In Pune, I found 7 incredible homegrown Indian-inspired fashion stores that you can check out and even shop at online. This post includes clothes, jewellery, footwear, and sunglasses.

So here’s a shopping guide to help you buy local, handmade artisanal fashion in Pune.

1. Aaraa by Avantika

For Indian-inspired gemstone jewellery.

Avantika is a jewellery designer. After working with brands like Amrapali, she now has her own online store called Aaraa.

I’ve been following her on social media for quite some time and I find her designs very unique. After I met her, I realized why. She works with her artisans as a team. She asks for their input and advice as to how they can make the designs even better.

She took me to the workshop where her latest collection was being made. The concept of this collection called “Secrets of The Earth“ was to celebrate the uniqueness of each piece of jewellery.

She uses precious and semi-precious stones in her jewellery and you can trust the quality of the stones since she has a good knowledge of them. 

Look at this pair of moonstone studs. Do you see the blueish shine in it? This optical phenomenon in moonstone is called adularescence. I instantly fell in love with the piece, it’s so eye-catching. I could Stare at it for hours.

2. House Of Aadyaa

For traditional designs in silver and gold-plated silver jewellery

Another jewellery store that I discovered was House of Aadyaa. This store has jewellery in silver and gold plated silver. What’s special about this one is that they offer a range of traditional designs, which are not so easy to find these days, especially in the mainstream stores. These include Kamarbands (waist-bands) and Bajubands (arm-bands).

They have an exclusive collection of traditional Maharashtrian jewellery that offers Saaj (Maharashtrian necklace), Bugadi (helix earrings), Chandrakor earrings (moon-shaped earrings), and the famous Marathi Nath (nose ring).

If you do not have a piercing, you can check out their clip-on nose jewellery.

They offer customization services as well and they have a store in Mumbai too.

3. Ka-sha

For sustainably-made luxury fashion, with a quirky twist

The next store is called Ka-sha. Even before I saw their collection, the philosophy behind this store caught my attention.

This emerging homegrown brand believes in reusing, recycling, and repurposing fashion. And that’s why a lot of their pieces are upcycled. But does that mean they compromise on the designs? Not at all! If you don’t believe me, check it out for yourself. These designs are made for the red carpet!

Wait, there’s something else I really like about kasha. Their clothes feature traditional dyeing and embroideries like tie-dye, appliqué, and mirror embroidery. And if you visit their store, you can even meet the artisans who are making these gorgeous pieces.

4. The Jodi Store

For western outfits with unique, contemporary prints

The next one is The Jodi Store.

Jodi has some very unique and modern prints. They work with digital and block prints on natural fabrics like silk, cotton, and cotton silk.

The store has a collection of dresses, pants, blazers, and jackets. 

The pieces that I liked the most were those which had a little embroidery detail over the prints. I think it adds an interesting element to the garment, giving it a 3D- like look.

5. Bougainvillea

For block-printed casuals, workwear, and loungewear

Up next is Bougainvillea, a new brand that began a couple of years ago. This brand offers block-printed clothes in cotton. Their prints are mostly floral and are very summery and refreshing. If you particularly like the combination of white and blue, you can find quite a few dresses to choose from.

Most of the collection includes casual dresses, tops, and pyjama sets. But there’s also a small collection of formal wear,  which looked very comfortable compared to mainstream workwear. This store has branches in Mumbai and Goa as well. 

In fact, I got myself this shirt from this store. I fell in love with its’s print and colours.

6. The Tribe

For sunglasses with wooden and semi-wooden frames

We’ve all heard of sustainable clothes but have you heard of eco-friendly sunglasses?

The Tribe makes sunglasses with wooden and semi-wooden frames. Apart from those, they use other materials too which I had never seen being used in sunglass frames. This paua shell frame caught my attention. And I instantly recognized it because it’s unique to New Zealand and I’d seen it in many stores there. I have a piece of jewellery, that belongs to my husband’s great Grandmother, which is made of Paua shells. When light falls on it, you see blueish-green hues with flashes of pink and purple.

Their lenses are polarised and come with UV protection. 

In the future, they are planning to come up with frames made of materials like sustainably-sourced animal horns. And, they are also going to add other accessories like wallets and phone cases.

You can either buy these glasses online, through their Instagram page or if you’re in Pune and want to try them on before buying them, their collection is available at Chashmewala. There are many fake stores by similar names, so make sure you only go to this one.

7. Chappers

For handcrafted footwear and embroidered Kohlapuris

Chappers is a footwear brand that has handcrafted footwear for both men and women. They also give an option of customization, so if you like a design but want it in another colour, that’s possible here.

In this store, you will find some interesting colour combinations. And since you’re in Maharashtra, you can’t leave without a pair of embroidered Kohlapuris!

I think the most important thing, that any footwear brand should focus on, is comfort. And Chappers got this right because their shoes have soft insoles made of foam.

So which store did you like the most? And if you’re a local from Pune, tell us about your favourite store in the comments.