Gagana Erukulapati’s label Óasi combines personal memories, South Indian designs, and the lustre of pearls, into carefully made, textured garments
Gagana Erukulapati says fashion is not a performance but a way to keep significant moments alive. The Hyderabad-based designer and founder of the demi-couture label Óasi is set to introduce ‘The Basra Tapestry,’ a new collection that explores the relationship between jewellery, family history and womanhood in South India. Inspired by the legacy of Basra pearls, Gagana’s latest work has a quiet, layered aesthetic that resists flash.
“Basra pearls were once the most prized in the world,” she says. “In my family, they were kept in lockers. I wanted to make them move again.” In general, Gagana uses pearl as a metaphor, anchoring its textures in a blend of nostalgia and craft. There is a sari blouse with milk-thread embroidery that references the waters carrying pearls, and a cropped jacket in oyster khadi with scattered hand-beading. The pieces are soft, restrained in form, but rich in detail.
Gagana’s collections are shaped by her background in curating art installations, archives and textile shows. “I do not make clothes. I build context,” she says.
Where her earlier collections heroed sheer cottons and silks, her latest ones are anchored in hand-woven muslin and Bhagalpur silks. The palette is muted; shades of cold milk, areca nut, and soft coconut ash. Nothing is forced to cling. Nor does anything look heavy. “I want people to move in these clothes. To breathe,” says the designer. Gagana’s focus is on versatility rather than suiting just one body type. Her ensembles echo her memories.
Gagana’s ensemble has always reflected the spirit of Venus, drawing on centuries of feminine memory as lived experience rather than myth. She works closely with her artisans, allowing human touch and intuition to guide the making of each piece. The clothing feels as natural and personal, as they invite storytelling.
Even as the Indian fashion market leans increasingly towards flash and performance, Gagana is clear about the path she is taking. “There is power in softness,” she says. “It takes more to stay quiet.”
Óasi exists in a world where everything feels cold and clinical, seeking to blend a human touch, conversation, warmth, and opinion into fashion. “I wanted to create a safe space for every mind; a place that wouldn’t question who you were, and would accept you as whomever you wanted to be in that moment; whether it was fleeting or part of your story for a little longer,” she adds.
The garments are made in Hyderabad, where the studio feels more like a reading room than a fashion house. There are no racks of clothes, just folded fabrics and sketches arranged around her. Óasi operates by appointment.
