You have probably picked up two printed kurtas from different brands, same fabric label, same price range, and one just looks better. In person, in photos, after washing. The difference is almost always the print.
Not which design was chosen, but how it was designed. Whether the scale was built for the garment or just applied to it. Whether the dye was made for cotton or just used on it.
Rain & Rainbow is a Jaipur brand. Every print in our ethnic wear for women collection comes from the block printing tradition this city has been building for centuries. Florals, ethnic motifs, paisleys, Bandhani-inspired patterns, and abstract prints. All of them were chosen for a reason.
Here is a guide to every print family we use, what each one looks like, and what it works best for.
All the Prints We Use for Our Ethnic Wear at Rain & Rainbow
Every print in our collection belongs to one of these families. Each one is rooted in Jaipur’s printing tradition and designed specifically for cotton fabric.
1 – Floral Prints
Florals are our largest print family. Over 300 pieces in the collection carry a floral print, and they are the most-bought prints across the range, whether on kurtis, kurta sets, tops, or dresses.
Our florals come from the Sanganeri block printing tradition, which means small, precise motifs printed on white or light-toned cotton. Lotus flowers, roses, vines, small geometric flowers. The palette is bright and fresh: pinks, blues, greens, yellows. The kind of print that looks the same in real light as it does in the product photo, sometimes better.
The floral is not one thing. A small, fine floral on a white base reads office-appropriate and everyday. A larger, bolder floral on a deeper base reads festive and occasion-ready. That range is why florals cross over between the most plans of any print in the collection.
- What they work for: office days, everyday wear, casual outings, family lunches, light festive mornings, brunch plans.
- Where to find them: floral print A line kurta sets, floral printed tops, floral dresses, floral kurtis. Across almost every category we make.
Browse floral printed tops at Tops and floral A-line kurta sets and floral dresses across
2 – Ethnic Motif Prints
Ethnic motif prints are the most distinctly Indian print family in the collection. Bold, geometric, and culturally rooted. These come from the Bagru block printing tradition and use a deeper, richer palette: indigo blues, rust reds, ochre yellows, warm greens.
The motifs are larger and more structural than florals. Geometric arrangements, stylised cultural patterns, strong repeats that you notice from across a room. The result is a print that reads occasion-ready the moment you put it on, without any embellishment needed to carry the look.
This is the print family that does the most work in Indian ethnic wear for women when the plan is a puja, a family function, a festive morning, or any occasion where the outfit needs to feel deliberately Indian.
- What they work for: festive occasions, family functions, pujas, small celebrations, any plan where the print needs to carry the occasion-readiness.
- Where to find them: ethnic motif kurta sets, ethnic kurtis, ethnic dresses. The widest variety of ethnic motif prints is in the Kurta Sets and Kurtis categories.
Browse ethnic motif styles across Kurta Sets and
3 – Paisley Prints
Paisley has been part of Indian printing for centuries. In Jaipur, it sits at the meeting point of Persian, Mughal, and Rajasthani design, which is the exact heritage that the city’s block printing tradition was built on. Our paisley prints appear both as standalone repeats and woven into broader ethnic motif compositions.
On cotton, a paisley print carries a richness and a layered quality that most other motifs do not. It is a print that reads rooted and considered, which is why it works particularly well for gifting occasions, festive dressing, and any plan where you want the outfit to feel genuinely Indian without being too loud about it.
- What they work for: festive casual, family occasions, gifting, any plan that calls for Indian ethnic wear for women with presence but not heaviness.
- Where to find them: woven through the Kurta Sets and Kurtis range. Often appears alongside ethnic motif prints in the same collection.
4 – Bandhani-Inspired Prints
Bandhani, also called Bandhej, is one of India’s oldest print traditions. It creates pattern by tying small portions of fabric before dyeing so those areas resist the colour, resulting in distinctive dot and geometric patterns with a layered, handmade quality.
Our Bandhani-inspired prints bring this tradition onto cotton in a way that is practical for daily wear. The patterns are recognisably Indian, the palette tends toward festive colours, and the layered quality of the resist-dye technique gives the print a depth that flat printing cannot replicate.
