band of beads

"Is that block print?" asked a student of my height, pointing at a mom-n-me skirt pair.  Impressed by the inquisitive question, I said, "Yes! You are right! There's another!" An elaborate examination is what followed! Then, was a detailed study of the hem of different skirt fabrics. Impressed by the observation skills, I couldn't resist, but comment, "You are quite a pro in fine arts!" Smiling, they said, "We are students from NIFT!" Speechlessness! Awestruck! Wow! A case study for design students?!! Never imagined such guests at the band of beads stall in Primus!!! Surprises followed... Two teenagers were busy choosing a bead brooch - Elmo or Ninja Turtle?... Another was busy looking at the noiseless wind chimes on ceiling of the stall... "That is science in the air!", I said. A smile on his face! He travelled with me as we browsed through the concept of each wind chime. After explaining a couple of them, he could relate to the

Adorable design. Right from choosing the fabric to the design colours - Saraswati hand-picks the band of beads products with the most "awww...." :) And that's what we like about her. It gave as much fun in creating - custom tops for boys with brooches! These tops have an ethnic-modern design blend. Comfortable & trendy. All cotton. Can be paired with a pair of comfy jeans! And yes, the look is made complete with a character bead brooch! Thank you for trusting in us, Saraswati. It was great to have you back!

"Yet another year of ideas coming to reality!", I thought as I set up the band of beads stall for Uber Verdant Ganesh Utsav.  This year, there was a new addition - themed bead hangings - call it noiseless wind-chimes with a visual splendor! There was a great thrill in setting them up on a stand! The effect was visible in the eyes of kids coming to the stall! It was a small wonderland for sure! We got a glimpse of one more wonderland - from our new customers! One of them did a  mix-and-match of a  green zigzag tussar silk skirt with a plain yellow cotton-silk top. The skirt came with earrings to match the skirt pattern. But, something was missing! On the stall display, with the yellow top had a hand-made "birdie" themed necklace - an absolute show-stopper! The necklace grabbed her attention and WOW! That was a stunning outfit she designed for herself! Quite a visual splendor! Your encouragement towards our efforts to creative sustainability is what left me speech-le

A visual magic of colors as the first rays of the sun touch the limitless cover of snow. A sudden movement in the static background... A Polar Bear! A sight to wait for, after months of slumber. Nature is truly an inspiration. Silence followed by life, life followed by silence. Each transition, an experience in its own! You call it seasons or life cycles - making you a spectator of inspiring visuals. It has been a great experience interacting with our valued customers - both offline and online. Each, having a different charm. But being "back" in the offline mode, the "real" world becomes alive! Its such wonderful experience witnessing our products adorned by our valued customers - A 4-year old girl in the newly-launched skirt-top combo, hugging her favorite toy for an adorable picture capture. A 5-year old girl adorning the "Flowers" skirt for the festival of harvest, Onam in school. A 10-year old girl swaying the "rainbow" skirt in the dance pr

 "Hi Aditi!" popped a message on my WhatsApp . Shubharti. One of the first members of " band of beads " community. The memories date to almost 7 years of trust, from a point where band of beads just took the first teeny-tiny steps. A purple theme-based skirt, "butterfly among the flowers", sat in a recycled, hand-made bag with the "Thank You!" note. Ready for delivery. That was the first interaction with Shubharti. Over the years, it was a wonderful experience extending the creative boundaries with the custom creations for her. The briefs are very crisp, short and clearly understandable. Totally admire her for the giving utmost creative freedom in the projects. Another custom bead creations for her recently - for gifting as well as one to match her dress! It's a pleasure to go through the creative briefs leading to a breathtaking creation, quite unexpected!! That too, for a gift - something which band of beads has always believed in. Thank yo

Presenting a peek into the world of skirts and tops, exclusively designed and handcrafted at band of beads! Fabrics tell a story! Zig-zag pattern - are those waves in the ocean? Colorful satin stripes - is that a rainbow??? Printed, woven or just plain... We believe that fabrics tell a story!  And its not just the story, its the ambience which makes it more enjoyable. At band of beads, each fabric is hand-picked having a special imagination element, a theme. What's more, these fabrics are mainly made of cotton - natural, maintainable and very comfortable. Skirt design - adding a twist! Blue border on a yellow fabric - Is that a beach? Maroon frills on a red fabric - Wonderful flower! Frills, borders, a combination of frills and borders or just plain fabric... these flavors add a twist to the fabric story! The fabric theme is enhanced with the skirt design. This brings out the theme and makes it more stylish! The Hero Element Each story has a Hero - A person who drives the whole sto

Memories.  A snapshot of life-events.  Sometimes, forgotten in the sands of time.  Sometimes, gulped by monstrous storms.  Sometimes, hidden in a treasure-box - waiting to be re-discovered one day.... I too have a sweet memory. A timeless memory, still alive! In fact, the witness... of togetherness... an analog wrist watch! An analog wrist watch. It has many strong competitors - digital wrist watch, pulse rate wrist watch, mobile-cum-wrist watch... and the list goes on! Eventually, they are all add-ons to the original! The beauty lies in how three hands and a dozen numbers communicate throughout the day, for days... till the battery needs a change! It is in the journey of these three hands, that we witness the various plays of life, with varying roles! With each role comes a different personality and a new you! But what remains inside, is the ORIGINAL you! And YOU are different ! My analog wrist watch was a wonderful gift on a wonderful life-event. Its factory-made bands kept changing,