Painterly Panache
Rashmi Dogra, 33,
Fluke Design Company
Raison d’être: As an artist, I’m compelled to create. Art and design complement one other so it was an obvious extension of what I was already doing. It’s by far the most joyous emotion for me. I consider everything a canvas.
Fundamental: I don’t leave home ever without my bag. It is an extended part of my personality.
Frank Speak: Indian accessory designers are making beautiful bags but they are themed around requirements for a trousseau. The good news is that consumers are willing to experiment.
Trendy Rationale: I make a conscious effort to steer clear of ethnic designs per se. It is the soul of a design that speaks and there is no nationality or border for the soul.
Personal Touch: I handpaint all my bags. It is a complicated and tedious process to make the leather retain the painted artwork.
What’s New: a very interesting range of seven-inch clutch bags in vibrant colours like yellow, red and gold with artwork inspired by Arabic motifs.

Indo-Western Accents
Sonali Dalwani, 37,
Crimzon Accessories
Early Start: I have worked in fashion since I was 19. I always knew it would be my chosen path. I worked for an embroidery-export company that designed for high-fashion couture houses in Europe, Japan and the USA and then worked with another export house designing handbags and shoes for them. After 10 years of experience, I decided to branch out on my own.
Muse: The Indian woman of today – independent, confident and practical.
Indian Influence: I work with a lot of western silhouettes and add a hint of Indianness into my designs be it embroidery, textile or embellishments.
Favourite Splurges: Malini Agarwalla of Malaga, Gucci and the Hermès Birkin.
Driving Philosophy: I don’t believe more is better; my styles are always simple yet sophisticated with an element of fun and edginess.
Signature Style: Rich textured fabrics, lace, faux leathers and I use a lot of embroidery which I design myself.

Haute Heritage
Meera Mahadevia, 46,
Meera Mahadevia
Raison d’être: My creations are a reflection of my own journey—from being a home-based business woman to an international entrepreneur and balancing the different roles a woman must play in the Indian milieu.
Personal Quest: It started when I sensed an imbalance in the overall get up of women. They wore traditional textiles and tried to complement them with Western purses. It jarred my sense of style and hence germinated the idea of creating handcrafted, aesthetic handbags that would complement our rich textile heritage.
Indian Roots: My roots are firmly styled in Indian form and designscape. I use the latent talent available in small towns and villages and reveal the shining Indian Renaissance.
International Pick: My favourite designer is Judith Leiber. I love her detailed work, interesting shapes and her most recent creation, the exotic Ganesha bag.
Phat Purpose: To me a bag is a symbol of strength, which I feel every woman must have. It represents economic security and financial independence.
What’s new: Inspired by the Lotus Sutra of Lord Buddha, I have created a very trendy Buddha Line of clutches and totes.