There are no perfect summations at the end of a year. No neat little packages, or delicately tied ribbons to wrap up all its happenings and push it underneath some hyper-decorated tree. There’s nostalgia and regret and ugly revelations for most, and really, we’d all be better off looking forward rather than behind. At least that’s the (slightly stoic) mood we were in when we were conceptualising a theme of sorts for this shoot we were about to embark on. The stoicism quickly gave way to a sense of rebellion though and everyone involved took a common pledge for the new year—-no resolutions and no expectations. Just a firm resolve to stay far away from comfort zones.Despite the flirty, feminine trends of 2014, we decided to side-step with a nod to more androgynous, sporty styles, using
Nike Sportswear’s Winter collection as fuel for our fire. Instead of the usual suspects, we got one of our more fluid models-of-choice
Chandni Sareen to rope in her boyfriend of 6 years,
Dharam Saraviya, to let go of some of his inhibitions alongside her. Having developed a behind-the-scenes comfort handling production at NH7 Weekender and other large, branded properties for OML, camera-shy would probably be the choicest adjective to describe him for the context of this shoot. And rather than reside in the ‘clichédom’ of warehouses, studios, street-style locations that are perfectly graceful in their own right, we were in the mood to explore. So we ventured further east first: into the oil rigs at Sewri (hey, it is flamingo season) in the hopes of incorporating some of its satisfyingly symmetrical punk into the frame. Then we moved the party to Mumbai’s spanking new monorail in the spirit of trying new things. The result was refreshing, at least to us.
We wanted to experience riots, rebellions, risks and anonymity. The opposite of everything we’ve ever gotten used to in the past. 2015, come at us.
Apparel + Footwear used in the shoot:
On Dharam (
Nike Tech Aeroloft Jacket &
Nike Sneaker Boots - Air Max 90 )
On Chandni (
Nike Tech Butterfly Hoodie &
Nike Dunk Sky Hi Shoes )
