Big spender or small, we know Diwali shopping is on everyone’s mind. From dressing up your home in fresh linen to buying your Diwali drip (millennials, we mean OOTD), you already have a lot on your plate. That’s why we have scoured the web for cool brands so that you can shop for yourself, and for gifts. TLM has curated an ultimate Diwali shopping guide to ensure you are entering the season ready.
Spruce up your home
L to R Photo credit: Junekeri Homes, Ugaoo
Junekeri
Ayessha and Sudha are a mother-daughter duo who set up Junekeri. The brand offers handcrafted goods for modern homes. Browse through the collection for timeless and functional pieces, as the brand offers cushions, throws and quilts, and has a festive edit right in time for Diwali.
TLM Recommends: We’ve got our eye on their Mari Lumbar Pillow, which is a sunny addition to any home and has been crafted by women artisans from Nagaland.
Nestasia
You are probably already familiar with Nestasia’s design-forward home decor. For Diwali gifts, consider their glassware or tableware. Their products are constantly evolving and we love how the brand is regularly adding homeware that has a global aesthetic.
TLM Recommends: Their Rotating Drinking Glasses (they come as a set of six) can liven up a Diwali party. Not only do these add an element of fun but the cubic patterned design is timeless and gives the glasses much sturdiness.
Studio Coppre
If your aesthetic is a little desi, look no further than Studio Coppre. The brand collaborates with copper artisans in and around Pune as they aim to revive the dying traditional copper art of Maharashtra. But Studio Coppre has grown to include artisans from other parts of India as well. The brand’s home accents are worthy of buying but it also offers several gifting options that include brass tealights, oil lamps, mithai trays, and more.
TLM Recommends: The versatility of the Russet Floater is apt for Diwali. The large and wide floater doubles up as a tray for guests and is also an elegant piece to float diyas and flowers along with rangoli.
Ugaoo
Adding some greens to a home is always a good idea. And Ugaoo’s online nursery is the way to go. For Diwali, perhaps the easiest way to dress up a home is to browse from their indoor plants. The brand is offering a Plant Parent Rewards Club wherein your Ugaoo account is credited with Rs. 1 for every Rs. 1 you spend. For seasoned plant parents, there are ample pots and planters to shop from as well.
TLM Recommends: To keep plants cosy and to add a bit of colour to a room, consider the Trinket Cotton Planter. We love it as it is crafted with natural jute and cotton fibres.
Kavi Poetry Art
Who doesn’t love an eco-friendly Diwali? Kavi Poetry Art is an eco-label that upcycles glass and other materials to create planters, glasses, frames, lamps, and more. The Delhi brand has also won a mention in the Limca Book of Records in 2015. While they create home decor you can also consider their sustainable gift hampers that mainly comprise planters, coasters, and other items made with recycled corks.
TLM Recommends: As it’s the festival of lights, Kavi’s Upcycled Bottle Tea Light Holders are great to gift someone or to add to your home.
Give your style a festive facelift
L to R Photo credit: Mogasu Goa, Tangerine Jewellery
Ruby’s Organics
One of the many homegrown beauty brands, Ruby’s Organics is ideal to add to anyone’s makeup kitty. We love that their products use clean ingredients but more importantly, all of them have easy applicators and are travel-friendly as well.
TLM Recommends: Their semi-matte lipstick range is our favourite. Each share doubles up as a cheek tint and a cream eyeshadow as well; and we have our eyes on Rhubarb – a burnt rose shade.
Mogasu Goa
Skipped the trip to Goa? Bring the beach state to your wardrobe with Mogasu Goa. We love the brand’s easy-breezy sarees that are made with Indian ethnic fabrics. Everything the brand offers is high on comfort and has a handcrafted Goan twist to it. Their chanderi silk, mulmul, linen, and kota dori sarees are apt for all the big and small festive days that are going to fill up everyone’s November.
TLM Recommends: We are feeling festive, so we recommend their bright red-orange hued Khidki, a chanderi silk saree that’s simple but equally comfortable to wear.
Tangerine Jewellery
Ethically sourced, green labels are slowly becoming the norm. So, what makes Tangerine Jewellery different? Claiming to be India’s first bio jewellery brand, we love that all their designs are made with 100% recycled materials. The brand acquires natural elements from across India and turns them into something wearable. Think of items you would normally discard, Tangerine takes inspiration from those.
TLM Recommends: Diwali shopping is a great excuse to bring their latest Spice Collection home! It celebrates the spices in every Indian kitchen and transforms them into jewellery. We love their All Spice Bracelet which features a set of clove, cardamom, pepper, star anise and long pepper charms. It’s as playful as it is quirky.
Oonth
It’s not surprising that Oonth is mightily inspired by Rajasthani and Marwar aesthetics. But we love this jewellery brand because their pieces are lightweight and help make a statement. Oonth’s style is bold with several ethnic inspirations and you will see a lot of traditional Rajasthani design elements throughout. While their pricing may seem a little steep, it’s worth the price for sterling silver.
TLM Recommends: If you love statement pieces, your Diwali shopping list needs Oonth’s Cow Choker, a sterling silver neckpiece that’s equal parts elegant and quirky.
