The actor who wants to build a fashion empire with hand-painted clothes
Actor Sagarika Ghatge is on a mission: to create garments that don't follow any trends, and celebrate the art of hand-painting. That's why she, along with her mother Urmila, set up the fashion label Akutee in December, becoming part of the growing group of individuals who belong to erstwhile royal families and are preserving their sartorial history and heritage by starting design- and fashion-led start-ups.
Ghatge belongs to the former royal family of Kagal in Maharashtra, and is also a descendent of Maharaja Tukojirao Holkar III of Indore, Madhya Pradesh. The Akutee offerings include saris, co-ord sets, blazers, dupattas and salwar sets, all handpainted with nature-related motifs—inspired by Urmila’s hobby of painting flowers that she’d grown in her gardens in Kolhapur.
“Akutee (Marathi for 'princess') is a step back in time. The brand’s ethos comes from my childhood years of growing up in a (royal) environment and being surrounded by beauty around me: the women of my family," says Sagarika, who was recently in Bengaluru with her mother, and husband, cricketer Zaheer Khan, to showcase the label’s repertoire at the Four Seasons Festive Showcase.
What was the inspiration behind the brand? Sagarika says early introduction to classic, timeless fashion. “I attribute everything you see here to how they dressed up and what I remember of it," she says.
“These are not clothes that are trending, so when I see people appreciating them and buying them , it gives me hope that we can do a lot more." “We are living in a time where there’s a supply of everything," Sagarika says, before pointing out that the big plus of opting for niche labels that make limited products is that every piece created is unique. “You may like a particular
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