#OnOurRadar: Three Homegrown Labels That Lean Into Nostalgia and Cultural Rootedness

Would it be quite cliched of me, as a writer, to admit to having experienced what Gil Panders of ‘Midnight in Paris’ did — of having romanticised a time gone by, despite fully knowing that I wouldn’t have a modicum of the life that I do, if I was born with my identity in that time and age? When it comes to fashion, I’ve been seeing an undercurrent of sameness — of brands whose textile forward designs are starting to bleed into each other. It could be the fact that our identities exist in layers, split between many cultures, resulting in a design language that results in this seeming sameness. But if you look closer, one will start to see their individuality, but very few people choose to look closer, resulting in this sense of sameness I mentioned. But amidst all of these, there are three homegrown fashion labels that felt like a breath of fresh air. 

The initial idea of this feature was to do a round up of three varied brands on Homegrown’s radar, it ended up being one inadvertently tied together by the notion of nostalgia. While Tamil/Telugu designer Anamika Ananth’s womenswear collection leaned into heritage through weaves and chilanka details, the very name of Mumbai based label Anemoia translates to “Nostalgia for a time you've never known.” The brand draws from dabbawalas and rikshawala bhaiyyas whose signature looks shaped our identity. Tied together with an elegant pull of the thread, Homeland Elegies is a brand that hails from Nagaland that analyses the notion of masculinity, while also revisiting indigenous textile heritage. 

A South Indian designer, Anamika Ananth’s eponymous label’s debut collection Penmai is a contemplative ode to womanhood in its most unfiltered form. Named after the Tamil word meaning feminine growth and grace, Penmai reinterprets traditional South Indian ceremonial wear with a culturally rooted yet intuitive hand. Think: scooping necklines and details around the waist - but in motifs like the dancing women or even individual bells from a silangai (south indian traditional anklet), or patterns akin to madras checks, interesting draped details, and more, but translated into silhouettes and pieces for today. The details are what make their designs a revelation. The metal details of the collection features familiar south indian motifs, but not in an overtly opulent way, but rather — featuring details evoking material memory. What she has created is less fashion and more an emotional landscape, with garments as carriers of culture. 

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In Mumbai, Anemoia pulls its name from a word that means “nostalgia for a time you’ve never known” - a great descriptor for its aesthetic. In their Capsule 1, Anemoia is inspired by the visual language of India’s common folks: the soft-shouldered silhouettes of the rickshaw puller, the cinched waists of dabbawalas, balloon-like silhouette inspired by dandiya dancers and more. These are not caricatures but reverent tributes. Here, nostalgia isn’t static, but rather a living, breathing practice of looking back with intention and reimagining it for the now. Each piece is gender-fluid, modular, and tailored with expertise but also with cultural sensitivity in mind, offering familiar silhouettes revisited through an archival and designer-led perspective.

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Nagaland-based Homeland Elegies is a label whose designs are less seasonal and more of an ongoing study— an enquiry into the idea of home, of otherness, and the ways identity is shaped across generations and borders. Their garments reference tribal motifs and indigenous Indian craft traditions while being rooted in minimalism. Their focus on evolving masculinity is both personal and political:  inspired by indigenous cultures where men adorned, decorated, and celebrated themselves without constraint in a manner that is playful and expressive. From the Sacred Forest to the Social Impact - the shirts from Homeland Elegies dive deep into cultural history or textile weaving techniques to create designs that are subtle, original meditations on memory, beauty, and a regenerative economy.

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What ties these labels together isn’t just their conscious design or cultural specificity; it’s their treatment of nostalgia not as something passive or romantic, but as something active. Anamika Ananth reflects on the ritual of femininity, Anemoia reconstructs the visual cues of everyday  India, and Homeland Elegies turns textile exploration and personal introspection into design language. Together, they remind us that fashion, when rooted in memory, can be both a reflection of the times, but also paving the way to a new realm of fashion.

If you enjoyed reading this, here’s more from Homegrown:

A London Exhibit Will See 26 South Asians Spotlight The Complexities Of Their Homelands

Artisanns Nest Is Consciously Stitching A Bold New Future For Indian Fabric Waste

Homegrown Label Ugra's Handcrafted Leather Heels Celebrate Fearless Femininity