Exclusive with Madhurima, founder of Dhuri
In Conversation with Madhurima, founder of Dhuri.
I would love to hear from where you started, how Dhuri came into being, and what Dhuri means to you.
I had worked with Sabyasachi after graduating from NIFT Mumbai, and I never thought that would happen that early, but it’s something that I always wanted to do. And it happened soon after my graduation, and it was a high point, post which I wanted to start with my own brand.
Dhuri is a part of my name, Madhurima and it stems out of a nostalgic time from college when my friends used to call me “Dhuri” which continues. The word although means “axis.” or “center point.” of a point of growth. It means the center point of origination.
How do you feel about your work present in NYFW?
When Dhanya called, I was speechless, yet so humbled. It was the most humbling & pleasant surprise because I don’t come from a business background and standpoint at all, and being the eldest daughter amongst all my other cousins there used to be a question mark. When I started with garments, it was going fine, but I didn’t choose to restrict myself because all I’ve got is my creativity.
What’s the story and the inspiration behind the products at Dhuri?
Growing up, I’ve learned all sorts of different art forms. I love gifting jewelry to my people and one day I just decided to start making it.
The broken pottery jewelry has always inspired me from Europe and I have had a lot of my other inspiration from nature and florals all around & that’s a direct reflection on my products. The colors, the material, the mood which it evokes, and the shape and the form given to it.
While making these pendants and jewelry I didn’t have a workforce at all. Then I started playing with clay and the process of it. And I didn’t use polymer clay at all, I used white clay and the process for making one pair takes 7 days. It’s still so surreal to see this inspiration and the time and everything it took to make these earrings and now it’s present in NYFW.
What was the unexpected turn for you in terms of work in the pandemic or from last year to this year?
The surprising part was when I had a full-fledged label nothing happened, and now when I have a single product with only me and myself working on it, it got featured in NYFW! This in itself is unexpected and special because I’ve never done a fashion week in India and this just is a huge surprise. But what I practice is Equanimity. It's when you don’t get sad or unhappy when something makes you unhappy or you don’t get too excited when something makes you happy, you maintain a calm composure, floating in between.
Is there anything else you would like to tell us?
All My inspiration comes from a love for textiles, especially Chintz. it's one of my favorites and I am a minimalist, except when it comes to prints and textiles, be it European florals or the florals from our Indian Mughal Gardens. And I would take this inspiration to continue with these earrings and hopefully it all goes well.