Amethyst presents Varanasi to Versailles 2025-26 by Swati and Sunaina at The Folly, Amethyst on August 19th and 20th, 2025

Kiran Rao presents Varanasi to Versailles 2025-26 by Swati and Sunaina. A collection that pays a special ode to French lace by incorporating elements from it onto parts of brocaded textiles, which have been specially engineered. The Fusion of lace with quintessentially Benarasi weaves gives an edge to the brand’s classic repertoire of handloom textiles on Tuesday and Wednesday, August 19th and 20th, 2025 at The Folly, Amethyst, Whites Road, Royapettah, Chennai.

Collection Note: VARANASI VERSAILLES CHAPTER II

Swati & Sunaina’s Varanasi to Versailles series is a design conversation that spans continents, histories, and textiles. Launched in 2024, Chapter I opened a cross-cultural dialogue where the resplendence of Banaras met the grandeur of French design. It was an exploration of India through a French lens: vivid Banarasi silks, traditional craftsmanship, and ceremonial colour were interpreted through the composure and restraint of 17th and 18th-century France.

This year, the story continues, not as a sequel, but as a deliberate completion in the form of a capsule collection. Chapter II begins in France.

The new narrative unfolds through the language of French textiles and couture techniques. At the heart of the collection lies lace: weightless, architectural, intricate. It becomes the primary surface, offering structure and softness in equal measure. Each piece draws from historic French lace traditions, from fine Chantilly, Dentelle to bold guipure – all reinterpreted for the Indian silhouette. Drapes are airy and nuanced, allowing the surface textures to speak. The palette is tonal and restrained – a soft counterpoint to the vibrancy of Chapter I.

And yet, the Indian hand is never absent. Banarasi textiles appear as subtle insertions – as inner linings, blouse details, or woven references buried within a pleat. The construction remains grounded in the sari.

For Swati & Sunaina, this progression reflects the values they hold close: integrity of craft, the value of time, and the belief that textile can be a language of its own. As an Indian atelier, they take pride in holding space for both voices – the assertive and the subtle, the known and the rediscovered.

Together, Chapter I and II form a full-circle moment in Indo-French textile dialogue.

Price Range: Rs.1,50,000/- onwards.

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