Living the good life

A LataSita reversible kimono trench

Money, family, ethics, career - generations of human beings, from Aristotle to the millennials, have come up with their definitions of the good life. With the world consuming and flushing out more, we're now compelled to re-imagine our lives to account for the way it affects others'. This idea is the driving force behind Lower Parel-based store BARO's second edition of The Good Life exhibition scheduled over the weekend. From shola flowers to food wrappers turned into charpoy-styled tables, the pop-up aims to open up possibilities of conscious living. "A good life is one lived on terms that are good for everyone. All 16 brands have woven this consciousness into their creations," says Srila Chatterjee, co-founder.

The Guide's fave finds

Celebrate the saree

This reversible kimono trench fashioned out of a traditional Bengali red-bordered handloom saree by the Kolkata-based LataSita is perfect for a party or a formal lunch. "Thousands of women have these treasure troves of sarees, decaying in their cupboards. Working with sarees was limited to patchwork or kantha. I wanted to make whole outfits, that are luxurious and affordable, each telling stories [from used sarees]," says founder Meghna Nayak, who conducts the Send Us Your Saree campaign annually, apart from also sourcing the textile from puja pandals.

Cost Rs 16,450
Log on to latasita.in

Revive the charpoy

Ever wondered what happens to sheets of industrial food wrappers that don't make the final cut? These are turned into ropes, and then woven to make charpoy-styled tables, trays and accessories by women from villages in Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, who are working with the Skilled Samaritan Foundation. "We observed that a lot of women were doing beautiful charpoy work, but lacked opportunities. There were people making ropes out of scrap and selling it as scrap. We decided to juxtapose both and revive charpoy weaving," says founder Gauri Gopal.

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