Passage To India

Ethina, the first retail outlet in the UK to sell high-end couture garments designed and produced by New Delhi's top designers, has opened in the Great Western Arcade, Birmingham. Founded by Harprit Sall, who has a long experience of the New Delhi fashion industry from her frequent visits to India from a young age to see and purchase items for herself.

During a visit to New Delhi earlier this year, that included meetings with each of the designers on her 'wish list', Sall secured the designers' approval to export to the UK so that she could stock and retail garments and accessories. She said: "This is a major step for Indian couture with many of the designers simply not exporting, certainly not to the UK and only Milan and Paris for some."

Shopfitting products and solutions company Savekers Group has developed a chic interior design scheme that reflects the class and style of its beautiful evening and casual designer wear on sale.

Sall said: "I was keen that the look and feel of the shop should be both sympathetic and empathetic with the elegant and stylish ladies designer wear that is exclusive to Ethina in the UK." Future plans include approaching some of Mumbay's leading designers to add some of their garments to the Ethina range,