Beyond Streetwear: Dhruv Khurana’s Vision for Almost Gods

It’s episode 7 of Backstage with Blur the Border and in this episode, we have with us Monica Shah, one half of the dynamic duo who lead Jade, a brand that has gained recognition for blending India’s artisanal legacy with contemporary and modern-day ensembles. Most recently, Jade has launched the Grassroots Artisan Project, with a focus of showcasing indigenous craftsmanship techniques through ready-to-wear collections. Monica works closely with artisans who have gained expertise in a certain craft style and through their ingenuity, turns it into a motif through the Grassroots Project. For the brand, their mission is to preserve crafts and challenge the way in which we’ve worn them in India, while making it relevant to a global audience as well. In this episode, Monica speaks to host Aishwarya about the idea behind this project, Jade, and how they approach brand-building with this very important mission in focus.

What We Discuss:

00:57 Monica Dives Into The Grassroots Artisan Project
03:15 Reinventing Traditional Crafts
04:52 Cultural Sustainability and Modernization
05:22 The Future of Indian Couture
17:20 The Spirit of the Jade Woman
19:50 Challenges in Growing a Brand
21:28 Balancing Tradition and Modernity
23:57 The Role of Digital Storytelling
28:21 The Inception of Jade
30:28 How Monica’s Background in Interior Design Informs the Brand
31:42 On Collaborating with Museums
32:59 Go-to Homegrown Brands
33:35 Elevating Indian Design Globally
34:49 Looking Ahead
36:15 Know the Founder

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Creating came very naturally for Sreesha Shetty, the founder of Lune, a handcrafted female-run jewelry label that has become a favorite among stylists and celebrities. What we love about Sreesha’s journey is that she focused on creating a brand that isn’t trend-driven but is rather a result of her artistic vision. The brand believes in creating statement and everyday jewelry that is classic and enduring. Now with two stores in Mumbai and Goa, and a thriving online presence, Lune, which started out for Sreesha as a passion project has evolved into one of India’s leading jewelry labels for handcrafted concept jewelry. For budding entrepreneurs, who want to create a brand that is an extension of their creativity, this is a must!

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro
01:32 Sreesha’s Journey from Journalism to Jewellery
02:59 The Birth of ShopLune
03:40 Crafting Collections with Local Artisans
06:59 Building a Community and Organic Growth
08:49 The Growth of Celebrity Endorsements and PR
11:48 Lune’s Foray into Retail
14:33 Unique Jewelry Collections
16:32 Impact of Environment on Creativity
18:51 Finding Inspiration in Birmingham: The Founding Days of Lune
20:39 Spotlighting Homegrown Labels
22:00 Evolution of Jewelry Trends in India
24:15 Creating Timeless Pieces with Lune
26:22 On the Launch of Lune Fine
27:41 On Her Mother Joining the Team
30:24 Jewelry as Heirlooms: Personal Stories
32:35 Quick Q&A: Know the Founder
37:44 Future Plans and Final Thoughts

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In this episode of Backstage with Blur the Border, host Aishwarya Avalani sits down with Raul Rai, the co-founder of the lifestyle brand Nicobar. Raul shares insights into his entrepreneurial journey, beginning with his private equity and investment banking background to co-founding Nicobar with Simran Lal. The discussion delves into the brand’s philosophy of mindful consumption, creating timeless designs, and maintaining a balance between aspiration and accessibility. Raul also touches on the importance of learning from customers, the role of luck in success, and the personal growth that comes from stepping outside one’s comfort zone. The conversation is engaging, philosophical, and filled with valuable advice for aspiring entrepreneurs.

