Eleven years ago when she started designing a few clothes at home merely as a pastime, she hardly knew she was in the threshold of a designer line of clothes. Now in her 50s, age hardly seems to deter her when she relentlessly strives to give her customers a value for their money. She is Lata Harlalka, daughter of late Radha Kishen Siotia, a businessman of repute from Guwahati. Now settled in Kolkata after her marriage, she started her own range of women’s wear under the name ‘Palki’, one of the most popular boutiques in the metropolis, having an exclusive range of Indo-ethnic collection.

Lata’s shaukh years ago, now meets the need of women across different age groups and, as she puts it, her clothes line caters to the women wear from jhulan (birth) to vidaai (marriage). Palki has something for every customer as she specifically designs to one’s choice and even redesigns to fit one’s budget. Palki has five franchisees countrywide — Ranchi, Jaipur, Jamshedpur, and two in Kolkata — and a brand new outlet in Tinisukia, Assam. The manufacturing base is in Kolkata housing about 200 employees, says her son Vishal whose wife Anvesha too helps her mother-in-law in creating their range of sarees, salwar suits, lehengas, bridal wear, etc. They also have a team of in-house fashion designers.

The boutique offers an array of clothes from traditional benarsis, brocades, silks, georgettes, etc with age-old crafts and contemporary cuts. She uses the Assam silk to design the unique ‘two-piece saree’ with zardozi work, resembling the Assamese mekhela-chadar. Her collection comes in affordable range and she says she is a “designer of the mass class” as every individual has the right to wear designer clothes irrespective of their social standing.

Lata says Guwahati being her birthplace, plans are afoot to open a Palki store in the city too. A thoroughly hands-on working lady, she loves her work and her commitment is evident in her designs that were showcased at Hotel Vishwaratna in Guwahati recently, where city models Poonam Bania and Priyanka Das sashayed down the ramp wearing her collection. The exhibition’s USP was renowned drapist Dolly Jain giving live demonstrations on saree draping, while breaking certain myths about the attire.

Asked why she chose saree as her forte, Dolly said she wants to promote saree — “the only attire that fits all” — internationally. “As the western people came to India and changed the dressing trend, I want to reverse it,” says Dolly who has dressed Bollywood celebrities like Bipasha Basu, Kangana Ranaut, etc. Having mastered about 125 different styles of saree draping, she also has tips for the young girls who shy away from wearing: “Drape a saree over jeans, long skirts, etc to make a good fusion.”

Accompanying the Palki event was an exhibition of jewellery collection by Gems India (Aditya Rajgaria) and Diva Jewellers (Santoshi Harlalka), both from Kolkata.

Sushmita Lahkar