To start off, Atirma is an Indian clothing/accessory store - and I am not Indian. I'm a mix of Latina & Hawaiian, however my husband is Punjabi. We were married 04/28/2012 and had an American ceremony in a church & an Indian themed reception. In September 2011 I started searching for a place to get a lengha for my wedding reception. Something that was really going to "awe" my guests as well as my husband's. I tried emailing websites that carried sarees & suits that I thought were really pretty, asking if they had lenghas or could custom design one based on a combo of some pictures I had found with design & looks and was either unsuccessful or didn't feel comfortable sending my money & requests off to India where there was no connection here in the states. On a whim, one day while passing by their Fremont store (in late November 2011), I decided to pop in and ask if they would be able to custom design something for me, and indeed they were able to! I worked with Maneka Sherwa, one of their designers from the Artesia store. She came up to the Fremont store in December and was able to meet with me. She was gorgeous herself and very sweet. SHe pulled out tons of swatches, color designs & different types of design work for me to go through. I showed her two pictures I printed off the internet which showed the shape of lengha I wanted (we call it mermaid, they call it fish tail) as well as some design work & top styles I liked. We went through a ton of "touch points", she took my measurements and I was very excited when I left. She worked within my budget, took the time to listen to everything I wanted and also made suggestions that would make my "in-laws" happier with my outfit to make it a little more traditional while still sticking to everything I wanted. In the middle of the process, I was a little nervous as the Fremont store closed their doors. Maneka kept in contact the entire time via email and text and reassured me things were going smoothly. About 6 weeks before the wedding, I got a "test" lengha from the production team in India to try on and "pin" to adjust anything that was too big (or too small - but I didn't have that issue). I pinned the lengha to make certain parts a little more form fitting and sent it back to the Artesia store who then adjusted my measurements for the tailors in India. 3 weeks before the wedding my lengha arrived and it was GORGEOUS. Beyond what I thought it was going to turn out to be. I had originally wanted a silver color that had a hint of purple tone - but the purple/pink color that Maneka suggested I change it to was PERFECT and I was so happy to have listened to her and agreed with that change during the design meeting. (White is used for funerals in Indian culture, so a color too light is almost looked down upon). The one "bad" thing (can I even call it that?) was that the skirt was slightly too big around the waist - however, I think it might have been a different story if it wasn't so decked out in crystals (the skirt alone weighed 23.5 lbs because of all the crystals & design work), I took it to an alterations place here and paid $35 to have her take in 2 inches to make sure the skirt fit tight and wouldn't fall and then it was perfect "to the T". I've attached a few pictures and honestly, in the future, look forward to working with them on some more indian outfits. The entire process with Atirma & Maneka went soooo smoothly. read more

See all

I'm sad to see low reviews too! The lady here was NOT aggressive and she suggested some beautiful colors and ideas for me. She understood this was for my wedding next year, but she was more than helpful and not pushy. I hope I can come back. She didn't even push me to get designer like Satya Paul which would have cost more. I hope I come back. They have beautiful pieces. read more

It is really difficult to rate this place. I am Caucasian and my fiance is India. We're having a fusion wedding and the wedding party (including my fiance and I) will be wearing Indian clothing. So, if you can imagine, I am a newbie to shopping for Indian outfits and especially wedding lenghas. I think I know what I like but it's hard to know if it looks good on you until you try it on. I went to this store twice to look at the selection and to try on some outfits to get a sense of what I want. I figured that I will be custom ordering my outfit but needed a baseline to start with. The selection is very good and the designs are a little more Modern or Western which I liked. The first time I went, the lady was helpful and kept telling me that they can make anything I want (which of course they can, but I am not made of money). She showed me designs, listened to what I wanted, and gave me suggestions. She was very helpful but gave off an impression that if you aren't buying today then you shouldn't try anything on. I ended up trying on two outfits but left since I got the feeling that I was wasting her time until I showed some money. The second time I went the same lady remembered me and what I had tried on. She gave some more suggestions but kept pressing that I choose the lengha I wanted and we could talk about customization. I just wanted to see what styles looked good on me first (before a commitment) then sit down with her and design my outfit. Feeling a little pressured I left and know I can't go back until I commit to buying something. The prices are on the higher side but the quality and designs seemed good. This is definitely a place for wedding lenghas and sherwanis or higher prices sarees. I am not saying this is a bad place. If I had the money I might come back here for something else, but my wedding lengha experiences here weren't the best. read more

