New Delhi, June 5 -- In 1985, the late Satya Paul introduced what came to be known as India's first "designer saris"-not decked up with embroidery or embellishment, but animated by kitschy digital prints and electric colours. Think Japanese calligraphy, stylised Cyrillic script, imprints of works by Picasso and Raja Ravi Varma. He gave the traditional drape a kind of sexy pop-punk energy.

But its been a while since the brand has been able to recreate the sense of surprise and excitement that once defined it. This is despite the fact that over the past four decades, and especially since Reliance Brands Ltd took the brand under its wing eight years ago, it has seen a succession of creative heads-from Rajesh Pratap Singh (2020) to David Abr...