Paulmi and Harsh Want Brides to Rewear Their Wedding Outfits (Again and Again)
Designer Paulmi Dhawan on the label’s flagship store launch in Delhi, sustainability, art and more…
Delhi has been a shopping haven for brides and wedding attendees for years and now it has added a new stop for fashion enthusiasts to add to their itineraries. Surat-based luxury pret label Paulmi and Harsh recently opened their flagship store at the iconic Dhanmill in the capital city.
The store, Château De Rêverie, has been inspired by the romanticism of French châteaux and the 1920s French parlours that acted as spaces of creativity and connection during the Jazz Age. “When customers step into the P&H store, it's not just about discovering clothes—it's about immersing themselves in a vintage experience,” says Paulmi Dhawan, co-founder and Creative Director of the label, “We’ve carefully crafted an environment that transports them into a world full of charm, where the garments evoke a timeless mood.”
Get The Look: Khushi Kapoor’s Doll-Like Eyes Are Easy To Recreate
Spanning over 850 sq feet, the store’s design, peppered with charming French decor elements, plays foil to the label’s core aesthetic that champions heritage craftsmanship and contemporary hand-painted prints.
The idea of the label took place in NIFT graduate Paulmi’s mind when she couldn’t figure out any use of her heavy bridal lehenga after her wedding. “I wanted to make pieces that are easier to wear. I would want brides to dance and enjoy their day rather than stay weighed down by their heavy lehengas. Sure, it looks good on you, but that’s it, right? So when I started this brand, this is something that was majorly on my mind.”
Over the years, Paulmi and Harsh’s lightweight creations have become go-to for brides who want a mix of traditional and contemporary aesthetics with the knowledge that they’re investing in something that is versatile and sustainable. “My muse is someone who loves vibrant colours, someone who loves to dance the night away at her wedding and not have a care in the world,” says Paulmi.
The label is known for its deep love for prints and vibrant colour palettes. Each piece in the newly opened store is a celebration of traditional techniques like aari and zardozi, elevated with the designer’s signature hand-painted prints.
Paulmi credits her love for prints and art to her childhood surrounded by exquisite art pieces from around the world, thanks to her art-collector father. “My childhood home in Mount Abu is like a museum!” says Paulmi, laughing, “The nature around me and the art in my home helped me develop a taste for florals. It’s something that’s evergreen and so universal, that it has become the brand’s signature.” For every collection, she explains, she gets inspired by a flower or a natural element like a bird. Once she designs the artwork, it’s converted into prints that adorn the creations by their craftsmen.
This affinity towards nature aligns naturally with the label’s sustainability and mindfulness ethos. Aside from using eco-conscious materials like Bemberg fabrics made of Japanese yarns and partnering with NGOs to minimise production waste, the label also champions slow fashion.
“Our focus is on being timeless,” says Paulmi, “We design the pieces in a way that our clients can come back to us after the event and have it converted into something else that can be worn on another occasion as a completely different piece.” The designer cites Alia Bhatt as an inspiration, with how the actress chose to wear her wedding sari and her mehndi lehenga again for public appearances. “This is the message I want to send through our label: It’s OK to repeat clothes!” says Paulmi, “If you don’t want to repeat them as it is, you can style them in multiple different ways to make them look different than before.”
Post the launch of the Delhi store, Paulmi is excited to partner with women in villages across Rajasthan and empower them by teaching them new crafts. “By teaching them embroidery and working at the grassroots level, we can create opportunities for them to contribute to our work,” she says, adding, “We're also working on a project focused on sustainable printing. Traditional printing uses up to 60 litres of water per meter of fabric, so we are experimenting with ways to print our fabrics using absolutely no water, making the process much more eco-friendly.”
Mindful brides, are you taking notes?