Ethnic India Online

That’s when the duo decided that they would start Luxemi.com — an e-commerce website which stocks ethnic

Indian clothes and accessories. Users can either rent specific items or buy from the selection on offer. Chandamuri says,“People are looking for ways to shop better and smarter. Currently,the way people buy and shop for Indian clothing is extremely antiquated. I’ve been shopping online for my western clothing for years and it’s really served me well,so why should shopping for Indian clothes be any different?”

The website — named by combining the words ‘Luxury’ and ‘Lakshmi’ — although aimed primarily at Indian women,also gets hits from non-Indians. “There are many non-Indians who want access to beautiful items made in India,such as jewellery,since it’s difficult to find those designs and level of craftsmanship outside India,” says Narra. The stock includes sarees,churidar-kurtas and blouses,and the outfits are categorised by events,such as Black-Tie Gala,Cocktail Party,Ladies Lunch,Mehendi,Reception,Sangeet and Wedding.

One of the main concerns of the founders,however,is keeping the stock fresh and relevant,and they’ve worked hard to that end. Chandamuri explains,“We scoured India to find stand-out pieces from both established and emerging designers,as well as local karigars. We are in the process of building our team in India and one of our requirements is to have people on the ground looking for the newest designers and craftsmen to keep our collection fresh and evolving.” Currently,we also have outfits by Indian labels such as Nikasha Tawadey and Satya Paul,and the duo plans to stock clothes by designers such as Anita Dongre and Anand Kabra as well. Although right now,the collections are limited to womenswear,Chandamuri says that they will eventually stock menswear as well.