Richa Chadha, Ali Fazal to launch homegrown fashion label

Mumbai: Bollywood-couple Richa Chadha and Ali Fazal on Thursday announced they will soon launch a fashion label that will empower and place a spotlight on local artisans.

The two stars share a strong affinity for handmade clothes and with their new endeavour, they plan to breathe new life into one of the oldest forms of art deeply embedded in Indian culture, according to a press release.

The initiative aims to help the community of local artisans from Lucknow, it added.

Chadha emphasised that in today's era, many local artisans are facing challenges as technology and mass-produced items dominate the market, making survival difficult.

"We have both always strived to work at a grassroot community level with whatever we do. We have always wanted to sport local communities, our social endeavours too always are something we strive to do from a grassroots legal up," the 37-year-old actor said in a statement.

"So when the idea struck us to want to do something for the artisans, especially those in Lucknow who have years and years of art they have been practising, we wanted the label to be a reflection of that. We have always been in awe of the skill of local artisans, particularly those involved in crafting exquisite intricate work in textiles," she added.

Chadha and Fazal, 37, recently launched their production banner Pushing Buttons Studios. Their first film, Girls Will Be Girls, bagged two awards at the 2024 edition of the Sundance Film Festival.