Homegrown Labels That Pay Homage To South Asian Pop Culture & Art

Image Courtesy: (L) Aishr Store (R) Doh Tak Keh

Published on:

27 Jul 2022, 7:43 am

3 min read

Combining contemporary with traditional, these South Asian labels are transforming the fashion vocabulary by drawing inspiration from everyday graphic design elements of the Indian lifestyle and South Asian pop culture.

I. Aishr Store

Aishr Store combines art and lifestyle by printing their original illustrations, from their studio vertical, on organic fabrics. Their design prints are cemented in the Indian identity and draw inspiration from the subcontinent’s environment, culture and local art. Their collection ‘En Madras’ taps into South Indian culture’s essence and their collection, ‘Horn Ok Please Aishr X Ramruki’ is an exclusive collection inspired by Indian truck art.

Printed with chemical-free biodegradable dyes, their clothing range strives toward zero waste.

Image Courtesy: Aishr Studio

Check out the label here.

II. Doh Tak Keh

Doh Tak Keh incorporates attributes of androgyny into its high-quality streetwear. The label’s low pollution gender fluid clothing is stitched in collaboration with their close-knit team of workers and local artisans.

The print artwork draws inspiration from otherwise easy-to-miss elements from the everyday Indian lifestyle, drawing from quirky elements that are generally pushed to the background like the distinct objects found around a Gujrati household, railway journey tickets from Kolkata, and other popular local graphic designs.

Image Courtesy: Doh Tak Keh

Check out the label here.

III. Drugstore Cowboy

Exclusively producing shirts, Drugstore Cowboy’s clothing and prints are tailored in limited pieces; none are restocked or remade again. Their designs draw from Indian design elements and pop culture references.

Their ‘Social Smoker Shirt’ displays an iconic moment from Indian pop culture – Zeenat Aman and Dev Anand smoking from a chillum in the song Dum Maro Dum from the 1971 Bollywood film Hare Rama Hare Krishna.

Image Courtesy: Drugstore Cowboy

Check out the label here.

V. Gundi Studios

The luxury label draws its name from the word, ‘gundi’’ — a word often used to describe assertive and outspoken women to shame them. Gundi translates to female thug in Hindi and the label aims to celebrate these outspoken South Asian women with its collections.

Gundi Studios takes ethnic textiles and adds a twist to them with contemporary designs inspired by pop culture. Employing women in management roles traditionally held by men, such as pattern makers, the streetwear brand produces in small batches with the help of a women-centred supply chain.