The sari gets practical with a small pocket
palla. With our Insta reels overflowing with celebrities wearing the sari in their own individual style on ramps and at red carpet events, the garment continues to appeal to all generations, including those in their 20s. Earlier this week, actor Alia Bhatt wore a Sabyasachi sari to the Met Gala in New York.
In keeping with this, some designers are continuing to innovate to make the sari more functional and easier to drape—and one of the latest innovations is the pocket. “It’s early days for saris with pockets but it’s a trend waiting to take off," says Swati Singh, founder of Mumbai-based Aseem Shakti, which offers ready-to-wear pocket saris, mostly hand-block printed in mul cotton and organza. The sizes range from XS-8XL, and a customer needs to mention their height to decide the placement of the pocket.
Aseem Shakti also offers the service of turning pre-owned saris into pre-pleated, pocket saris. Singh started making saris with pockets in 2019 with an initial investment of around ₹4 lakh, training 10 women in Andheri East, Mumbai. “I used a lot of my mum’s saris while experimenting," says Singh.
Her aim was to make pockets that weren’t bulky or flimsy, could be neatly hidden inside the palla, and were deep enough to hold anything, from a cellphone and a small wallet to keys and accessories like a tiny comb. The idea to have pockets stemmed from Singh’s own desire for apparel that was functional and not just pretty. Singh’s last point could well be part of a larger debate on women’s wear still falling short on functionality.
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