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro
00:51 From Ideation to Execution: The Birth of Nicobar
05:10 Stepping Out of Your Comfort Zone and Embracing the Beginner’s Mindset
07:42 The Role of Design and Team in Nicobar
08:26 How to Make Your Brand Stand Out
10:12 Raul’s Switch from Private Equity to Entrepreneurship
13:33 A Day in the Life of an Entrepreneur
16:30 The Role of Serendipity in Brand Success
24:45 On Working with your Partner
30:59 Hiring for Passion: The Nicobar Approach
32:09 Key Insights from Launching an Omnichannel Brand
32:46 The Importance of Storytelling in Branding
36:08 The Customer Perception of a Brand // On Becoming the Go-to Brand for Gifting
39:29 On Staying True to Your Brand DNA
42:11 Balancing Brand Identity with Customer Needs
46:46 Future Vision for Nicobar
51:30 Know the Founder

For feedback and suggestions, reach out to us at podcast@blurtheborder.com

As always, thank you for tuning in!

BTB Speaks to

Richa Maheshwari

Boito’s Richa Maheshwari speaks to Blur The Border on how a sabbatical trip to Odisha’s remotest villages amidst its textile legacy led her back to her roots.

Written by: Manica Pathak

It is no small task, transitioning into a radically different profession- and yet after a 17-year-long career as a Software Engineer at SAP, it is a dynamic journey that Richa Maheshwari seems to have embraced with great passion.“I was working with teams outside of India but I wasn’t able to touch and feel what I was doing. I wanted to experiment,” laments Maheshwari, who founded Boito. A label that celebrates Odisha’s textile legacy, Boito was born out of the founder’s attempt to find a way back to her roots. “I was brought up all over the country”, she emphasises and continues, “But sometimes you know what happens – because my father comes from Odisha and my mother from Uttar Pradesh, there’s no one set language or one set of food or festivals that you celebrate- maybe the absence of culture sometimes drives you back into looking for it.”

However, for Maheshwari, founding Boito wasn’t one that stemmed out of a whim, but rather a thought-provoking journey. “Rural culture in India has always been very intriguing to me because it’s not something I had access to. I wanted to explore the food, dressing, and various religious practices that existed in my country and starting with my home state of Odisha felt the simplest,” says Richa as she prepares to trek through the snow-capped terrains of Kashmir after this interview.

With intermittent wavers under the strong mountain winds, she continues to recollect her sabbatical in 2022 – spent exploring Odisha with her friend Anshu Arora, who now designs for Boito. “One thing that struck me was everyone’s ability to weave their own cloth.” she continues. But what really framed the cornerstones of Boito was a familiar warmth and a first-hand experience of textile-making with the tribal communities.“There are centuries-old tales and folklore within each of Odisha’s tribal communities, beautifully preserved in their textiles. And even though they have endured for generations, there is a purity to each of these. The kind of weaving that you see on the western border of Odisha will not be visible on the eastern coast, or vice versa. The communities are very proud of what they have, and it’s their internal drive that keeps these craft forms alive.”

But to preserve craftsmanship is one thing and to prolong its relevance through the coming decades is another. “You see, I, myself don’t wear sarees today and with more and more people leaving the outfit behind we can’t sustain the crafts and textiles solely through stoles and sarees, right?,” asserts Maheshwari and continues, “So, it is important to reformat this art form and someone needs to bring in beautiful storytelling and simplify the textiles and crafts for the world to absorb. That is exactly what Boito is trying to do. We want to allow these to prosper so that the next generation takes pride in what we have.”

For this reason, Botio’s collections -each hosting over a dozen indigenous crafts from Odisha including the Bomkai, Khandua, and Kotpad amongst others—can be found in formats of outer layers and jackets, “which become slightly more size agnostic and can be passed down to generations too.” However, these outfits retain the traditional motifs and weaves from Odisha. And while innovation is currently being encouraged amongst artisans today, Maheshwari explains, “There’s little need for us to intervene in nurturing their creativity. And honestly, I believe that art cannot be commissioned. For instance, Odisha’s Ikat weaving uniquely depicts human figures, unlike the geometric motifs found in other states. Our artisans can translate complex figures from graphs into tie-and-dye patterns on sarees or stoles, achieving so much despite the limitations that come with tie-dye as an art form.”

