Indian summers are predictable. But your wardrobe does not necessarily have to be. With flowy silhouettes, comfortable fabrics, vibrant colours and holiday prints, designers are making summer dressing fun. The inspiration is diverse — from tropical countries and candy colours to hints of nostalgia. In a country where the temperature hovers in the late 30s for 10 months a year, for many brands seasonality takes a backseat as they focus on summer-friendly dressing round the calendar. We speak to a few designers to understand what goes into designing for summer and how they want us to stay cool and look hot.
Summer Away
For Meghna Goyal, founder of Summer Away, who loves travelling to tropical destinations, fashion has been a big part of how she experiences new places. “I love curating my wardrobe for every trip, knowing exactly what I’ll wear and when. But I often found myself struggling to find vacation-ready pieces in the mid-range segment in India. Nothing quite captured the easy, effortless vibe I was looking for,” says Meghna. In December 2019, her label was born from a desire to create something that offers elevated, travel-inspired summer wear.
The materials used are breathable, natural fabrics like organic cotton, linen, and blends that work beautifully in warm weather. In terms of colour, the brand leans into soft pastels, earthy tones, and tropical-inspired palettes; think seafoam greens, blush pinks, sandy neutrals, and the occasional splash of citrus. Deep rich browns, butter yellow, cherry red, and blush pink are big for the label this season. “Our colour stories often reflect the mood of the destination that inspires the collection,” says Meghna, adding that the Summer 2025 collection, which will drop in two parts — one in May and another in June, is inspired by Parisian city life. “That effortless charm and quiet sophistication that defines the French girl aesthetic. You will find co-ord sets, midi dresses, and styles like the vintage-inspired drop waist dress that is making a quiet but powerful return this summer and has been imagined with romantic details like lace accents and soft fabrics,” she says. The collection also features delicate lace, soft gingham, and silhouettes that feel classic yet fresh.
Go-to look for summer:
A breezy linen co-ord or a backless midi dress, paired with minimal gold jewellery and flat sandals. It’s effortless.
summeraway.in
Mati
Fatima K Punjaabi has coconuts on her mind. And now this hydrating sunny day essential has found its way into her collection that is aptly titled Nariyal. The first drop invokes a tropical beach vibe. “These are pieces you can wear to Goa, for a lounge weekend in Alibaug, and also something for a romantic place like Maldives, a fun trip with the girls, and festive beach weddings,” says Fatima who launched Mati in mid 2016.
Mati uses block printing and a lot of embroidery with different kinds of sustainable materials. For this collection, Fatima is using embroidery to create textures that resemble the surface of a coconut and the bark of its tree. There are co-ords, long tunics, dresses, shorts, tops, and saris for women and shirts and jackets for men, all in cotton, kala cotton, and crushed cotton, with sizes ranging from XS to 7XL. Lehengas are also part of the plan. The colour palette draws from shades of coconut — green, white, and brown, and blue sky and waters of the Maldives.
“We are planning to collab with coconut-based organic brands. The whole idea of the journey is to move people towards sustainable living while promoting similar thoughtful brands,” she says. At Mati, the 15-member team of karigars and tailors makes clothes on-order. “We don’t have stock or inventory. It is a sustainable method that has kept us floating through demonetisation and COVID,” says Fatima.
Go-to look for summer: I am a sucker for comfort. I like plain co-ords, or a pair of wide leg pants with a simple tunic. I can style it up with a nice accessory or layer with a jacket while travelling.
stylemati.in
Nirvanaa
Nirvani Dhaddha’s search for the perfect swimsuit — comprising great materials, fit, and a price tag that does not burn a hole in the pocket — led her to launch her own line in the middle of summer in July 2023. What started as a swimwear brand, now encompasses resort and travel wear. “We focus on comfortable clothes with great fits and sustainable fabrics. For swimwear, we use an Italian fabric called Carvico Vita that is made of recycled fishnets. For resort wear we use linen and cotton, she says, adding that breathable fabrics are the way to go. The free flowing silhouettes are such that they can fit a person through multiple stages,” she adds. For this season, there are tank tops, backless tops, overlays, shirts, dresses, swimwear, trousers, and kaftans.
Nirvanaa launches its collection part-by-part, five styles every two months. Each drop is referred to as ‘chapter’. The brand started with shades of blue and beige — reflecting the sky and forts of Jaipur, the city Nirvani is based out of. The brand mostly uses muted colours; the next chapter will have brighter hues like butter yellow, rust orange, and light lilac with stripes.
The clothes are minimalist with touches of applique, French knots, colour blocking, and embroidery. For the upcoming drop, Nirvani plans to incorporate strategic cutouts for an edgy look. The brand also uses its waste material to create little circles that are used as embellishments on garments — something that features in most of her chapters.
Go-to summer look: Loose shirt and linen pants.
shopnirvanaa.com
Nouria
When Dipti Advait went through a health crisis, she found that her body size kept fluctuating. “There were lesser choices for women once they reached mid sizes. Whenever we had to shop for a special occasion, we were given choices of oversized clothes, which further added volume,” she says. Women’s bodies keep transforming with different roles, for example when one becomes a new mother. The change in body is not something to feel depressed about, she says. So Dipti wanted to create clothes that make women look good in every size. And thus Nouria was launched in 2023.
While designing, Dipti always asks herself, will this silhouette look good across sizes? That is her focus. She is not driven by trends; comfort and style are important to her. “My signature style is a combination of fluid and structure which gives a good shape,” she says.
After her recent Holiday edit that was launched in March, Dipti is now launching High Summer, which features mix and match pieces that can be worn in multiple ways. This comprises shirts, a modern take on tunics, skirts and three-piece styles with jackets in voile, cotton, and cotton silk. We are making a lot of fun shirts that are not over the top, are light, and hassle-free and get the job done without you having to do too much with your look, she explains. Blacks, whites, grey, blues and browns — especially mocha and combination of pastels — populate the collection.
Go-to summer look: Denims and a white shirt.
nouriadesign.com
Published – May 23, 2025 03:43 pm IST