Top 5 South Asian Brands: April 18, 2024.

The Office Siren is here - now with pockets.

Author

Simran Handa
April 18, 2024

Welcome to the third edition of Cross Couture, the newsletter that’s all about the beauty that arises as fashion collides across cultures.

The clothes we wear have always been an ever-shifting portrait of society and with this newsletter, we’re sitting down to explore how the clothing we wear changes as we come into contact with new societies, technologies, and stories.

Spring is Springing!

It’s April - the birds are singing, flowers are blooming, people are sneezing, and I…want to get back to this newsletter.

Here’s what you’re getting this April and May: a <300-word email in your inbox 5 times per week.

Each week, I’ll pick a new “Top 5” theme to focus on - top 5 fashion books, top 5 couturetech startups, top 5 sustainability wins, and the list goes on.

Here’s the (fun) catch: If I complete this challenge successfully by Friday, May 31st, I get myself a set of luxurious, vintage jammies.

If I don’t complete this challenge, I’ll have to donate $5 to a charity I hate for every week that I miss this goal (I have one earmarked, but hopefully it won’t come to that).

With all that housekeeping out of the way, here’s Series #1:

Top 5 South Asian Brands I’ve Discovered in 2024.

For the next five weekdays, I’ll be highlighting a South Asian brand whose work intrigues me, with a spotlight on ONE of their designs.

Have suggestions on brands? Hit Reply to this email!

Today’s pick: Qua Clothing

Three Piece Indigo Pinstripe Skirt Suit

Founded by Divya, Rupanshi and Bharat, Qua Clothing is upturning workwear. Most workwear is, and I am witness to this, boring, ill-fitting, and just plain blah.

Enter Qua. Qua is tailored, Qua is fun, Qua HAS POCKETS.

Qua’s three piece indigo pinstripe skirt suit is one of my favorites in their collection. I admit that I’m not a fan of the pinstriped boots in the styling, but since it isn’t part of the suit itself, that’s really immaterial.

Pinstripes are usually used to mean Serious Business and pinstriped suits are especially popular for men in the worlds of law and finance, so I love this fun, flirty, and feminine twist on tradition.

Rather than being stereotypically boxy or way too clingy, this suit is tailored and contains a tie-up detail at the back, so you can decide what level of fit is comfortable for you. Combined with precise pleats, this suit brings the drama and ensures you won’t fade into the background at a meeting ever again.

Talk about thirty, flirty, and thriving, am i right?

Given that the “office siren”, “corpcore”, and “glasses” are all trending in 2024, I’m looking forward to an office world with more Personality - and Qua is definitely at the front of it.

Love Qua? Hate it? Think the workplace isn’t a place for fashion or maybe that it’s EXACTLY the place? Just want to vent about your crap day? Reply to this email!

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Want to chat about fashion/history/literally anything else? Here’s my Calendly!

xoxo,

Simran