But for a country so mulled with creativity and coveted for its textile legacy across borders, Richa points, “Art and crafts are undervalued in India and are often seen as items that you can just pick up from a stationery store. I think it’s because of the lack of appreciation for handwork and the way we have presented it. An engineer using their brain is compensated a lot more than somebody who is very skilled and adept at using their hands and creative skills.” she asserts. “But it also could be a situational thing because we are still a developing nation and there are tons of other struggles that we need to leave behind before we can start appreciating art and life, so there is a sort of rewiring that we need to see.”

So, eventually for Boito–whose customer base is quite evolved; bracketing prominent, well-accomplished designers, custodians of art and history or perhaps somebody who has been running a vintage furniture store for 35 years –shining light on the workmanship that goes behind each craft becomes a key aspect. “Because it’s all a visibility game,” she explains. With the younger generation migrating to metropolitan cities in search of better financial opportunities, this effort comes as a relief in safeguarding the legacy of Odia crafts. And the key lies in understanding the next generation. “With them, it’s all about getting noticed on social media. The more we talk about crafts and popularise them and see people appreciate their work not just within the village but also on wider global platforms, the more it gives them a lot of validation,” an aspect that Boito is successfully honing. “Every time we make a garment, we photograph it in the specific cluster where it was made, collaborating with local villagers as models. This boosts their motivation and shows the next generation the value of their work. Visual storytelling has a huge impact, it attracts more engagement and this is more visible to the next generation.”

To build on this momentum, however, a fundamental shift is needed to move away from the norm that has often prioritized power looms over handlooms. “It’s like the difference between packaged food versus the ones that your grandmother makes for you at home.”, emphasises Richa metaphorically, and continues, “The moment the textile industry rejects the machines and instead nurtures creativity and human potential, they are rejecting consumerist behaviour.” Eventually, “Patience automatically gets introduced into the consumers’ minds and this shift has to be created slowly. When something is thoughtfully made, it makes us appreciate the product even more,” points Richa, and continues to explain the key reasons why Boito, despite the future, tugging closely between faster demands and meticulous traditional weaving, takes a different course, “You won’t find us using words like ‘efficient’ because we are not here to spoil the unhurried lives of the weaver communities,”critiques Richa at one of the many popular terminologies that currently masked as sustainability jargon but disrupt the authentic artisanal processes that convey the textile’s beauty as it is. “We are not in the business of change, we are in fact the antithesis of that. We are in the business of prospering what exists as living traditions,” she concludes with an afterthought for many more labels to come – that while it is important to adapt to modern relevance, it shouldn’t come at the expense of uprooting tradition.

BTB Speaks to

Akhil Nagpal

For AKHL’s Akhil Nagpal,the true potential of Indian craftsmanship can be tapped through their innovation

Written by: Manica Pathak

In recent years, several homegrown labels have spawned a new wave of interest in India’s artisanal inheritance – dominating the country’s fashion scene with designs that favour modern cuts and contemporary styles in lieu of traditional silhouettes. When Blur The Border speaks to Akhil Nagpal, founder and creative director of AKHL, he and his team are amidst unpacking their recent collection. “We are trying to understand what the customer really expects out of the label and evaluating how to introduce new elements to our textiles,” says Nagpal whose label has emerged amongst the crop of designers innovating craftsmanship from a different lens. At AKHL, while structure, form and tactility form the cornerstones of the designs’ dramatic cuts and shapes, things are different. “We don’t start with a sketch and then find a textile that works for it – it’s quite the opposite for us. The qualities of the textile, including its malleability and how we can manipulate or drape it, determine the direction of our silhouettes – That’s our USP,” Nagpal explains.

