When aspiring fashion designer Chirag Makkar was thinking over a concept for his first collection, he didn’t have to look far for it. He found it in the mythological epic of the Mahabharata, more specifically in Arjun of the Pandavas.
“I have always been interested in mythology, whether it’s Indian epics or Greek literature. In school, I remember we had to read the Bhagvad Gita as a subject, so I grew up reading a lot of such literature and that influence came out in this collection,” explains Chirag Makkar on his collection called Aarambh under the menswear label of Kudrat Couture.
Done in shades of pastels, the layered kurtas feature delicate embroidery where the mythological elements come out in motifs of elephants, soldiers atop war horses and even take some influences from the Pandavas’ time living in exile through use of muted browns.
The collection is an effort of four to six months spent in conceptualizing by the designer. Officially, he started working on his label four years ago, but he spent the better part of three years learning everything there is to learn about fashion under his guidance of his sisters.
Talking about how men are not shying away from experimenting with traditional wear now, he says, “There was an era and time when there was no experimentation in menswear. Now everybody is trying to get out of their comfort zone. They want to look well-groomed and present a polished appearance,” adds Chirag who doesn’t believe in following trends.
“Trends come and go. One has to understand the innate style of a person too. I personally don’t follow trends too much. I want to do designs that are really fresh and out there,” says Chirag.
A sucker for hills, he says his inspiration comes from what he sees around him. “When people told me inspiration can be found anywhere, I thought it doesn’t work that way. But, I realised that is true and you just have to open your mind to it,” signs off Chirag. He is now working on a collection inspired by the tribals.
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