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

- Shalini Shah

IS A HOODIE JUST A HOODIE? How closely does one worn by a college-going Tokyo hypebeast amused at tourists posing at Shibuya Crossing resemble that of a thirty-something in Delhi heading to Perch for artichoke ravioli? Streetwear is a looming term that, according to Hypebeast’s Streetwear Impact Report, roughly translates to ‘fashionable casual clothes’—the whole gamut of bombers, parkas, hoodies, sneakers, tees, sweatshirts and elastic-waisted things that are cool and comfortable.

The concept that had its roots in 1980s and ’90s surf culture and hip-hop has, for long, been a canvas for self-expression for which mainstream ‘fashion’ had no place. Over the years it’s come to occupy centre stage, up to a point where it has congealed into a sort of homogenous mass, with more common denominators than differentiators. In the Indian subcontinent, though, a slew of home-grown labels are adding granularity and excitement to a monochrome, even-textured landscape.

While early pioneers included the likes of Dhruv Kapoor and Huemn, we now have newer labels bringing something valuable to the table. Whether it is incorporating regional crafts into silhouettes that rely on a more universal place-agnostic aesthetic, breaking the traditional supply-chain models to manufacture less and manufacture responsibly, or using recycled and salvaged material, streetwear has smartened up.