Express News Service
One usually associates conventional strategies equivalent to kantha and zardozi with couture, however Chennai-based menswear designer Arnav Malhotra is all set to show it improper. For, in his label, No Grey Area (NGA), he offers contemporary streetwear an opulent spin by means of ethnic weaves and embroidery, giving it that extra edge and elevating it from everyday to extra special.
“I have grown up around fashion,” he says (his dad and mom run the enduring multi-designer vogue retailer, Evoluzione, in Chennai, Delhi and Bengaluru). “It always bothered me that as a country with such rich heritage and workmanship, we only see our crafts come alive in Indianwear or elaborate couture. There was nothing in everyday wear that spoke of our fine art. That’s how the primary pillar of No Grey Area was born, in the underlying knit—east meets west. We create everyday alternatives to couture to celebrate our traditional and unique craftsmanship in modern silhouettes that carry a global, contemporary appeal,” says Malhotra, 25.
Sharp, energetic designs and inclusive cuts are the hallmark of this youthful model that targets patrons within the 18-45 age group. A pandemic child born in September 2020, the model has already develop into a dialog starter due to its individualistic ethos.
Its first assortment ‘Phantasm’ targeted on dhoti pants, bandhgalas and silk bandi bomber jackets. “Indian menswear is under-represented. Internationally, people would immediately know what a sari is, but not know of a bandhgala or a bandi. With NGA, we are looking to add utility to clothing and modernising silhouettes in a way that makes Indian clothing accessible,” he says.
Sustainability is the model’s aware catchword too, so woven materials in cotton poplin and recycled nylon make their manner into Indo-western silhouettes in T-shirts, sweatshirts, polo necks, bombers, trench coats, gilets, shackets (a hybrid between a Nehru jacket and a shirt jacket), gown shirts, shorts and dhoti pants. His resort shirts, in actual fact, are crafted from bemberg cloth (a sustainable textile created from cotton seed linters).
Continuing with the Indian ethos is his newest assortment, ‘AgniApaas’, primarily based on pancha maha bhutas (the 5 parts) in a palette of cloud blue, teal, terracotta and ash. “The five elements of nature, each with its pure singular characteristic, accounts for the composition of humans, and all things in nature that surround us. It is only when the pancha maha bhutas are balanced does one find their true centre and nature finds its collective calm,” he says, including, “As we dig deeper, the imbalance of these bhutas disrupts the sanctum of our bodies and minds, and also appears in devastation of nature through forest fires, melting ice caps, a depleting ozone layer, rising sea levels, among other impacts. We have focused on two of the bhutas in this collection—water and fire—and tried to develop our narrative around them to highlight the impact of climate change in our own way.”
His favourites? The trench, shacket and dhoti joggers. “These have been created utilizing conventional blocks (sherwani, Nehru jacket and dhoti), however have been modernised utilizing contemporary materials and purposeful pockets and closures. The corduroy Nehru shacket with the acid cloud motif hand-embroidered on the again is a flexible, enjoyable and very luxurious piece. It stays trueto our model ethos
of east meets west,” he says.
Basically, all of it comes down to high quality and building, Malhotra says. “The younger audience invests in comfortable, utilitarian clothing in sync with personal tastes and believes less is more. NGA aims to be a lot more cognisant with design sensibilities, delivering concise versions to build up the power of the brand,” he provides.
Up subsequent is a global launch. “Since our garments carry international enchantment, we shall be showcasing
totally different craft clusters from throughout the nation for a worldwide viewers. The subsequent couple of collections will concentrate on the crafts of Kashmir,” he indicators off.
One usually associates conventional strategies equivalent to kantha and zardozi with couture, however Chennai-based menswear designer Arnav Malhotra is all set to show it improper. For, in his label, No Grey Area (NGA), he offers contemporary streetwear an opulent spin by means of ethnic weaves and embroidery, giving it that extra edge and elevating it from everyday to extra special.
“I have grown up around fashion,” he says (his dad and mom run the enduring multi-designer vogue retailer, Evoluzione, in Chennai, Delhi and Bengaluru). “It always bothered me that as a country with such rich heritage and workmanship, we only see our crafts come alive in Indianwear or elaborate couture. There was nothing in everyday wear that spoke of our fine art. That’s how the primary pillar of No Grey Area was born, in the underlying knit—east meets west. We create everyday alternatives to couture to celebrate our traditional and unique craftsmanship in modern silhouettes that carry a global, contemporary appeal,” says Malhotra, 25.
Sharp, energetic designs and inclusive cuts are the hallmark of this youthful model that targets patrons within the 18-45 age group. A pandemic child born in September 2020, the model has already develop into a dialog starter due to its individualistic ethos.
Its first assortment ‘Phantasm’ targeted on dhoti pants, bandhgalas and silk bandi bomber jackets. “Indian menswear is under-represented. Internationally, people would immediately know what a sari is, but not know of a bandhgala or a bandi. With NGA, we are looking to add utility to clothing and modernising silhouettes in a way that makes Indian clothing accessible,” he says.
Sustainability is the model’s aware catchword too, so woven materials in cotton poplin and recycled nylon make their manner into Indo-western silhouettes in T-shirts, sweatshirts, polo necks, bombers, trench coats, gilets, shackets (a hybrid between a Nehru jacket and a shirt jacket), gown shirts, shorts and dhoti pants. His resort shirts, in actual fact, are crafted from bemberg cloth (a sustainable textile created from cotton seed linters).
Continuing with the Indian ethos is his newest assortment, ‘AgniApaas’, primarily based on pancha maha bhutas (the 5 parts) in a palette of cloud blue, teal, terracotta and ash. “The five elements of nature, each with its pure singular characteristic, accounts for the composition of humans, and all things in nature that surround us. It is only when the pancha maha bhutas are balanced does one find their true centre and nature finds its collective calm,” he says, including, “As we dig deeper, the imbalance of these bhutas disrupts the sanctum of our bodies and minds, and also appears in devastation of nature through forest fires, melting ice caps, a depleting ozone layer, rising sea levels, among other impacts. We have focused on two of the bhutas in this collection—water and fire—and tried to develop our narrative around them to highlight the impact of climate change in our own way.”
His favourites? The trench, shacket and dhoti joggers. “These have been created utilizing conventional blocks (sherwani, Nehru jacket and dhoti), however have been modernised utilizing contemporary materials and purposeful pockets and closures. The corduroy Nehru shacket with the acid cloud motif hand-embroidered on the again is a flexible, enjoyable and very luxurious piece. It stays trueto our model ethos
of east meets west,” he says.
Basically, all of it comes down to high quality and building, Malhotra says. “The younger audience invests in comfortable, utilitarian clothing in sync with personal tastes and believes less is more. NGA aims to be a lot more cognisant with design sensibilities, delivering concise versions to build up the power of the brand,” he provides.
Up subsequent is a global launch. “Since our garments carry international enchantment, we shall be showcasing
totally different craft clusters from throughout the nation for a worldwide viewers. The subsequent couple of collections will concentrate on the crafts of Kashmir,” he indicators off.
