Boom Shankar

Always a free spirit, Boom Shankar’s first pieces were born out of Dui’s time spent in India. In 1996, after more than two years traveling through Asia, Dui settled in India where she marveled at her Indian friend’s love of family and community and the joy they found in the everyday. Then, one day while enjoying a chat with a group of girlfriends, she had a thought - that joyful and loving spirit she so admired seemed to be embodied in the colour and movement of her friends’ beautiful saris. An idea was born.

Dui began sourcing second-hand wedding saris, transforming then into one-off pieces she sold at Anjuna flea markets in Goa. They were a hit! Inspired by her success (and homesickness after 5 years on the road) Dui returned to Australia. Using Indian fabrics, re-imagined and sewn on the Sunshine Coast, she set up a small stall at the famous Eumundi Markets. Boom Shankar was off and running.

Over the last two decades, Boom Shankar has evolved into a prominent Australian fashion label. Boom Shankar now includes a flagship showroom at Noosaville, and distribution to more than 300 stockists throughout Australia. Dui designs each piece in Australia (including the fabrics), then spends two to three months at a time in India working with fabric printers, pattern makers and craftsman assembling each season’s range.

Splitting her time between her home on the Sunshine Coast and her farm house in Rajasthan, Dui feels blessed to be able to work and spend time with friends and family in both Australia and India. After more than 20 years, she enjoys long-term relationships with many of her Indian colleagues and friends, having been drawn into their lives and that of their growing children (including lots of fabulous weddings!). Boom Shankar has also allowed Dui to ensure her son Charlie understands the joy and richness of both Australian and Indian cultures, through his schooling and his ongoing relationships with friends and family in both countries.

Despite Boom Shankar’s growth, Dui’s approach remains anchored in the same principles that motivated her early success: a sense of fun and adventure, a love of colour and design, a great respect for Indian culture and people, and a commitment to community.

“It really is amazing that of all the names I could possibly have chosen, I chose ‘Boom Shankar’ which means “to bless,” she says. “When I picked Boom Shankar 20 years ago, I could never have known just how much joy this work would bring and just how blessed I would be!"

Big Love, Big Life