The Traditional Storyteller

Mixing ethnic and contemporary to suit the quintessential Indian man’s personal style, fashion designer Punit Balana has brought his Rajasthani essence to his first menswear collection, and wants fashion to be a comfortable and conscious choice for all

- Samreen Tungekar

When I was researching fashion designer Punit Balana for this interview, his outfits clearly reminded me of one thing — Indian culture. Hailing from Jaipur, Rajasthan, Balana is a firm believer in giving back to the heritage he was born into, and his clothes are a reflection of his ever interesting views on the power of Indian craftsmanship. His womenswear is widely popular with actresses; from Kareena Kapoor Khan’s chic dressing sense to Aditi Rao Hydari’s royal ethos, they have been adorned by the crème de la crème of Bollywood. He’s a fan of embroidery, block printing, and has helped celebrate traditional Rajasthani crafts on a bigger scale, be it his collection at fashion weeks, or the outfits of the celebs that wear him. Finally taking his contemporary sense of design and functionality into a space he’s new to, Balana has recently launched his first menswear collection, and believes that menswear and the versatility of it is ever evolving. He expresses his thoughts on the same.

You've been quite the popular designer for womenswear. What made you decide to venture into menswear?

Ever since I launched my label in 2015, I have been focusing on designing for women. My designs are contemporary and easy to wear — comfort is an important brand attribute. For many years, I was receiving requests from my friend circle to design for men, and eventually I decided it was high time that I create pieces for men too. The time I had in hand last year gave me the opportunity to research and design interesting concepts. This led to ‘Mandana’, and given the subtle colours and sustainable fabrics, I thought of creating a mix of classic and contemporary kurta sets for men. Men usually like to keep their Indian wear light and comfortable, hence I thought this was an apt collection to introduce ethnic menswear.