Amid the crowd at this year's Pride market, one booth is impossible to miss. Racks of bohemian textiles spill out in every colour of the rainbow imaginable, stitched with intricate patterns and icons that are impossible not to catch your eye. It may even be the most colourful stall on the block: Exotica Craft.
Its fabrics can be traced back to Delhi, India, mixing bohemian maxi dresses, tassels and eclectic embroidery with Western and Indo fusion cuts that are loose and playful, yet statement pieces all-in-one. Their pieces range from kimonos, flowy bohemian pants, paisley-print dresses, and leather-imprinted notebooks.
Exotica Craft is a treasure trove of Indian fabrics. Still, it traces its Toronto beginnings back to 2010, when it first began as a storefront on Queen and Bathurst called Om Mantra, run by Namida Pasi's husband. The COVID-19 pandemic forced the storefront to close. What could have been the ending instead became a whole new chapter, built on wholesale shows and summer markets across the city. Now, the couple stands in the middle of the bustle of Pride, replenished by an energy and support that reminds them why they started in the first place.
For years, Pasi's own path ran separate from the business as a full-time nurse. Just three years ago, she stepped in to help her husband with day-to-day operations. Since then, she's made annual trips back to Delhi, her hometown, to source fabric directly and oversee production alongside her husband. The pair work with their own tailors and artisans, choosing fabrics and deciding which sizes and styles are in demand before a single piece is stitched to order.
There's one core product feature that customers keep coming back for: wrinkle-free fabric, a small but essential function in a product line designed for bohemian ease and comfort.
"That's the main thing, they want us to make it wrinkle-free, because basically it's our bohemian style. We really want them to come back and look for different wrinkle-free fabrics every year." Namida Pasi, Exotica Craft
Exotica Craft's signature styles and wrinkle-free comfort fabrics were already 80 per cent sold out from their Pride booth, made from materials like cotton voile, khadi, bamboo blends and handwoven linen, crafted for comfort in hot climates.
"This is my first year, and I definitely want to come back. I'm really excited about next year — I already have in mind what I'm going to bring." Namida Pasi, Exotica Craft
Follow Exotica Craft's next market appearances on Instagram.
