“I have always loved designing t-shirts. For me it has always been the perfect blend that brings applied art, storytelling and fashion together. It’s been my calling ever since I was a kid. So I chose dare and went after it.”
There is very little that lends comfort like a perfectly designed t-shirt - you know this is only too well. It’s that feeling you get right when you look at it; elegant design, comfortable fit, good quality, and not worn by every fifth man you come across. T-shirts are the backbone of any wardrobe, for essence and style has no parallel, and Son of a Noble understands this only too well. This homegrown menswear label makes contemporary, graphic, and sophisticated garments for men who have just the teensiest snob living under their skin, as the brand likes to think. We got talking with SNOB’s founder Mani Shanker Singh about his brand, it’s ethos and where he sees it going in the near future.
Mani has been plugged into the fashion industry for the last 14 years, and has since developed a keen sense of understanding people’s needs as well as their consumption patterns. While a large number of urban shoppers associate high quality to high-end international brands, there are a few who know better, the same people whom SNOB appeals to. “There are the millennials who genuinely believe in dressing smart. The good thing trending here is the growing need to look good. The need to look fit! The desire to buy unique and the choice to earn a good life. Men are now looking to indulge in more finer things of life and experiment more in building experiences across fashion, travel and lifestyle. Our label is for the discerning few who know the meaning of indulging in the finer things of life” Mani tells us.
SNOB’s house colour palette is a monochromatic rainbow, featuring myriad shades of white, black and grey. “The combination if used in the right proportion can look powerful and equally intimidating. We wanted to own it and create a ripple of differentiation surrounding it” Mani explains. Their t-shirts are all made out of 100% compact cotton, with high quality yarn, and their pocketsquares are handhemmed in pure silk with high quality digital print. Taking all this one step further, SNOB have also recently introduced a line of shirts and shackets which are made of 100% cotton.
Each of their designs is a story in itself, storytelling is at the core of their process. Which came first - the story, or the design? It doesn’t matter - at SNOB there are no rules! “The idea here is to break all the rules and to come up with a new way of working. This could also mean a lot of unlearning and undoing a lot of practices. The trick here is really understand what works for you as a designer and work around that. My design process is extremely free with no rules!” Mani tells us.
While SNOB is essentially a menswear label, what we especially love is that they have gender fluidity weaved right across their designs, casting a far larger net into this fashion paradox. Their designs seem to draw inspiration from an eclectic range of sources - geometry, Wimbledon, post cards - even Tetris! It speaks entirely of their chic design aesthetic, and is nothing short of a visual manifestation of graphic intrigue. Their clothes are the perfect amalgamation of simplicity and sophistication, with a splash of quirk - making luxury fashion affordable, comfortable and homegrown.
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