Get your bar Diwali ready
L to R Photo credit: Bar Box, The Bar Collective
Bar Box
A website full of several bar accessories, Bar Box is apt for novice mixologists as well as seasoned ones. You can ensure your parties have delicious tipples if you are someone who loves being behind the bar. Their product range has ample you could check off from your Diwali shopping list for your home bar or as Diwali gifts.
TLM Recommends: For novice mixologists, this 11-piece Bar Kit is ideal to shake and stir up a storm.
Drinks Deli
If you love stirring and pouring your own cocktails at home, you need cocktail garnishes. You can make your cocktails look pretty! Drinks Deli is a great option to shop for dehydrated fruits to use as garnishes. They also offer rose buds, blue pea flowers, and more that you can use to naturally infuse your cocktails with colour and flavour.
TLM Recommends: You can grab the HUKI Ultimate Citrus Cocktail Garnish Combo, which offers three dehydrated citrus fruits. These are ideal as citrus is one of the most common ingredients you will need for any cocktail recipe.
The Essential Cocktail Book
Who doesn’t love stirring a cocktail? If you are a budding mixologist who is keen to get the spirit-to-sweetener ratio right then you buy a copy of The Essential Cocktail Book: A Complete Guide to Modern Drinks. The book comes with 150 Recipes and is what anyone needs to get started.
D’YAVOL
Keep your spirits high this Diwali! There’s a new brand of whisky and vodka you can add to your Diwali shopping list. SLAB in collaboration with AB InBev has launched D’YAVOL Scotch whisky and D’YAVOL vodka. Their Scotch whisky is called D’YAVOL Inception and is an unfiltered blended malt whisky with delicate peat and opulent sherry notes. The D’YAVOL Vodka is crafted from 100% winter wheat, distilled and bottled on a single estate in Poland. This results in a smooth, well-rounded spirit with a uniquely subtle flavour profile.
You can find the brand at premium liquor stores across India.
The Bar Collective
Probably the most upsetting thing about ice in a cocktail is that it waters the drink down. But you can ensure a great, potent sip every time thanks to the shape of ice you use. Spherical ice is known to melt away at a slower pace, which means tipples will taste great all through. The Bar Collective, curates all bar essentials and some things fun as well and you can shop for all you need for your bar.
TLM Recommends: Their large Sphere Ice Mould Tray is what anyone needs to ace their cocktail game at home.
Get ready to be crowned the Best Gift-giver
L to R: Two Brothers, The Orchid Hotel
If gifting is a struggle, it’s easier to send a hamper full of goodies. We have scoured the internet for grazing boxes and snack hampers, which are a breeze to gift if you are ever confused.
Two Brothers
In the year of millets, Two Brothers Organic Farms has possibly the best faral hamper. The Deepavali Millet Faral Hamper is full of millet-made goodies including millet chakli, mixed millet ladoo, mix millet chivda, kodo millet chikki, unpeeled cashew, and a brass diya. You can pre-order the hampers so that they are dispatched in time.
Platter Life and Spotted Cow
For those Diwali parties that you have to bring something to, there’s nothing better than a grazing board. If you are in Delhi, Platter Life curates some of the best cheese boards, charcuterie, and grazing tables. And of course, everything is customised as per your requirements. Those living in Mumbai can reach out to The Spotted Cow Fromagerie for fresh cheeses, but this year their The Lazy Loaf Gift Hampers include crackers, sourdough loaf, nut mixes, marinated olives, and of course their variety of cheeses. You will essentially have all you need to snack with a glass of wine.
Shrikhandd
Bite-sized handcrafted mithai is the way to go, lately! Delivering pan-India, Shrikhandd has a range that looks too pretty to eat. But one bite in and you know you have made the right decision to order from them. While the brand has a Festive Sweetness Box, you can also opt for their ghewar, stuffed medjoul dates, ladoos, among other offerings. The brand takes orders via Instagram and WhatsApp only, so get your Diwali shopping done swiftly.
Vahdam
In a chai-drinking country, the easiest Diwali gift is perhaps an assortment of great teas. Vahdam offers an array of gift boxes that include tea bags or premium teas that you can make with an infuser. We recommend their Glow Assorted Diwali Tea Gift Set which comes with six teas that are a blend of unconventional and classic flavours.
The Orchid Hotel Mumbai
For Diwali, The Orchid Hotel Mumbai creates exquisite gourmet hampers that make gifting easy. Every item in the hamper is handcrafted and curated by the chefs at Orchid. So, you can be assured that you are gifting something delicious to your friends or relatives. This year, their Orchid Festival Treasures box is what you should order. The hamper includes The Fine Cheese Co crackers, avocado oil, crispy hazelnut wafer cubes, almond biscotti, dry apricot jar, Goodwyn Midas Gold Tea, traditional Italian spaghetti pasta, olive oil, assorted traditional homemade mithai, quinoa black seeds, rock chocolates, roasted millet chiwda, assorted nuts, diya, and a toran. The mix of snacks and ready-to-cook items is what makes this hamper extra special.
