CATEGORIES
فئات
Of Home and Heart
Nur Kaoukji, the creative director of Jaipur-based lifestyle brand Ecru, traces the shared echoes of Indian and Arabic design histories in all her works as RAJASHREE BALARAM looks on.
Confessions Of A Serial Collaborator
For Priya Ahluwalia, two minds, two ideas and two businesses will always be better than one. The designer, who delights in teamwork, talks to AKANKSHA KAMATH about the art of joining forces for the love of fashion
One of a kind
With the countryside and culture of her native Nagaland informing her dreamy fashion eye, model and shop owner Carol Humtsoe has a plentiful, Instagram based curation of slow-sourced, second-hand gems for all. Get ready to DM for enquiries
KEEP IT TOGETHER
What makes the mind of Kim Jones, collaborator-in-chief at Fendi, tick? The artistic director of womenswear and couture at the brand speaks to AKANKSHA KAMATH about multitasking for the modern age
A Stitch in Time
In a criss-crossing of embroidery, art, and clothing, the Dior Haute Couture spring/summer 2022 show celebrated a sleight of hand unique only to couture.
Anita Dongre's Bridalwear Empire - Bride That Places Value First
Anita Dongre’s bridalwear empire has been built on the premise of purpose. She’s found the sweet spot between consciousness and couture, pulling in a bride that places value first, discovers Akanksha Kamath
Lakshmi Menon Slips Into The Meditative Shape Of The Sari
Body And Soul, Fabric And Form, Movement And Memory. Against A Goan Seascape, The Eternal Drape Is Stripped Back To Its Simplest Form, Capturing The Lyrical Quality Of Its Timeless Silhouette. Supermodel Lakshmi Menon Slips Into The Meditative Shape Of The Sari For Her Return To Vogue India
PATTERNS OF CHANGE
In the hands of artist Prabhleen Kaur, the time-honoured tradition of mehendi is viewed through a modern lens that amalgamates the old and new
CURLS GONE WILD
In a country where silky, straight locks have always been championed as a woman’s crowning glory, girls with curls are often forced to spend hours in salon chairs, subjugating their tresses into compliance. Sneha Mehta, a curly-haired disruptor, looks back on how she reclaimed a narrative from which she’s always felt excluded
SEX EDUCATION
Dr Tanaya Narendra is using Instagram to facilitate open conversations about intimacy while also equipping her followers with the language of pleasure
CONTOURS DE FORCE
As a wave of designers embrace a spectrum of shapes and sizes, Maya Singer speaks to three models about the powerful, if complicated, relationship between fashion and physique
HISTORY LESSON
In 1948, Roman jeweller Bulgari created its first snake-inspired ‘Serpenti’ watch. Since then, the brand’s spirit animal has been reborn and reinvented, standing the test of time via its many avatars. Rishna Shah digs into the archives to learn the secrets of its success
THE BODY IS A WONDERLAND
Her gold-dusted breastplates, hung on walls or cast across the body as clothing, have raised pertinent questions around the role of the female body and the narratives that consume it. Misha Japanwala talks to Akanksha Kamath about identity, agency and loving your body
Pierre Rainero, On The Ever-evolving Cartier Clash Collection
Jewellery that responds to the current climate with bite and spike unravels delicious journey to the dark side. Akanksha Kamath speaks with Pierre Rainero, Cartier’s head of heritage and style, on the ever-evolving Cartier Clash collection
There's something about Sobhita
She may be a newbie when it comes to facing the camera, but offit, Sobhita Dhulipala is clearly an old soul. Despite having one of the most successful OTT debuts in recent years, the star hasn’t let the fame go to her head, relying on her strong roots and authentic personality to anchor her, finds Sadaf Shaikh
THE NEXT LEVEL
Squid Game made model-actor Hoyeon Jung an instant phenomenon. Monica Kim steps inside the whirlwind with the heart-on-her-sleeve megastar
“LIFE” VIRGIL
The Off-White founder and Louis Vuitton artistic director Virgil Abloh had an influence that ranged far beyond the world of fashion, writes Luke Leitch
NUMBER ONE DEBUT
As Chanel premieres its latest beauty line, Jessica Diner discovers its roots in the maison’s favourite flower
LIFTING THE VEIL
How does the diaspora experience inform the way we look at, and participate in, matrimony? In her latest book, Love Marriage, British-Bangladeshi author Monica Ali traverses the tricky terrain of South Asian coupledom as it fields the onslaught of generational and cultural trauma.
RAINBOW NATION
From finding momentum through mask-making during the pandemic to showcasing at New York Fashion Week, the pigment-soaked label abacaxi offers an optimistic antidote to dark times. Divya Bala meets Sheena Sood, the designer behind the happiest label in home-grown fashion
MODERN LOVE
Faizah Shafi and Kehinde Akindojuromi rewrote the rules of tradition, marrying their Indian and Nigerian cultures to create a wedding that was original and entirely their own. Arushi Sinha charts their love story
EYES ON YOU
Australian-born Indian makeup artist Rowi Singh channels her heritage and roots into glittering, colour-drenched makeup looks that have the internet buzzing, discovers Sonakshi Sharma
BRAND-NEW BEAT
Passionate, aware, engaged— our brightest young stars bring their creative energy to mod-inflected fashion for a 21st-century youthquake
CENTS AND SENSIBILITY
Simran Kaur and Sonya Gupthan are the women behind a chart-topping podcast that endeavours to spread financial literacy among women and make investing more approachable for its young, largely female audience.
BOMBERS AND BANDHINI
Through responsible design, local craft, colour and an unrestrained worldview, a slew of home-grown labels are energising the streetwear market in the subcontinent, says Shalini Shah
How Resale Market Have Become ‘Trendy' Again
The best pre-loved fashion is no longer discovered only in IRL. Today’s savviest fans are finding everything from vintage Alaïa to Zara in all corners of the digital shopping space, writes Ellie Pithers
Supriya Lele's Delicate View Of A New India
British-Indian designer Supriya Lele inhabits the space between her familial roots in Jabalpur and her life growing up in the UK’s West Midlands. And in her clothes, she fashions this push and pull that lives within her. As a result, what is born is not a dissonance but a delicate view of a new India, finds Akanksha Kamath
Freshest Hair Trend Of The New Year
Meet the freshest hair trend of the new year.
A New Generation Of Indian Models Is Shaping Our Definition Of Beauty
A new generation of Indian models is shaping our definition of beauty. Casting its gaze on a more authentic identity in fashion is talent agency Feat. Artists, writes Akanksha Kamath
OF COLOUR AND COMPANY
For artist and jeweller Arpana Rayamajhi, mood-enhancing hues are a testament to her Nepali-in-New York aesthetic, finds Hasina Khatib