Press Pack 2021
Bougainvillea London is an independent womenswear label producing one of a kind dresses. Cut from vintage Indian silk. No waste and no virgin materials. Handcrafted in London. Proudly giving Indian textiles a second life. All packaging is biodegradable and plastic free.
A Word from the Founder
Every dress we create is unique, like every woman. Each one handcrafted in vintage Indian silk, celebrating the age old craft of textile design. We hope our dresses bring you joy.
x Ava Amande
Our Story
I grew up in a theatrical family, surrounded by laughter, colour and vibrancy. My mother, Penelope, and grandma had immense wardrobes and were always collecting high neck blouses, floral chiffon dresses and anything in black velvet in case they came in useful for the stage. Their collections of hats, scarves, faux fur collars and costume jewellery can only be described as epic. My grandma, Irene, bought a Singer sewing machine for my mother when she a teenager so she could start making costumes for her. As a 21st birthday the Singer got an electric foot pedal and there really was no stopping her!
I remember my grandma swishing along in a long black kaftan with giant red flowers stamped on it, and floaty cotton gauze dresses by Phool, Anokhi and Ritu Kumar with matching headscarves. Unsurprisingly I followed them into the theatre business, as much for the love of clothes if nothing else! A dress was a way to signal your character’s intentions before you have said a word.
In 2019 I went to India for the first time to see my partner’s family. The abundance of craft people was striking, in the little parades of shops one sees weaving, embroidering, block printing, tailoring. These crafts, handed down through the generations, are omnipresent. I had the joy of buying a whole new wardrobe to blend in, well that was my excuse, whilst I was there.
Many a blissful afternoon was spent perusing the rainbow coloured silks. There was even the option to have a dress tailor made! So not wanting to miss this exciting sartorial experience I handed the seamstress my mother’s Laura Ashley dress that I had worn on the journey and a burgundy red floral saree that Adithya’s mother had put out for the kabadiwala. The rag and bone man, or kabadiwala cycles around the residential neighbourhood calling for ‘old stuff’ and ‘paper.’ The families keep the papers bundled up by the door, and old sarees, and call down from the window to negotiate how many kitchen utensils they will receive in exchange. Waste is considered merely a resource in the wrong place!
The dress was a revelation! The seamstress had done a beautiful job. It was beautifully stitched and added a prayer bead for the neck fastening. Creating new from the old is satisfying. I came back from India laiden with pure silk sarees of outstanding quality from the kabadiwala.
So when lockdown struck in March 2020 I drew a sketch of a mid length, high neck, frilly dress with balloon sleeves and asked mother if the Singer was up to it! So we drew up a pattern together and the ‘Amande Atelier’ came into existence!
That dress became the Masala, named after my late, great ginger Maine Coone. 
I love having my mother as the model, it feels nostalgic. Every one saree is unique, every dress is one of a kind. Our customers tend to be highly artistic, with a love of flowers and a strong sense of individuality. We receive orders from all around the world from women who value the unique, one of a kind nature of our dresses. 
Bougainvillea the label is a family affair. Adithya’s parents let me know what the kabadiwalas and saree sellers have to offer, they act as quality control, burning a thread from each saree to verify it is silk. They send them over and I cut the pieces then mother does the stitching. We have a hoot on our photo shoots, Cinnamon and Anise wonder why we aren’t actually walking in Battersea Park!
Our Customers
All over the world! We currently sell exclusively from our online store to women all over the world who value the unique provenance of our dresses. Our ladies more often than not, adore florals, are well travelled and lovers of art.
Our Ethos
We are most definitely a slow fashion house and create no waste, our off cuts are sold on for craft users. We aim to minimise our carbon footprint: our collections are made entirely from non virgin materials and our packaging is plastic free and biodegradable. Silk is a natural biodegradable fabric and we use a hand cut vintage Indian mother of pearl button for the Masala neck fastening.
For every purchase we pledge to donate £5 to the Wild at Heart Foundation to support the wonderful work they are doing to help destitute dogs in India.
Press
Featured in ‘Coolest British Brands’ by in WhoWhatWear.
Anna Bromilow at Sheerluxe Magazine
Erica Davies at The Telegraph
Sarah Moschini Head of Fashion at Italian Grazie Magazine
Evolve Magazine