Humility has always been a fundamental underpinning of Bhaane’s philosophy. It has always placed an emphasis on the individuals wearing the clothes rather than merely the clothes themselves. The radical concept of ‘casual transgressions’ is also something that is plain to see across all of their collections; where each piece is an attempt to help individuals find their unique sense of identity and individuality.
As Creative Director Nimish Shah has said in the past, it’s about owning your own sense of dissonance and using it to carve out a vibrant inimitable aesthetic. Nimish himself has been instrumental in shaping Bhaane’s identity at the forefront of Homegrown fashion. Before joining Bhaane he’d already made a name for himself as a rising star at his own label – Shift and distinguished himself with his eye for contemporary Indian aesthetics and his masterful use of artisanal textiles.
We sat down for a chat with the mercurial creative director and went over his vision for Bhaane’s new collection, the importance of individual expression through fashion, and much more.
The latest collection packs a punch of youthful nostalgia and tongue-in-cheek humour that is bound to resonate with the youth. Could you elaborate on what inspired you to go this route?
There’s a huge understanding of Indianness and patriotic value that’s very deeply Ingrained in Bhaane. India has a wide spectrum to offer – from kitsch to minimalist yogic art, and it depends on what inspires the brand maker and be able to draw from this and sell to an interest group. When it comes to humour, for us, it also boils down to practicality. We aren’t making costumes. A garment has to become a wardrobe filler and not just a comical statement, design evolves and we tone it done but it does begin with a high concentration of fun and creativity.
Old school has been an ongoing fascination for me, but I never attempt to get it historically correct. This season, when we looked to Apsara and Nataraj, besides the iconic logo playing protagonist, I also wanted to translate that nostalgia into silhouette. So, we did a bunch of polo shirts that I assumed a salesman would have worn while distributing pencils or taking sales orders back in the day. I didn’t have an actual visual or archival reference for this but we created our iteration in hyper-premium materials while adding modernity to the garment finish.
It’s clear that this collection revels in a sense of community and shared essence. Could you elaborate on that?
It is a reflection of the people we observe, and who we understand and resonate with. Not all friends dress like each other, we’re catering to the exquisitely quirky person and simultaneously making clothes for a passive person who prefers not to shop for himself/herself. It is about varied sensibilities, discovery and what you connect with within our offering. I’ve always believed that Bhaane is a brand for freelancers’ uniforms, it is for people who wear from the top of a laundry pile as well as people who mix things up. It is about individuals and their stories. Our collection titled ‘Normal People’ further highlights this essence of community.
With a pastel palette and pops of preppy hues, the collection is vibrant yet remarkably unostentatious! Could you shed light on the ideation and design language you’ve made use of?
Colour plays a vital role in our design narrative. It’s a combination of tones and hues that are well-thought-out and custom-made. So, you won’t ever see a default brown that one would imagine, it is calibrated to be the right tone of mud, similarly, the green is calibrated to the tone of ripe mango, and gingerbread comes very close to turmeric. You’ll see washed-out tones contrasting with very specific high-lighter hues. There is a western influence but at the same time a very Indian context.
HG: In terms of evoking individual expression and setting a fashion font for this season, does the collection aim at something in particular?
Bhaane for me has always been a great opportunity to mirror culture. It’s not contained, it’s ever-flowing and it’s about new trends. And I speak of trends not in the scope of what’s relevant in fashion but a trend in a thought process. Your thinking trend influences your consumption pattern. Fashion is so relative, so personal, and it really charges you. And every collection we make is always going to be reflective of this behaviour.
View the collection here.
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