Nykaa Fashion Alternatives for Indian Ethnic Tops: Why Handmade Wins

September 29, 2026

Nykaa Fashion has grown impressively over the past few years, expanding from beauty into a full fashion platform. For ethnic tops and kurtas, it carries an extensive range of brands, prices, and styles. If you have shopped there, you have probably found the browsing experience pleasant enough but the actual buying experience more variable.

The issue is not Nykaa Fashion specifically. It is the nature of aggregated fashion platforms. When a platform's goal is to stock everything, it inevitably stocks a lot of average. For women who want ethnic tops that stand out, last beyond a season, and feel like they were made with care, handmade alternatives offer something different.

What Nykaa Fashion Offers and Where It Falls Short

Nykaa Fashion does some things well. The curation is better than Amazon in the sense that you can filter by occasion, fabric, and price range more meaningfully. The photography is generally good. And for branded ethnic wear, you can find well-known labels in one place.

Where it falls short for women seeking quality ethnic tops:

Trend-driven inventory. Nykaa Fashion's ethnic range is heavily weighted toward whatever is trending on Instagram and among younger shoppers. This means lots of co-ords in trendy prints, cutwork tops, and embellished pieces that look exciting in photos but are designed for a season's worth of wear, not a wardrobe.
Middle-market quality at premium-feeling prices. Some pieces on Nykaa Fashion are priced as premium but produced as middle-market. The photography and styling create an impression the fabric does not deliver.
Wide selection, shallow depth. The platform stocks many brands but limited pieces from each. Finding consistent sizing or following a brand across collections is difficult.
Generic silhouettes. The ethnic tops range tends to cluster around the same handful of silhouettes: the straight kurta, the A-line tunic, the asymmetric top. There is little room for the distinctive silhouettes that artisan designers bring.

The Case for Handmade Ethnic Tops

An ethnic top is something you wear with regularity. It shows up at office meetings, family lunches, festival celebrations, and casual outings. Because it is so present in your wardrobe, the quality of the piece has a disproportionate impact on how you feel getting dressed.

Handmade ethnic tops are better for everyday rotation precisely because they are made to last and wear well. Here is what distinguishes them:

Natural fabrics that breathe. A handmade ethnic top in pure cotton, linen, or chanderi will keep you cooler in Indian summers than a polyester-blend equivalent. It will also develop a soft, worn-in feel over time that synthetic fabrics never achieve.

Distinctive construction. Artisan-made tops tend to have more considered cuts, thoughtful necklines, and structural details that are finished by hand. These are not the small differences you notice in a photo, but they are very present when you wear the piece.

Prints that age gracefully. Hand-block-printed tops develop a patina with washing that makes them look better over time. Machine-printed tops on synthetic fabric go in the opposite direction.

Capes as a category. One area where handmade brands like Haus of Handmade genuinely excel is the cape. Handmade capes in natural fabric, with hand-stitched edges and thoughtful drape, are a category that mass platforms do not serve well. The draped cape as an ethnic style statement works best in natural fabric handled with care, and that is inherently a handmade proposition.

Haus of Handmade and the Ethnic Top Category

Haus of Handmade focuses specifically on the ethnic tops and capes category for contemporary Indian women. Their pieces are designed to work with your existing wardrobe, not to be one-season statements. The shapes are considered, the fabrics are natural, and the artisan work is visible without being overwhelming.

Their collection is curated rather than exhaustive, which means when you find a piece you love, it has been through a genuine selection process. Compare this to Nykaa Fashion's approach of stocking as many options as possible and letting the algorithm surface what to show you.

How to Think About Price

Handmade ethnic tops typically cost more than equivalent pieces on Nykaa Fashion. A well-made handmade kurta top might cost Rs. 2,000 to Rs. 4,000. A comparable Nykaa Fashion piece from a fast-fashion brand might be Rs. 900 to Rs. 1,500.

The honest analysis: the handmade piece will likely last three or four times as long and look better throughout its life. For a top you wear regularly to work or social occasions, investing in quality is a rational choice, not an indulgence. You will also get more pleasure from wearing a piece you genuinely love versus one you settled for because it was convenient.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does Nykaa Fashion stock any genuinely handmade ethnic tops?
Nykaa Fashion does list some artisan brands and craft-forward labels, but they are mixed in with a much larger mass-produced inventory. Finding genuine handmade pieces requires research and verification, which is easier when you go directly to a curated handmade brand.

Q: Are handmade ethnic capes a practical wardrobe choice?
Very much so. A well-cut handmade cape in natural fabric is one of the most versatile ethnic pieces you can own. It works over a kurta for a layered festive look, over trousers for a smart-casual occasion, and over a simple dress for a fusion statement.

Q: How do I style handmade ethnic tops for modern occasions?
Pair block-printed or hand-embroidered ethnic tops with straight-cut palazzos or cigarette trousers for a contemporary look. Capes work beautifully over fitted pants with heeled footwear. The key is letting the handmade piece be the statement and keeping everything else simple.

Q: Can I find handmade ethnic tops for petite or plus-size women?
Many artisan brands offer size-inclusive ranges or custom sizing, especially smaller brands that are not constrained by mass-production size runs. It is worth contacting the brand directly if you have specific fit requirements.