The lines between how men and women dress are blurring, says Nikhil Mehra of brother designer duo Shantanu & Nikhil. t2 caught up with him ahead of the launch of their spring/summer ’18 collection, Tribe —The India Story, at their flagship store at 4 Woodburn Court on February 27.
What were the inspirations behind Tribe — The India Story, your spring/summer collection?
Tribe is really a story of Indians today, who are migrating from cities small to big, big to small, carrying their individualities on their shoulders and being who they are, without an apology. There is a large mix of young millennials on the move and each one of them has their own tribe, so to say. We are really focusing on these young groups of Indians. There is a bit of androgyny as well in this philosophy where we see the difference between men and women has reduced. And that’s why the colours remain sartorial in the greys, ochres, navies, black and white. Nostalgia of India continues to rule the ramp for us.
The Indian youth carrying a piece of their ‘tribe’ wherever they go… that’s refreshing, right?
So, we were the generation that came back. I must say that at that point, we came back with a bit of America in us, but that only made us more India proud, because we were able to use the values of American education and put it inside the mindsets of the Indians. But today, I think Indians are going to Europe and America with a strong Indian individuality and staying very much Indian. When they come back, they are no different, except more proud.
Today the millennials are much more sure about themselves… they are more aware of their existence. They are also very opinionated. I think that is powerful.
Tribe is gender neutral, which is trending heavily.
We brought this kind of philosophy of gender equality into couture… I think it was much-needed because the couture divide was larger and now the bridge is being crossed beautifully and men and women are getting a chance to indulge in couture through gender equality.
Indians are accepting of a trend, which is a global trend… it shows that India is ready. I think it’s a special moment in couture. It’s not about embroidery any more; it’s about a personal feeling… empowerment, feeling special that very moment without being typically overburdened by embroidery and colours.
How would you define gender neutral?
It’s got to be the individuality of the design brand. We come from a sartorial space. We have always used structure as a very strong aspect of menswear. What we have done is, we have taken that structure and given women the same structure and fit that a man enjoys.
A few years ago, we had introduced the drape for men because we felt that our man was also very much indulgent in his life and in his partner’s life as exactly how women are. When we introduced the drape for a man in couture, we realised that we have opened up the emotional space of this man and then we brought structure to women’s wear. I must say it started from our menswear… we made our men more feminine and therefore our women became more masculine. It was a natural transition. In Rajasthan, the women wear a man’s shirt with a salwar… we are a country which embarked on gender neutral clothing centuries ago.
What is the fine difference between androgyny and gender neutral?
I think they have similar connotations when it comes to design. They are really a process of styling and layering. When we are looking at the sartorial jacket, that could be gender neutral, and androgyny comes in when you put in a bit of volume to the jacket at the bottom.
Are the patterns different?
The base block — the collar, the padding, the waist shape, the length — of the pattern is similar, but the anatomy doesn’t allow us to keep it the same. There is also very little difference in the fabric.
BAGGY TALES...
Valentine’s Day saw the launch of Fenasia by Minnie Juneja, a line of bags by Alipore resident Minnie, at 85 Lansdowne. Big, small, medium… Minnie’s inaugural collection comes in all shapes, and in both leather — the brand’s USP — and fabric. The label also makes detachable straps and is into customisation.
Pictures: Rashbehari Das
