Banana chips, while delicious, are a cliché. If you’re in town for the Kochi Muziris Biennale, here are the best things to buy from homegrown labels and some of our favorite places.
biennial bracelet
The Biennale Kada showcases a range of products from Kerala, from handlooms to notebooks, jewelery to gifts, which curator Anna Chakola says are “handcrafted and cultural gifts, each with a story.” Anna has his own store Kada Annamol in Fort Kochi. She says of its curation that it keeps in mind Indian tourists as well as foreign tourists, “Biennale Kada is a one-stop shop created to attract global travelers and Indian visitors as well.” He had also curated the Biennale Shop last time. Collecting in this way means simple souvenirs that serve as interesting reminders of the biennium. He intended this space as a place where visitors to the Biennale could linger after visiting the sites, “This art program is heavy with the themes it deals with: politics, human rights…” The products have been chosen in such a way that they resonate with Kerala.
Most of the merchandise is hand-picked, some of which is obtained from NGOs. You can choose the Art Every Moment Sketchbook made in neighboring Alappuzha or the funky notebook designed by Kochi-based designer Vanessa Meister. There are also graphic novels and comics from Studio Kokachi, bird-inspired artworks from Beehive India, hand towels from Cara Weaves and Anna’s own label, Kada, and homemade kombucha. Try Paul and Mike’s Bernost cheese or rum and raisin flavored chocolates, or pick up the Malayaliano card game that will test your Malayalee credentials for the trip back home. Also keep an eye out for Biennale merchandise – T-shirts and totes emblazoned with Kochi Muziris Biennale and bags announcing the ‘For the Time’ theme.
At: Aspinwall House
in the paper house
Paper House Shop
Along with the art installations at Pepper House, you can visit the Pepper House Shop, which offers apparel, home decor, notebooks, jewelry, accessories, shoes, and more. Labels available include Dudelle, Motherland, Lovebirds, No Na Me, The Burlap People, House of Urmi Garments, Vanessa Meister (Notebooks), Nikita, No Nasties and Chord Studio. Tinky Thomas of the store says, “This time, for the Biennale, we are working with more brands. We will stock around 150 brands from across the country. Although we are open throughout the year, we have more brands around the Biennale as we get more people coming.” Tinky explained that the 11-year-old store has a separate brand catalog for the Biennale because most of the visitors to the store are not foreign tourists but Indians: travelers and NRIs. Other attractions are The Wild Fire Rush, The Echo Shock, The High Tide or The Tornado Twist to grab a coffee like the Beans of Bodhi outlet and of course, head to Rakkoudella for chocolates made in Kerala.
Read | Amphibian Aesthetics, an art show parallel to the Kochi Muziris Biennale, inspires new ways of seeing
At: Calvethi Road
Salt Studio in Fort Kochi
Salt Studio Pop-up
Located across from the Paper House, one of the Biennale’s venues, the Salt Studio pop-up promises to be a treat for those looking for interesting, unique merchandise. The store has created a story around the Kerala opera Chavittunadakam with the label’s costumes taking inspiration from the bright and bold colors and textures of Kochi’s native theatre. Corset dresses, midi, tops, skirts, tunics and bustiers are part of the line of apparel in addition to statement jewelry pieces, hair accessories and bags. The art pieces are particularly interesting – Chavittunadakam-inspired figures made of clay by artists Helen Merin Joseph and VJ Lalichana and paintings on the theme by Vikalpa Durga Mishra. Dia says, “Very few people know about Chavittunadakam outside Kerala or even Kochi. So I thought why not create a collection around it for the Biennale. That’s how this collection came about. The garments are moving faster than I expected, as well as the curios and accessories.”
At: Calvethi Road
Object pop-up store found inside Alka Hari X
Alka Hari X got object pop-up
Located off Calvethi Road, the store houses an interesting collection of apparel by designer Alka Hari, curios/home decor brand Found Objects and art by Vineeta Menon. While Alka’s line includes handloom/silk textiles, shirts and tunics from Kerala, Found Objects is all about art and home decor such as ceramic and pottery, paintings, poufs and more. Alka Hari’s line has been created especially for the Biennale, which she says is inspired by handloom and embroidery traditions across the country. “I have included them in the designs of the collection which are available only in this pop-up and not at Alka Hari Studio or our online store,” says Alka. The curation was by Alka, Vineeta and Thomas Joseph and Dhiya Charlie of Found Objects, “The three of us sat together and created a collection that was contemporary. There is a certain cohesiveness to the apparel, art and home decor displayed in the store. We didn’t want it to look forcefully put together, but there was a certain flow to the design and display.”
Address: Opposite Seagull, Calvethy Road
inkpickle
inkpical stories
Located opposite Kashi Art Café on Burgher Street, Fort Kochi, this small store is a homely store built in Kochi designer labels with their easy and comfortable silhouettes. Inkpical tunics, dresses, tops, pants and kaftans are made from hand-woven and hand-woven fabrics, either printed or embroidered. The store is also stocked with accessories. Mocha Art Café, it has another outlet in Jew Town, which is also a biennale venue. That’s why we’ve launched our new store especially for the biennial season. It is a permanent store and is inside Mocha Art Café, one of the biennale’s collateral spaces.
“Our latest collection is meant to transition through the biennial season as a souvenir collection from Fort Kochi. The collection ‘Coexist’ takes inspiration from the architectural echoes of Fort Kochi – the intricate gables of temples, colonial arches, wooden latticework and fleur-de-lis motifs, each print translates the architectural rhythms into wearable art. In keeping with our minimalist yet quirky design language we used line art And played with polka – it’s a motif within a Polkas act as small frames, almost like medallions or emblems, in these timeless architecture-inspired print motifs, as well as hand embroideries inspired by the Portuguese, Jewish and colonial periods.
The designs are made from hand woven/hand woven non-violent silk/non-violent silk and Inkpical staple hand woven mulberry silk as well as hand woven linen. It also features 92.5 silver jewellery, a limited edition of five pieces.
Here: Burger Street and Jew Town
published – January 23, 2026 03:54 PM IST