris, especially before the festival and wedding seasons. Fashionous also offers an Augmented Reality (AR) tool on their website, allowing customers to visualise the final outfit online before placing an order. “Our service is fully online, so customers can provide measurements remotely, which brings in orders from overseas too,” Antony adds.

Another Chennai-based boutique that found its roots in customised tailoring is Sushmita Agarwal’s wearshush. The contemporary clothing brand specialises in dresses, co-ords, shirts and more. Recently, Sushmita forayed into the world of ready-to-wear saris. “I saw that there was a demand for easy-to-wear saris, especially among the Gen Z because it is convenient. We take saris from customers and convert them into ready-to-wear,” she says.