UPDATE: OK, my sister took this lengha to india to have it fitted. It turns out this piece is not real. Now that I think carefully, that's true. The lady who sold it insulted my sister when she asked to reduce the price. She said my sister is insulting Ritu Kumar herself. But then come to think, didn't the owner insult Ritu Kumar by changing her piece? She added a crapload of beadwork to the lengha.... HMMMM.. I would never ever go there again. I drove down to LA to find a lengha for my sister's engagement. I went to every store in Artesia and this was my last stop. I found a gorgeous Ritu Kumar piece, but it was way overpriced. Unfortunately I didn't have time to shop more and this was the only piece that fit and looked nice. The owner was a bit rude to my sister, which sucked. Actually I think it was family owned and all the females were pretty stuck up and rude... If you're just looking for something unique and gorgeous go there, but don't expect to be treated nicely... I don't think I'd like to go here again since I believe in customer service... read more

The Atirma Collections in Fremont ( Northern California Location ) has terrible collection and poor Customer Service. I went there to buy a Choli(lenga) last week and i told the employee that i was looking for a specific color and a style. Instead of showing me something relevant, they kept on suggesting something different that was overpriced bridal lenga with wrong colors. i told them that i was looking for a Peach color for a friend's wedding and they kept on pointing at the direction of pink color Bridal outfits. The customer service was very poor.The young girl that works there was unprofessional and did not speak English. She did not have any knowledge of Indian Couture designs. They claim to have current designer collection but it's not true.I was very disappointed. I just hope that they hire employees with better Communication and Customer Service skills. read more

I have been shopping at Atirma for about a year now and by far they have the best customer service compared to other stores in the area. Being non-Indian, sometimes there's a communication gap but dealing with the staff at Atirma is totally different. First of all, they all speak English and there are several young girls there that actually have fashion sense! They know what they are talking about it their prices are pretty reasonable. One time I had them design me a chudidha outfit and it came out so cute with beautiful crystals and amazing fabric and they designed it exactly how I wanted and stayed in my budget! read more

I WOULD NEVER EVER STEP INTO THIS STORE AGAIN!! Worst customer service!! They try their best to rip you off!! So i go there to buy a saree cuz i saw their ad on tv. I finalize the saree and ask them to make sure all diamonds n embroidery is ok till than i'll go get some cash from the bank.... They told me it should be ready in an hour. So for some personal reasons i couldn't go pick up that day..so i called them n let them know i would come pick it up next weekend.. So the following weekend i call them up around 1pm to make sure they still have that saree cuz i was driving all the way from lake forest.. They said its all ready n we do have it. So i get there at 4pm. I pay the money n open the saree to make sure everything is good. Guess wat i see??? Diamonds r off!! Embroidery is coming off!! Threads hanging out!!! So i talked to them saying this is jst not fair!! I called u guys to make sure its ready n i can pick it up. Their response! " oh u till u dnt pay for it we dnt work on it!" So to my understanding if u wanna buy a saree there make sure u have atleast a week time for them to fix it. No! Actually 2 weeks!! So i told them i want to change it. I dnt want that piece. Did they let me?? No!! Cuz i bought it!! But i had not taken that saree out of the damn store!!! So i could have still changed it!! But of course not!! So of course i had to go following week to go pick it up!! N even that time when i opened the saree they had only fixed the border thinkin i wont open the whole saree.. When i did still diamonds missing. Their excuse " there's always going to be 20/90 difference!" Now i dnt knw wat 20/90 is n hello!!! This is not difference this is defect!! So all i could do is walk out of that store with that defective piece.... I've always bought stuff from frontier n this time i thought to try atirma.. But they disappoint me.. A better n heavier saree with stitched blouse with petticoat at frontier heritage for $650 n i had paid $700 for a defective peice of saree with no stitched blouse( additional $75 for blouse stitching) n no petticoat!! WTF!!! Do u guys call this bussiness?? I would never let my friends and family step in that store!!! read more

