A classic Malayalam film song, a fleeting Onam memory, the flowers that suddenly fill up our courtyards, the comforting feeling of being at home … designers are spotlighting fresh perspectives and imagery related to Onam in their new collections.
Pulari — Rouka by Sreejith Jeevan
Designer Sreejith Jeevan of Rouka calls the collection he has launched for Onam Pulari, which means dawn in Malayalam. Inspiration was the Malayalam song Thiruvona Pulari, by Vani Jayaram, but of course, the collection has the signature Rouka ‘quirk factor’ or, as Sreejith calls it, “nostalgia with a quirky interpretation.” So the collection has the Kerala landscape, backwaters, coconut palm-lined roads, among other elements, apart from the fauna and flora of the State.
From Rouka’s Onam collection, Pulari
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Although the collection has come out around Onam, he makes a point about conscious consumption, because festival shopping tends to get a tad mindless.
Sustainability has been a big part of the designer Sreejith Jeevan’s design philosophy; repurposing and versatility also feature prominently. “Over the past decade or so, we designers have been thinking — ‘what is sustainability?’ It is how you shop, wear and repurpose,” he says. What he suggests is rather to shop for ‘sustainable’ options and make it a practice.
A sari from Rouka’s Onam collection Pulari
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He illustrates his point with the example of the number of Onam events a person might have to attend. “Rather than buying 13 looks for each event, buy little pieces that can be repurposed and used differently.” Like his his mundu-duppatta concept, for instance, a departure from the white and gold of Onam. Both can be used later and be worn differently, all year round.
Shop for this collection at shoprouka.com
The Hands Behind Onam — Pranaah
Pranaah’s Onam 2026 is a burst of colours. Founder of the label and designer Poornima Indrajith says she wanted something that reflected the spirit of the season without “screaming it”. “It had to be different, yet it had to capture the essence of Onam,” she says.
Poovasantham sari from Pranaah’s Onam 2026
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Hours of brainstorming later, Poornima knew what her collection would be. “The hands behind Onam… The festival is all about flowers and we decided to trace the flowers that are used in pookkalams, which is the main part of the festivities – where they come from, where the markets are, the people who work in these markets…. The collection is an appreciation for the hands behind the celebration,” she says.
Pooncholai sari from Pranaah’s Onam 2026
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A shirt from Pranaah’s Onam 2026
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This led her to the flower markets of Coimbatore. It didn’t take long for her to translate the small mounds of flowers, people and bustle of a market into wearable works of art. A design, Pooncholai, has petals of the flowers arali, jamanthi and more interpreted in handloom in Pranaah’s signature embroidery. Poornima, however, didn’t want to limit her collection to handloom this time. She uses prints on organza too, in a range titled Poovasantham. “Organza is such a breezy, flowy fabric and with all of these floral motifs, they can also be styled and worn to a cocktail party,” says Poornima. The palette isn’t all cream either – there’s peach, red, brown, yellow, brown and orange, ensuring that the garments can be worn through the year. The collection includes saris, salwar kurtas and shirts.
Available at Pranaah store in Panampilly Nagar and pranaah.com
Orma — House of Urmi
The House of Urmi derives its Onam collection from memory or Orma, a tribute to the cherished memories of old-world Onam. “This year’s Onam collection is our interpretation of the simple, nostalgic Onam that many of us grew up hearing about or experienced. Instead of focusing on grand festive elements, I wanted to celebrate the quieter moments, the joy of making pookkalam together, children on swings, women dancing, blooming Krishna kireedam flowers, parrots, and the lush landscapes that make Kerala so special,” says the founder, Anjali.
A sari and bustier combination from House of Urmi
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The Kerala-inspired House of Urmi prints begin as original painted artworks, created by Anjali. These are then digitally printed onto fabric and finished with embroidery, which adds depth and texture.
A dress from the House of Urmi Onam collection
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“Through these motifs, the idea was to tell little stories of old-world Onam and preserve that warmth and innocence in a contemporary, wearable form.
From the House of Urmi Onam collection
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The collection goes beyond saris to include printed crop tops that can be styled as blouses or worn on their own, Kerala-inspired shirts for men, and contemporary dresses featuring the same original painted prints. The idea was to create versatile festive wear that can be enjoyed during Onam and beyond. The saris are crafted in premium cotton, as it offers the ideal base to bring out the intricacy of the original hand-painted artworks with exceptional clarity and colour,” Anjali adds.
Shop this collection at houseofurmi.in
Ivory Edit — Yarn Culture
Yarn Culture’s Onam collection, every year, is called the Ivory Edit. This year, however, says Sayujya Sajilal, of the online store, that collection did not begin with a colour, a fabric or a trend. “It began with a memory. The idea was simple: the feeling of home during Onam. Rain collecting in the courtyard, the familiar sound of an old swing, flowers picked in the morning and left in a brass vessel before the house wakes up. These are small moments many Malayalis have grown up with, and they became the starting point for the collection,” she says.
Manjadi from Yarn Culture’s Ivory Edit
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The custom-designed saris, inspired by memories – Manjadi, Chethi, Mandaram, Thamara and Thamara Kattam – are florals. But, rather than a pookalam, the designer picked elements from the pookalam and built a story around each one. First hand-sketched, it was hand-embroidered later.
Manjadi, for instance, comes from one of the strongest childhood memories. It has tiny, red manjadi seeds embroidered across a sandal-toned Kerala cotton saree, with the motifs running along one side of the drape to keep the design understated while letting the embroidery stand out.
Then there is lotus-inspired Thamara Kattam, which is minimal. Small hot pink lotus motifs have been embroidered on a checkered cotton saree; a concept that has been carried into a half-and-half saree, one of the most requested styles this year, where the second half is finished in a vibrant hot pink. For those who want colour in their Onam wardrobe, there are soft cotton Ganga Jamuna sarees. Unlike the traditional Ganga Jamuna saris, Ivory Edit pairs ivory with bold colour combinations including Kanakambaram orange and brown, black and maroon, teal and red, and maroon and green.
Shop this edit at yarnculture.in
