CORD Studio’s seasonless staples uplift India’s craftsmanship and evokes nostalgia
Simplicity, function, and effortlessness - nothing beats the succinct combination of this trio in any outfit. Something extravagant and yet suitable for the simplest of affairs; something rooted in tradition and yet in sync with our modern-day lifestyles. At Cord, each outfit designed secures the free will to be interpreted by the personality of its wearer - as staples, as occasion wear, or even as statement makers. Here, India’s richly skilled craftsmanship and the charm of nostalgia take centre stage to helm contemporary clothing for both men and women.
Founded by Pranav Guglani and Neha Singh in 2015, Cord is a culmination of their shared design aesthetics and an affinity for functional wear. In several outfits, sometimes the most basic and conventional shapes are reimagined and elevated impressively. They cleverly utilize the dressmaker's punctuations, such as the darts and yoke panels to reinterpret their functional aspects into design aesthetics. Focusing on crafts and surface techniques such as hand embroidery, patchwork, smocking, quilting, and block printing amongst others, a Cord outfit embraces India’s affluence in its craftsmanship. Sedated with a nostalgic mood board, Cord’s collections will often find themselves enveloped in retro shades such as hues of olive greens, indigo, ivory, rust, and many more. To assert its presence, the theme of nostalgia negotiates through each outfit in the form of scenic landscape prints that remind us of home; or through warm colors and breezy shapes that portray an idle summer afternoon.
The women’s section unfolds to dresses and jumpsuits that dabble both as timeless modern outfits for when you don't want to think about what to wear and as elegant layering for winter. The tops and bottoms harbour fun prints and delicate yet impactful details that make you effortlessly transition from work to play and brunch to dinner whereas the overlays and co-ord sets are relaxed and can immediately conjure a chic and polished look for an important event of the day. Men’s collection, on the other hand, caters to the style-conscious with quirky printed and asymmetrical shirts alongside tailored shapes that give a modern, timeless, yet classic look. A plethora of summer and skater shirts borrowed from the 60’s classics make for everyday staples; formal trousers elicit smart-dressing, and structured winter jackets display a poetic combination of light-hearted and experimental, as well as becalming prints to suit different moods of the season. To conclude a Cord ensemble, a range of accessories come forth - made in the finest premium leather from functional bags such as laptop bags and sleeves, wallets, belts, key chains, card holders, and many more.
