AnU RaiNa Spring Summer 2013 – Tathya’s Garden

AnU RaiNa Spring Summer 2013 - Tathya's Garden
AnU RaiNa Spring Summer 2013 – Tathya’s Garden

I’m a secret pomegranate junkie. It’s a problem that developed when I worked close to Chinatown. During Ppmegranate season, I developed the habit of buying up copious amounts of the fruit, taking advantage of the 3 for $5 pricing that dominated the many of the fruit sellers in the area. I knew which shops that consistently brought in quality pomegranates, knowledge after weeks of experimentation and research. I made the most of the short season and ate my way through it at every opportunity. I don’t work close to Chinatown anymore but my pomegranate addiction hasn’t stopped. My local grocer brings in good pomegranates during the season. They know my habits really well. So, it’s not a surprise that I love Anu Raina’s pomegranate dominated Spring Summer 2013 collection.

AnU RaiNa Spring Summer 2013 - Tathya's Garden
AnU RaiNa Spring Summer 2013 – Tathya’s Garden

My SS13 collection of prints is inspired by my memories of witnessing the majestic Echinaceas, the dew drop laden Daisys on the lazy Sunday mornings, the beautiful Pomegrante trees that humbly bore the weight of the biggest and reddest ever Pomegrantes, the riot of colour and fragrance that invaded the senses as you walked into Tathya’s Garden through heavy and massive wood/metal doors. Tathya was my maternal grand father who lived in a large house by a beautiful stream in Kashmir. He was a quiet Mathematics teacher who loved his garden the most.
While the little kingdom of flowers faded away with time, this collection is a tribute to the happy and carefree childhood spent playing in Tathya’s garden. – Anu Raina(Source: press release)

AnU RaiNa Spring Summer 2013 - Tathya's Garden
AnU RaiNa Spring Summer 2013 – Tathya’s Garden

This collection just screams warm weather which is really pretty odd since pomegranates are a cold weather fruit for me. Spring Summer 2013 is full of flirty summer dresses and colourful separates. The prints are used with exquisite precision. Anu Raina is available at a number of locations in Toronto including Shopgirls Gallery Boutique, Studio Fresh, Homegrown Boutique and Distill Gallery.

images: courtesy of Anu Raina

Anu Raina Fall Winter 2011 – 2012

AnU RaiNa Fall Winter 2011 - 2012

Textile artist, Anu Raina debuted her hand crafted clothing line at LGFW.  Anu Raina Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 features hand dyed and printed pieces. She used details such as excerpts from her poetry, painting and embroidery.

“This collection is an extension of my Autobiographical artwork titled Chapter 2, Page 1, that is going to be exhibited at
Pearson Airport from April16 to October 3, 2011,” says Anu Raina “”My work has evolved as a juxtaposition of my urban and the traditional self that I left behind. In this collection, I have tried to trace my own transition. I have used motifs like haystack, paisley, Talim – a weaving code of Pashmina shawls – marks I made with toothpaste on the mirror, and the things I grew up with around me. I have tied it all with a poem in French I once wrote about my mother, which would roughly translate in English as:
When I was little
I woke up very late.
I would wait for my mother to come and wake me up.
She would know very well that my sleep was just a big pretension.
She would smile at me and in her arms she would pick me up and I would open
my eyes slowly to see the smiling face of my mother.” (source: press release)

AnU RaiNa Fall Winter 2011 - 2012

Anu Raina used silk, wool, viscose, chiffon, organza, taffeta and modal. The collection featured easy wearing pants, tops and dresses. There were a lot of beautiful scarves in the collection, I can see these being very retail friendly. I liked the dressed and tunics in the collection more than the other separates.

AnU RaiNa Fall Winter 2011 - 2012

Watch the Anu Raina Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 fashion show


See photos from the Anu Raina Fall Winter 2011 – 2012 collection

Photos taken for I want – I got by Paul Ross of Opique.com