Akhil Nagpal at his first studio, New Delhi, 2020

The Wave Form Cutout Column Dress from AKHL’s collection Prima Donna FW24

With the prestigious Gen Next recognition and a series of innovative collections to its credit, AKHL’s trajectory as an emerging avant-garde is one that reflects on India’s fashion identity from its current standing. “I was trying to make sense of how Indian fashion can fit into a global dialogue. Why is fashion in New York, London, Paris or Tokyo considered global fashion but Indian fashion is just addressed as ‘Indian fashion’? What are the kinds of limitations and boundaries we have placed on ourselves? Can we do more to have Indian fashion be part of the global dialogue?” Akhil goes on to explain that the local and global appreciation for Indian crafts and textiles- despite the intricate weaving and surface techniques involved in their make – remains confined to the surface.“It’s a very orientalist view to box India as a colourful country and relate its artisanal oeuvre to certain motifs only.” he says.

“Why is fashion in New York, London, Paris or Tokyo considered global fashion but Indian fashion is just addressed as ‘Indian fashion’? What are the kinds of limitations and boundaries we have placed on ourselves? Can we do more to have Indian fashion be part of the global dialogue?”

But Nagpal does not imply that traditional aesthetics lack relevance or importance today. “A large market in India appreciates traditional aesthetics and is willing to pay a premium for it. Some designers have even successfully leveraged this part of the market. But while I respect tradition, my approach isn’t a traditional one. My focus is more future-oriented, looking at what’s next,” says Nagpal, identifying existing gaps as opportunities for his label in the Indian fashion industry while gripping both ends firmly.

This adds to the thought, that while the evocative pieces at AKHL bring to life traditional embroideries such as Aari and Zardozi, they are more radical, steering away from what we are accustomed to seeing. “For me, it’s not their surface-level engagement but the techniques and generational know-how that make these textiles and crafts Indian. These techniques have become more complex over generations and you can create them in ten different ways. Our kaarigars have internalised this knowledge and passed it down through generations. If you ask them to alter or adapt a technique, they are incredibly open to it ,” explains Nagpal, delving into the narrative that has found a strong voice in the foundations of AKHL’s collections, including Prima Donna FW24 and Gamma SS24. For such embroidery techniques- originating under the patronage of Mughal emperors in India- the label marries centuries-old artisanal handwork with upcycled monofilament and glass yarns, sourced from fishing villages in Mumbai.

Pieces from AKHL’s FW24, Prima Donna

With AKHL’s pieces that have now garnered editorial features, donned well-known celebrities, and now also boast a presence in the Middle East and at luxury retailers such as Harvey Nichols, every start to a story has a purpose. Akhil’s unique take on the country’s fashion and the vigour to reimagine it can be traced to the India he was born in. “My parents witnessed the rise of a liberal, globalised India with access to Western clothing, which I was exposed to. I did not grow up with my mother’s traditional saris- she wore denim skirts and cool Western outfits. So, I am constantly thinking about Indian fashion in an urban context, reflecting its intermingling with global influences.”

That Nagpal’s designs – so thoroughly inspired by an urbanised India- would also host centuries-old techniques is a sensibility that is honed from his professional experience. Working with Indian designers such as Manish Arora and Amit Aggarwal has encouraged a unique outlook on Indian craftsmanship and their innovation—a journey that followed his education at the Central Saint Martins, London, and a brief stint at Peter Pilotto. Here, he observes a contrast between how contemporisation is received in two different worlds. “In India, we are overexposed to our traditional techniques – which sometimes makes it challenging to appreciate or accept new interpretations,” he delves into the country’ where craftsmanship and their sources for innovation thrive in abundance.

The Radiating Sequin Dress

Gold Double Slit Dress

The Arched Nile Dress

“But, in contrast, the worth and value of such craftsmanship are often much higher in the West. Here, handwork is expensive because it needs outsourcing from Indian export houses, as a result of which designers often resort to generic designs and techniques. So, when Western buyers see something novel done with handwork, it stands out significantly. They are willing to pay a premium for the craftsmanship because it breaks away from the cookie-cutter approaches the West is accustomed to,” hints Nagpal, at the continued need for effort from both ends of the spectrum and the importance of supporting new designers who bring fresh perspectives to traditional craftsmanship. “But I feel like the change is happening because many young and established names have opened the door to unconventional textiles. There’s Gaurav Gupta, Amit Aggarwal, and Rimzim Dadu – who are a generation before mine and have led the way in breaking into that market and now I feel like we have to carry their legacy forward,” he concludes.