Bandhani prints are having a moment internationally right now. Global designers have been incorporating this tradition into their collections because it carries something that mass-produced printing does not: the quality of cloth that has been through a process rather than just passed under a machine.
- What they work for: festive dressing, casual celebrations, occasions where you want a strongly Indian print without the weight of embellishment.
- Where to find them: across the Kurta Sets and Kurtis range. Best combined with a simple dupatta and minimal accessories.
5 – Abstract and Geometric Prints
Not every print in the collection needs to read as traditionally Indian. Abstract and geometric prints draw from the same Jaipur design vocabulary but interpret it in a quieter, more contemporary direction.
These prints use cleaner lines, more structured repeats, and a palette that tends toward the more muted or neutral. The result is Indian fabric character in a register that works for office wear, brunch plans, travel, and any occasion where you want the outfit to feel current rather than traditionally festive.
Abstract prints are the most versatile in terms of what you can pair them with. They sit naturally with both ethnic and western bottoms, work in professional settings, and travel well because they do not read as occasion-specific.
- What they work for: office wear, casual outings, brunch plans, travel, everyday dressing where you want ethnic character without the festive read.
Browse abstract and geometric styles across Tops and
6 – Printed Fabrics with Thread Work or Embellishment
Some of our most loved pieces combine a printed cotton base with hand-applied embellishment: thread work, gotta patti borders, mirror work, or sequin detail layered over the print. This is where the print family and the occasion dressing category overlap most directly.
The print provides the fabric character. The embellishment lifts it toward celebration dressing. Together they create the kind of piece that reads festive from a distance and interesting up close, without needing a heavily embroidered fabric that weighs you down.
- What they work for: wedding functions, festive occasions, family celebrations, any plan where you need the outfit to read dressed-up.
These styles are spread across the Kurta Sets and Ethnic Dresses collections. The festive and wedding-adjacent pieces in the range draw most heavily from this category.
Shop the Best Ethnic Wear for Women Online at Rain & Rainbow
Every print in the Rain & Rainbow collection is chosen for the garment it goes on and the occasion it is meant for. Not picked from a catalogue. Not applied generically. Designed in Jaipur, rooted in the block printing tradition this city has been practising for over 500 years.
The collection covers all of these print families across kurta sets, kurtis, tops, floral dresses, and Indian ethnic wear for women in every silhouette we make. Most pieces are pure cotton or cotton-led, consistently sized, and available with free shipping across India.
Sizes XS to 3XL. First order gets a flat 5% off with code WELCOME5. Easy exchange and return if the fit needs adjusting.
Browse the full collection at Rain & Rainbow across Kurta Sets, Kurtis, Tops, and Ethnic Dresses and place your online orders now.
Frequently Asked Questions
What prints does Rain & Rainbow use for its ethnic wear?
The collection covers five main print families: florals, ethnic motifs, paisleys, Bandhani-inspired prints, and abstract or geometric prints. All of them are rooted in Jaipur’s block printing tradition and designed for cotton fabric.
Which print is best for festive occasions?
Ethnic motif prints and Bandhani-inspired prints work best for festive occasions. They read occasion-ready without needing embellishment. A bold ethnic motif kurta set or Bandhani print dress with a dupatta is enough for most festive plans.
What is the difference between a floral print and an ethnic motif print?
Floral prints are smaller, lighter, and more versatile. They work for everyday wear and office dressing as well as casual festive plans. Ethnic motif prints are bolder, more geometric, and read as more occasion-specific. Both are part of the Jaipur block printing tradition.
Which print works best for office wear in Indian ethnic wear?
Small or medium-scale floral prints on a light or neutral base work best for office wear. Abstract and geometric prints are the other strong option. Both read polished without looking festive in a professional setting.
Do floral dresses from Rain & Rainbow hold their colour after washing?
Yes. Rain & Rainbow’s floral printed fabrics are Jaipur-printed on cotton with dye formulations built for regular washing. The colours hold well over time because the print tradition was developed specifically for cotton fabric.
