Born in the vibrant roots of Amritsar Punjab, Aab is a contemporary womenswear brand that is reinterpreting and reviving the heritage hand-embroidery of Phulkari. Shreya Mehra, a media graduate from the London School of Economics and Political Science returned to homeland India and found her dream project in the threads of Phulkari which led to the inception of the brand in 2021.
Derived from the Persian & Punjabi word for water, ‘Aab’ represents the flow in the exquisite and age-old hand-embroidery technique of Phulkari, which today is losing its intricate identity and authenticity. By engaging the essence of heirloom crafts and bringing them back to our everyday life, the brand strives to rekindle the relationship between people and their cultural legacies, just like it did for founder Shreya while she was traveling around the world. Her aim with this enterprise is to re-ignite the lost charm as well as infuse a new life into this 2000 year old heirloom craft through the medium of design intervention and storytelling. Aab is expanding the scope of the craft from traditional dupattas to versatile every day wear.
Each piece of Aab is painstakingly created with 100% hand-woven fabric, which is hand embroidered with illuminous patt silk thread utilizing traditional Phulkari techniques. The brand boasts a dedicated team of traditional craftspeople, research professionals, designers, technical experts and more, all working towards the development of this one craft and its numerous aspects. Aab takes inspiration from all five distinctive and beautiful types of Phulkari designs Baghs, Darshan, Dewars, Sainchis, Thirmas and Chopes.
The in-depth knowledge of these designs as well as the craft sits at the core of the brand. It also ideates a perfect amalgamation of ideologies and art into producing some of the most unique and timeless Indian designs apt for wearing everywhere.