Beena Kannan
Luxury Haute Couture Brand India
Discovering Beena Kannan couture
where fine craftsmanship meets contemporary design
India’s first luxury silk couture brand, Beena Kannan is a marque par excellence. From a family-run textile business in Seematti, to having one of the largest flagship apparel studios in South India, Beena Kannan couture has surpassed the limits of creativity and innovation.
Popular for its traditional designs and paying ode to the Kaanjeevaram style of weaving, the Seematti brand has been thriving for more than a century now. But the credit of taking this brand from a local level to the global stage goes to the brand’s current CEO, Beena Kannan herself.
This vivacious mother of 3 took over the family business after her husband’s death and helped it reach new heights. With her design skills, connect with local artisans and an exemplary vision, Beena Kannan soon became a force to be reckoned with. It was her dream to involve traditional weavers from the different states of India and create Indian wedding sarees that embraced contemporary designs but did not lose their cultural essence.
Beena Kannan envisages a new clientele that is looking for something unique but still wants to be connected to their roots. The luxury silk couture label now has a grand collection of designer sarees, customized wedding sarees, bridal trousseaus, reception sarees, traditional Kanjeevarams, Pattusarees and much more. The vibrant yet classy collection showcasing intricate weaves, beautiful embellishments and a magnificent palette of colours is housed in a 17,500 square feet huge studio in Ernakulam where entry is through prior booking or invite only.
Beena Kannan has been a pioneer and played a grand role in redefining the brand. From the ground work of creating designs and choosing fabrics, to meeting with artisans and bringing the designs to life through their weaving, Beena Kannan herself undertakes every herculean feat.
BEENA KANNAN
CEO and Lead Designer
With new colours, concepts and designs, every carefully curated piece of apparel by the brand is considered a work of modern art. Such an iconic fashion label with the best bridal saree collection in Kerala needed an unforgettable launch and this is exactly what the world witnessed when 21 top models unveiled Beena Kannan collections in a fashion show at the Grand Hyatt in Kochi in 2021.
The brand is reviving styles like Byzantine, Mughal, Jamawar and Chettinaad. The studio in Kochi showcases Beena Kannan silk sarees inspired by Byzantine and Indian geometric patterns, Ottoman styles and the traditional Kanchipuram that will bring forth in front of clients, the evolution of fashion and a never-seen-before perspective.
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Beena Kannan has drawn inspiration from the power, beauty and attitude of Theodora- Byzantine princess and wife of emperor Justinian I. The brand has attempted to include the bright stones, gold, ivory and mosaics from Byzantine art and architecture into silk to create unique patterns for the Gen Z clients.
In the Jamawar and Art Deco style of designs, the brand features statement pieces that have a mix of Egyptian and Aztec regality yet sleek patterns. The perfect amalgamation of Mughal Sindh art and that of the Ottoman Islamic empire, popular for its magnificent carpets and textiles can be witnessed in the brand’s Mughal collection.
Through the signature Kancheepuram collection, Beena Kannan sarees pay tribute to the traditional heritage of Indian weaving styles and embellish it with a touch of modernity.
Beena Kannan put Indian silk sarees and Seemattion the world map in 2007, when she and her weavers created the world’s longest silk saree that made its way into the Guiness Book of World Records and the Limca Book of Records. This saree was half a kilometer long, unveiled on India’s 60th Independence Day and had images of Mahatma Gandhi, Mother Teresa, the TajMahal and more woven onto it.
Beena Kannan designer sarees are unique and each piece is carefully curated. Beena Kannan sits with clients herself to understand their preferences and needs. She then spends time with weavers to explain the concepts and ideas that the client has expressed and discusses with them how the same can be transformed into wedding sarees, bridal collections, reception sarees or statement pieces. Each saree is woven with utmost care and effort. It takes time but every outcome is a masterpiece, worthy of display.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TeR8jDIGav4
Beena Kannan keeps brand visibility high with an active online presence on social media, ad campaigns and fashion shows. Many famous celebrities like Raveena Tandon, Urmila Matondkar, Deepika Padukone, Lisa Hayden and Mandira Bedi have walked for Beena Kannan bridal collection shows and featured signature Beena Kannan wedding sarees. The brand is in a constant process of learning, innovating and creating. The website as well as the store features a great variety of the best wedding sarees in Ernakulam.
Beena Kannan has travelled many countries of the world to understand and experience fashion. She believes that the philosophies of different nations may be unique but they are all bound by the thread of culture and fashion is an indispensable part of it. When she travelled across India, she discovered immeasurable talent and a vast pool of creative capabilities amongst weavers. Getting these weavers to move out from their traditional design mindset and try their hand at contemporary ideas was a challenge that Beena Kannan undertook and completed successfully.
The brand has worked with weavers from Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Assam, Kashmir, Andhra Pradesh, UP and Delhi and the team has attempted various traditional weaving techniques and designs like madhubani, jamdani, paithani, chanderi, phulkari, Rajasthani and Assamese. Hence, when clients look to the brand for customized creations, there is nothing that Beena Kannan silks cannot create.
With a rich pool of weavers and the perseverance to attempt every new idea with zeal and passion, BeenaKannan is a brand that is giving bridal wear, groom wear and celebration wear a majestic makeover.