Very aggressive kinda rude staff, pricy stuff, lacking in quality. Some stuff is seriously not brand new, hight have bought second hand in India. wish I could give less than 1 star...option not available!! DON'T WASTE YOUR MONEY HERE, GO ELSEWHERE.......... read more

Very rude people.i bought a sari from them, defective blouse piece, took it back to show them. Owner's daughter was there and some guy. He was beyond rude. I said you have lost a customer and his response was I DON'T CARE.. I have been telling about this to people and they are shocked including me. I have always liked the owner but I guess she will loose her business because of her daughter. I am so sorry to be this blunt but I will advice people to be aware about the service. No wonder place is always empty. Who will go to be insulted.. Oh Well, one less store to go.. read more

Awww...I'm sad to see Atirma with such horrible ratings. Shopping in Little India can be tiresome, even more so if you aren't used to the abrasive Indian pressure salesmanship. But Atirma was a breath of fresh air for me. I had my wedding lehnga custom made and Dolly and Leela were fantastic to work with. Dolly LISTENED to everything I wanted and made it happen. And she made it for the same price she quoted! I LOVE my outfit. The only reason I didn't give them 5 stars is because the top to my outfit is about 2 inches shorter than I wanted and they didn't own it...but it isn't so off that I can't wear it, so I'm cool. read more

My sister just bought her wedding lehenga from Atirma. My mom, sister and I just bought our saris there. I haven't had my blouses stitched yet, and haven't inspected the quality of stitching on my sister's lehenga, so I'll have to add an update later if my opinion changes after my fitting. I'm giving them 5 stars to counterbalance some of the negative experiences posted here. I'll speak to some of the comments raised previously: - Aggressiveness of sales people: not our experience, but I can see how the communication style of one sales person is a little anxious and makes people feel pressured to move along with the sale. However, the owner (Dolly) is very pleasant. I found both Dolly and her associate to be knowledgeable about their products, and forthcoming about what they can and can't do. - Overpriced: they definitely are expensive. All sales are final. So be sure about what you buy. But they are overpriced with respect to what? Buying it in India? Not when you factor in the cost of a plane ticket. Other stores? Frankly, other stores in the area just don't have the same selection. I've never been to a store where I've liked so many of the pieces I've seen. - Stains: It is a good idea to inspect the piece before buying it. I didn't read these reviews until after I bought my sari. I then took a look and noticed a few minor stains. It was a little disappointing to see them, and I chalk it up to my being a novice at buying this stuff. Ultimately, with a sari, it's not going to be very visible. But, yeah, I'm gonna have to eat that one. Why I am positive about them: - Of all the sari shops I visited in Artesia, this is the only store which had stuff I actually liked. They have BEAUTIFUL stuff. And not just beautiful, but artistic and interesting. After debating a lot of less expensive items at some other places that I couldn't get excited about, we walked into Atirma and found 4 saris that we all really liked within 2 minutes. I haven't seen its equal in the Artesia area. I like and trust the fashion sense of this store. - Normally, my preference is to buy saris, etc. in India itself. It's a little depressing to buy this stuff in the US where the selection is so much smaller and customer service for this kind of shopping is so much less. That wasn't an option this year, I had no plans to go before the wedding. I could let someone I knew in India buy it for me and risk not liking the outfit. Or I could buy it here and pay WAY more than I would in India. Ultimately, we chose to pay more but be happy with the product. And happy we are - they are all beautiful saris and my sister's lehenga (custom-ordered, btw, delivered on time and at the quoted price) is absolutely stunning). - Shopping here is a personal financial decision, I think. They also have beautiful kurtis for over $100. I would love to own one of them, but I can't justify that amount for a kurti. But for my sister's wedding, I didn't want to make compromises, so we spent the cash. However, I could see how their prices are just out of reach for some. read more

