'Maximalism is in our blood;
and years of colonialism, eurocentric aestheticisms, mass produced fashion have watered it down to today where 80% of wardrobes look the same.'
Born from a passion for maximalism, tailoring, and DIY craftsmanship, Trunni is the creation of two sisters, Archana and Vidisha.
'The concept of Trunni was probably born ages ago. With the first pillow we made that mom turned into blouses which we still wear, the many broken earrings Vidisha welded back together to make danglers the size of an arm, with clay trinkets she made for her besties or with the crochet needle Archana picked up during the pandemic. In 2022, the ‘shop’ opened probably as an excuse to properly create everything we want to wear! There was no concrete thought behind it. Even the name is just a mix of our pet-names - Tunni and Runni'
Maximalism is a relatively unexplored concept and doesn't appeal to everyone.
How did you manage to excel in it?
'Funnily enough, before Trunni our maximalism was probably a little subdued. With the brand, we realised just how maximal we can get (Vidisha being the real madman) but as perennially overdressed people, we realised that this is actually natural to our subcontinent.
Maximalism is in our blood; and years of colonialism, eurocentric aestheticisms, mass produced fashion have watered it down to today where 80% of wardrobes look the same. The power of maximalism to turn heads and start conversations is infectious and we want people to experience this as well and perhaps the need to convince people is what makes us good at what we do. That and functionality!'
Who is your target audience?
Everyone! All ages and sexes (and species too, some pups have pulled off our pieces better than their humans)
Anyone looking to experience art and joy in clothing and accessories.
Trunni possesses a distinctive and unconventional vibe. How did you initially persuade the audience to connect with it?
Two words - Dopamine dressing!
Someone said that wearing Trunni made them realise how looking good is directly proportional to having a good mood and in turn a good day!
That should be enough persuasion, no?
Plus, each of our pieces are met with such intrigue
and curiosity at first glance, they always start a conversation and we win on days when people
want to take these conversations back home.
We've observed that you produce a variety of items, namely jewellery, clothing, sunglasses etc. How do you determine what to produce?
We don’t! Till date we’ve never properly planned out what to make and not to make.
Every once in a while we feel something in our wardrobe isn’t maximal enough, isn’t ‘Trunni’ enough. And that’s how a new product is born. We’ve already made curtains, larger than life phone covers, even footwear trinkets that we use at home but haven’t made them into products yet. Because we create first for ourselves there’s really no end to the variety.
Describe Trunni in one line or one word.
Wearable art!
What does success mean to you?
To be able to continue to create as authentically as we do and tap into a global market of people searching for eclectic pieces as we once did.
What are your aspirations for the future?
To further expand the already wide range of products and to experiment with newer materials too.
Also looking to open doors to our physical studio here in Kolkata, and hopefully to expand our team beyond us two sisters, to share in our responsibilities!
What obstacles do you encounter as
small business owners?
Social media is a boon and bane for us.
It’s our primary source for customers but it’s also very hard to keep up with the changing algorithm (we give up everyday). So some months are great, but the minute we take a step back to create more, attention and sales via Instagram plummet.
Plus, we handle all aspects personally, from sourcing, production, social media, marketing to sales and client management. All this aside from the actual crafting of products, so we’re spread thin.
Restocks take ages, so do posting new pieces.
Jewellery and crocheted pieces are still done solely by hand, so it’s all just really slow.
Are there any partnerships or collaborations you're eager to explore?
Not sure in what form or way but we would love to explore collaborations with brands we love like Pero, Harago and Bobo Calcutta!
We also love Neha Singh (of Cord) and we’d love to see our pieces styled on her.
Doyel Joshi of HowAreYouFeeling.Studio is another dream muse. We’d also love to collaborate with
Srila Chatterjee and her Baro Market
and Kanika Karvinkop’s No Border Shop.
Instagram - Trunni.co