Ethnic Wear Brands in Hyderabad and Bangalore: Where People Actually Shop

A note before the list: this is written by Daaraa, a small handcrafted ethnic wear label from Visakhapatnam. We are on this page, near the bottom, because leaving ourselves off would be coy and putting ourselves at the top would be a lie — we are two weeks old. Everything else here is described as plainly as we can manage.

Hyderabad and Bangalore are two of the best cities in the country to buy ethnic wear, for different reasons. Hyderabad has deep traditional retail — large family-run stores with floors of sarees and suit sets. Bangalore has more of the modern retail-chain and online-label presence. Most people end up using both, plus whatever arrives by courier.

The national chains

FabIndia — handloom and natural fabrics, the reliable answer for cotton kurtas you will wear for years. Prices sit in the mid range, the cuts are relaxed rather than fitted, and the quality is consistent. Strong presence in both cities.

W for Woman — contemporary Indian wear, a lot of fusion cuts, consistent sizing across stores. Good for office wear, and easy to find in most malls.

Biba — probably the widest reach of any ethnic wear brand in India. Prints and suit sets across a broad price range, frequent sales, and sizing that runs fairly reliably.

Soch — founded in Bangalore and now retailing through well over a hundred and fifty exclusive outlets across the country. Strong on occasion wear and sarees, with an online catalogue that is unusually well organised by function — festive, party, work, everyday.

Taneira — the Tata group’s saree and ethnic wear label, built around handloom weaves. Higher price point, and worth visiting for the weave information alone if you care about where cloth comes from.

Hyderabad’s own

Hyderabad’s large traditional retailers are a different experience from a mall chain — multiple floors, enormous range, and staff who will pull out forty pieces if you let them. Kalanjali, Neeru’s, Mebaz and Chandana Brothers are the names most locals will give you. They are at their strongest for weddings and heavy occasion wear, where seeing and handling the fabric matters most.

If you are shopping for a function and have the time to go in person, these are worth the trip in a way that no website replicates.

Bangalore’s modern labels

Bangalore leans younger. Alongside the national chains you will find a large number of independent and online-first labels working in contemporary silhouettes, co-ord sets and fusion wear. The city’s boutique scene around Indiranagar and Jayanagar carries a lot of small makers who never open a second store.

Online-first and small-batch makers

This is the part of the market that has changed most. A small label can now reach the whole country without a single storefront, which means you get access to makers who could never have afforded retail space — and it also means a lot of drop-shipped catalogues pretending to be labels.

Telling them apart is not hard. A real maker shows you the same garment from several angles, names the fabric, publishes a size chart in inches, and carries one or two colourways of a design rather than twelve. A reseller shows one stock photo, says “premium fabric”, and has every design in every colour.

Daaraa

We make handcrafted kurtas, co-ord sets and 3-piece suit sets in small runs, from Visakhapatnam, and ship across India. We are new — the label launched in late 2026 — so we are not going to tell you we are established. What we can tell you is what is on the page: the fabric is named, the sizes in stock are listed, the price includes GST, delivery is free on every order, and exchanges run for seven days from delivery.

If you want to see whether that is true, the everyday kurtas start at ₹649 and are the cheapest way to find out.

How to choose between them

• Buying for a wedding, have time, want to touch the fabric — go to a large traditional retailer in person.
• Want consistency and known sizing — a national chain. You will get what you expect.
• Want something not everybody owns — a small maker, online or boutique.
• Buying office wear in bulk — chains, on sale, in repeatable colours.

There is no single best brand, which is why a list that ranks them is usually selling something. Match the brand to the occasion and the lead time you have, and you will do better than following anyone’s top ten.

Read next

• Buying Ethnic Wear Online in Visakhapatnam: A Practical Guide — How online ethnic wear actually works in Vizag — delivery times, sizing, returns, and what to check before you pay.
• How to Buy a 3-Piece Kurta Set Online Without Regretting It — Fabric, fit, dupatta quality and the size-chart maths — what separates a kurta set you wear for years from one that stays in the cupboard.