I just recently got married and couldn't find a great outfit anywhere on Pioneer Blvd. My last stop was at Atirma Collections and when I walked in, I have to say I got the warmest welcome! The employees were so extremely helpful and so sincere. I felt like almost every shop on Pioneer Blvd had the worst customer service but Atirma Collections was by far the most professional. Both I and my fiance needed outfits for our wedding and reception and they designed our clothing to match to the T. Our colors looked so well together and the embroidery they used was so beautiful that we still have people talking about our wedding to this day! I would recommend all my friends to go to Atirma Collections because they not only have awesome clothing, but you can tell that they've been in the business for a while and know what they're doing. I wish I could get married all over again so I can have more outfits designed by them! Thanks for everything Atirma :-) read more

I personally had an awesome experience with the staff at Atirma! They did all my clothes for my wedding events, including my bridesmaids and my fiance's clothing. I got nothing but complements on all of my events. People really noticed the quality difference then the other "run of the mill" stores. My jewelry looked amazing too because they made sure the jewelry matched all of my outfits. This is the first time that a store has produced what a customer wanted! I will not only recommend my sisters to go here but all my friends also because compared to the other Indian stores, I got treated with respect and felt they really cared about this important day in my life. Thank you Dolly! read more

Great Ambiance, Awesome Service, and Beautiful Clothing! I would recommend going here for everything! They are so helpful and really take good care of you! read more

I was pleased with the selection of outfits Atirma offered.....but that's when I had to deal with their customer service. After finding an outfit that I liked, the owner (Lila) was very enthusiastic in explaining all the different ordering options I could pursue (i.e. custom ordering). When my friend noticed, however, that the work on my outfit was asymmetrical in at least a couple of places (something that absolutely should not happen), and also missing some stones to boot, that's when the owner became very defensive. She went on and on about how that was probably how the designer planned it. When we showed her the exact same outfit in another size that didn't have that problem, she explained that she "didn't want to argue with us" and that she could have a new one made. This went on for 30 minutes...with her reiterating these points like a record or something. At the end of it, I didn't have confidence in their ability to deliver a custom product that would guarantee the quality I expected so I left. It's a shame too....all she had to say was "I'm sorry, it does appear that outfit is not quite correct, but I will make sure that your order is made exactly the way you want". Some people never learn the art of customer service though. As an aside, I did have a great experience at Frontier down the street, even if it was a bit more expensive. read more

The staff is helpful but the owner is very rude. Their outfits are exorbitantly priced.. so much that buying outfits directly from designers is cheaper than what these guys charge. They are pretty unethical in their business practices as well. I went to their store to get a lehenga altered (wasnt bought from their store). The staff (I think she was owner's daughter/in law) mentioned over the phone that they do alter lehengas and they will do it at some blah blah price. I went in and spoke to the same lady who attended me over the phone and got my measurements taken by their tailor. Suddenly the owner comes and sees me and says "im sorry but we dont do outside lehenga alterations". To this, even the daughter (or daughter-in-law or whoever she was) was taken aback and tried telling her.. "we do this all the time, why not".. So I gathered the reason why the owner would not do this for me is because a month back I went to her store and looked at some of their bridal collection only to find that their sucky pieces were no less than 3000 bucks. I never went back and so the owner got pissed with me and denied services. What kinda business woman is this ??!?! Absolutely no ethics in her profession whatsoever. Sucky collection, Sucky prices and what to say about the owner.. she is the cherry on this shitty cake ! Stay away else be prepared to get ripped off and insulted. PS: the 4 $$ symbol for the price range for this store does not indicate an "high end" store. It just indicates how much these guys overcharge you. Given their business ethics/rude behavior, they are not even close to being a "high-end" store. read more