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.
The traditional Phulkari art, which was long lost both in the Indian market and in the memories of Indian buyers, stayed alive in Shreya’s memories and after she returned from her studies abroad, she planned on bringing her childhood back to life. To reinvent the art amongst the Indian buyers, she founded Aab in 2021. In a short span, the brand has gained immense momentum and popularity, owing to Shreya’s philosophy that- our culture grounds us and when art & culture aren’t preserved a part of us that was shaped by it also breaks, and this very thought is strongly imbibed in every Phulkari piece at Aab which makes it even more special. Thus, by reviving a fading folk art, Shreya is connecting people to their cultural legacies & roots.
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 illuminouspatt 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.
Aab blends the 2000 years old Phulkari art with the modern styles and transforms them into elegant clothing that fits modern sensibilities while breathing a new life into heirloom crafts. Each piece crafted at Aab is made with 100% handwoven fabrics, hand-embroidered with patt silk thread using traditional Phulkari techniques.