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Nitya Arora founded Valliyan at just 21—one of the country’s pioneering concept jewelry brands. Over the past decade, she has been a key figure in the homegrown brand revolution. While Valliyan remains central to her work, Nitya’s talents span curation, styling, and creative direction across the fashion and beauty industries. In this episode, we explore her journey, industry insights, and the significant milestones of 2024, including a stunning Lakme Fashion Week presentation and a new store in Kala Ghoda, Mumbai.

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro
01:40 The New Valliyan Speakeasy
03:18 Valliyan Show at Lakme Fashion Week
05:39 Relevance of Fashion Shows Today
09:21 Starting a Brand at 21 and Finding Early Success
14:00 Managing Valliyan While Studying at Parsons
16:10 The Growth of Fashion Jewellery as a Segment in India
17:00 How Nitya’s Punjabi Heritage has Inspired the Brand
20:46 On Valliyan’s Sustainable Collection that was ahead of its Time
24:49 Valliyan’s Take on India’s Homegrown Label Industry
33:12 The Importance of Building A Personal Brand for a Founder
37:21 Know the Founder

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Each brand founder wants to create a successful brand yet the formula to success is actually not formulaic at all. Case in point: Huemn. As a brand that has built a loyal community since its inception, Pranav Misra, the co-founder explains that the brand has never been transactional. It has always been about embracing individuality and allowing stories and people to take center stage. Along with this, a poetic perspective on life can go a long way. This episode is different but just as insightful and serves as a masterclass on balancing creativity and business.

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro
01:30 Royal Enfield x Huemn Collaboration
03:02 On Building a Community and Loyal Following
04:47 How Huemn Approaches Collaborations + Collaboration with Pepsi
07:35 We’re in the Golden Era for Homegrown Labels
10:25 Pranav’s Go-to Homegrown Labels
11:35 How It All Began: The Journey of Discovering Your Brand
14:07 Embracing Versatility for your Brand
17:31 “Art is Always Bigger than the Artist; the Artist is Bigger than the Stage”
19:23 Building the Right Team
21:22 Huemn’s Global Positioning and the Origins of Streetwear
26:06 Why Pranav Decided to Start His Own Label
29:53 Building a Poetic Point of View and Way of Being
31:15 On Fashion School and Early Dreams
35:07 Know the Founder

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What led Shivam Punjya, an academic and researcher to start a premium brand retailing leather handbags? From the outside, it may seem puzzling but it isn’t when you learn that social impact pervades every step of production at design at Behno. Born and raised in California, Shivam launched Behno in the US. Now a favorite among homegrown labels in India, Behno recently signed Katrina Kaif as the brand ambassador for its Indian launch. In this episode, we explore Behno’s growth story and how Shivam has created a brand at the intersection of luxury and social impact.

What We Discuss:

00:00 Intro
01:43 Behno’s Launch in India
02:26 Katrina Kaif x Behno
05:25 Creating a Brand for Social Impact
10:29 How Brands Can Adopt Conscious Production
14:42 Challenging Design and Aesthetic Stereotypes
17:09 The Hidden Meaning in Behno’s Handbag Design
19:51 The Pivot from Ready-to-Wear to Handbags
21:01 Why the Brand was Named ‘Behno’
22:59 Shivam’s Take on India’s Homegrown Industry
25:59 On Collaboration & Go-To Homegrown Labels
30:27 How Brands Can Increase International Representation
31:29 The Day-to-Day of Running a Brand
34:01 “I Never Thought I’d be the Founder of a Fashion Brand”
36:54 Know the Founder

For feedback and suggestions, reach out to us at podcast@blurtheborder.com

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