The Kochi Shopping Edit

The Kochi Shopping Edit
Kochi is a paradise for knick-knacks, spices and textiles

 

I’ve literally shopped till I dropped in Kochi. I was lucky to have picked up the spices and tea in Munnar on an earlier trip, so in Kochi, the airport spice store came to the rescue. Shopping in Munnar or Thekkady is preferable for the edibles—I picked up litres of freshly pressed coconut oil, got tonnes of spices and lots of honey.

But for textiles, there is no place better than Kochi. This is our shopping list.

Aambal: Tucked in a corner of napier Street of Fort kochi is Aambal, an eco clothing store. Cute eco-friendly, organic and sustainable separates and dresses lined the racks, along with other eco-goodies like soaps and coasters.

Eco-friendly threads

 

Cinnamon-The Store: The stark white store is part of a complex with an attached gallery and a café. Cinnamon stocks designers such as Akaaro, White Champa and Kora, and a bunch of décor, accessories and design brands.

 

This Cinnamon is stark white and imminently shoppable

John’s Umbrella Mart: Every time a family member goes to Kochi, they return with at least two umbrellas bought from this tiny airport shop. You can order online now, but there is nothing more delightful than snapping open an umbrella in a shop. Though an aunty beat me to buy the last adorable Disney umbrella by just a few seconds, I managed to pick up a military green and a dull plum with just minutes left to board.

KasavuKada: Another handloom enterprise, the boutique we wandered into specialised in only expensive silk mundus and matching silk shirts, which I honestly was tempted to buy, but wisely refrained. Their other stores stock saris, mundus and the ilk too.

Pepper House: The Pepper House in Fort Kochi is another venue for the Kochi Biennale. But it also has a charming alfresco café on the premises, apart from a library and a lovely little design shop, which stocks labels like ROUKA by Sreejith Jeevan, the contemporary fashion label, whose etymological origins are touch fabric (blouse in Malayalam) and space (Corridor in Japanese.)

 

Books and fashion at Pepper House

Ramachandran Handlooms: You cannot leave the city without a buying the local Kasavu saris, soft mal dhotis and the mundus and nerythus, and other dreamy textiles that are either as soft as or as comforting as butter. The brand has been around since the 1980s, and if you visit the bigger stores, youll be able to buy shoes, bags and other accessories too. (Church Landing Road, Pallimukku, Ernakulam – 682016)

Seematti: Christened as the Queen of Silks on its website, once you get past the garish façade of Seematti’s shiny glass showroom, you’re thrown into a magical universe of textiles, spread over many, many floors. There is so much to see and shop that you need to stay focused, otherwise you will drown in a world of fabric. I picked up a couple of saris and lovely lace petticoats here. I suggest you do too.

The Neemrana Shop: Located in The Tower House in Kochi, the store has some lovely dresses, tunics and typical knick-knacks, including small, colourful peacocks. You need to dig a little, but we did find some clothes to buy. You can rummage through table linen, accessories, candles, pottery, and even porcelain, and more.