SHOOTING FOR THE STARS

Meet Yesshminni Ravindran and Mir Momin Parveez, the enterprising duo determined to put Indian-made ethnic apparel on the map with their clothing brand, Yeshan Sarees 

- Tania Jayatilaka

Yesshminni M.R Ravindran greets us with a smile, wearing a flawless white saree paired with a formal black blazer and a thin belt—a combination you don’t typically see. With her creative eye and imaginative use of repurposed excess fabric to elevate and modernise her saree looks, it’s easy to see how this young entrepreneur embraced fashion startup life.

“I think it’s about time that we view traditional clothing—not just Indian traditional clothing, but also Malay and Chinese traditional clothing—as a fashion statement in its own right. It’s not a taboo to wear it to work and it’s not uncomfortable. Just wear it!” enthuses the 27-yearold, who is one half of the duo that founded Yeshan Sarees, an ethnic Indian fashion house that emerged in 2015 on Instagram.

Eight years later, Yeshan Sarees is beloved by clientele across 35 countries, crafting over 7,000 garments and opening its 1,100 sq ft flagship boutique at Pavilion Bukit Jalil in 2022, in time for Deepavali. A year after becoming the first Malaysian Indian ethnic apparel brand to open at this mall, Yeshan Sarees is making waves yet again in 2023, securing partnerships with Pavilion Kuala Lumpur’s Parkson Elite and E-commerce fashion platform Zalora, where Yeshan Sarees’ lehengas, sarees, and kurtis will now be sold for the first time.