The art of creating fun, eco-friendly pret fashion

The art of creating fun, eco-friendly pret fashion


Latika Khosla, founder and creative director of Freedom Tree, on entering the womenswear space with an inclusive ready-to-wear line



Freedom Tree is known for its bright and bold print designs for home. Then what inspired the designer brand to venture into women’s ready-to-wear, considering the market is already saturated with too many prêt labels?

“We have always been excited to enter the lifestyle and apparel space with our colourful aesthetic and relaxed vibe. Thus, we thought to start off with our very own range of women’s clothing, a collection of bold prints and fresh silhouettes,” explains Latika Khosla, founder and creative director of the brand. 

In an interiew, Khosla talks about entering the womenswear space with an inclusive ready-to-wear line, and more. Edited excerpts:

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How does Freedom Tree’s design ethos translate into women’s clothing?

We borrow prints from our home collections and adapt them into a fiercely feminine palette. We’ve translated our brand ethos into this bold, fresh and free-spirited collection for the woman on the move. We want people to feel the relaxed and casual spirit of the brand, with fresh and light fabrics, easy yet feminine silhouettes, and bold and playful prints.

Tell us about the collection and the materials used in it.

In terms of fabrics used in the collection, we have worked with soft, feathery cotton, satin, viscose, and modal, all of which have sustainable properties such as being bio-based, eco-friendly and biodegradable. Each silhouette that makes up the collection was developed and trialled, with different details and prints.

The printing process employed in the production is “small batch” and artisanal, which uses a hand-screen-printing process with hand-mixed colours. The collection has been printed and manufactured in Mumbai.

The collection starts at 2,800, and we have 16 designs available in our debut collection, which includes dramatic dresses, cute co-ords and playful wraps. In addition to regular sizes, the collection is offered in sizes going up to XXL. 

Is it really expensive to create larger sizes?

Size is just a number. All items of the same design are priced the same regardless of size. There may be slightly more or less fabric consumption in different sizes, so we use any left-overs to make accessories like scrunchies, belts, bags, and even fabric diaries.

How was the process of conceptualising the collection? 

For our first foray into women’s clothing, we wanted to create something that was an expression of Freedom Tree’s relaxed and fresh vibe. Essentially, translate our bold signature colours and prints on to wearable breathable fabrics and feminine silhouettes. As with any of our collections, we started with a collage of colour, and tried it on for sizing and fit with our own team of young designers, moms, and working women.  

Fashion is increasingly becoming trendless. Did you keep that aspect in mind while crafting these pieces?

Freedom Tree is about good design. We move with seasons and the trends, but we always aim for timeless design that can be enjoyed every day and for years to come.

The pieces from these collections can go from summer to monsoon, and the easy winters we have in the west and south. The outfits are also very versatile and move comfortably from the home, to work, to play with the right accessorisies.

The silhouettes we have developed are timeless and evergreen. We’ll always need shirts, shorts, crop tops, and frilly dresses.

Is it a one-off collection or will Freedom Tree continue to churn out more?

We hope to continue to introduce more designs and grow our women’s (and men’s) clothing collection. Like with our home collections, we plan seasonal launches of new colours and styles of women’s and men’s clothing.  

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