In a world where Chanel and Hermès rule, how can one create a place? Some have kept themselves rooted to the place they belong to, which gives their products certain grounding, while not forgetting international flair. However, when you see the world in monochromes, just like Ayushi Kanoi Gupta did as a young girl, adding colours not only seems challenging but ironically imperative.

So it was this quest for hues that got Ayushi to start her brand, Lovetobag, in 2011. She hoped to satiate the desires of those women, who wanted all the hues of a rainbow, albeit chosen carefully, to add dollops of fun to their otherwise austere ensemble.

Accessories became her mainstay as that could enable her to make a statement. It is this ideology that she follows in her label. Born and raised in Kolkata, Ayushi studied fashion management from NIFT, Delhi, and worked for a buying house for a couple of years. This exposed her to a startling fact. “We were creating such fabulous embroideries and hand embellishments for the global market, but nothing like that was available for the Indians,” she explains.

Her line, TWB or “Together We Bloom”, is an ode to exclusivity, and the need for being gentle and kind in this rather harsh and fast-paced world, which has been depicted by a burst of myriad flowers on a single bag. Ayushi is inspired by what she sees around her, and that becomes a leitmotif. “It is about how effectively we can convert our thoughts into design. Like we did calligraphy monograms in zardosi,” she adds.

The structure of a bag has changed—from stiff metal box clutches to soft pouches (in velvet, silk satin, and leather), some that come with the 1970s fringes. Then there are flap over bags, as well as embroidered fanny packs, belt bags, and backpacks, which have become hugely popular as they can take you from day to night. “We offer intimate personalisation so that you can put a nifty quote at the back of the bag, like we recently did for a couple. The quote read: ‘Lovers don’t meet, they are in each other all along’. We can add your initials on a bag if you wish,” she explains.

With embellishments being her pivot, Ayushi uses this technique on capes as well, which you can wear with almost anything from denims, maxis to skirts. “Gold is evergreen, but what is sold out now is silver, and people have taken a shine to it,” she explains. Her hi-end line starts from ₹6,000 and goes up to ₹10,500, while she also does a simpler prêt line which ranges between ₹2,000 and ₹4,500.

This year, she opened her first store in Delhi’s fashion hub, Shahpur Jat, and she has one in Kolkata. However, she does aspire to sell globally, as what she does is in huge demand. It is about getting the right customers. 

“We empower 50 artisans in Kolkata, and I want to add to this list creating more employability as hand-done work is truly unique. With machines taking over, this is a dying craft. My efforts are a few drops in the ocean to revive and resuscitate it.”