The confluence of hand painting and embroidery in JM Couture's latest edit is inspired by Mughal gardens  

“Menswear needs to be in the same pedestal as womenswear,” remarks couturier Jatin Malik. The 34-year-old Delhi based designer quit his job in the retail industry to follow his passion and launched his eponymous menswear label in 2015.  Jatin believes that, “Bridal and grooms wear should be given the same importance. That’s one of the purposes I joined the industry. Also, I believe I was wired to be in this field and not any other.”

With no formal education in fashion, Malik created a niche for his brand and is known for hand-painted detailing melding aesthetically with pattern embroidery work. He loves reinventing old styles and offers interesting twists to traditional wear like sherwani and even tuxedo. His Shrug Set a free-flowing long sherwani with trousers has been a best seller. The new collection Fractal that will be launched in August, is an extension of the previous collection. “The free-flowing brush strokes in Fractal depict the Mughal gardens in this collection and you will find ditsy flowers and leaves adorning the silhouettes. And over the paintings we do pattern embroidery with zari and ari work, keeping it subtle,” offers Malik who has showcased his collection at Milan Fashion Week in 2019 and is looking forward to participating in shows in India. In terms of colour palette expect Sherwanis in soft pastel shades like lemon pink and ice grey and suits in shades like Duckett blue and copper brown. You can choose from different categories of cuts that includes the classic A-line and a more contemporary pleated Achkan in Bangdgala.  

Malik, who plans to branch out to Kolkata and Mumbai, and in London very soon is not perturbed by the theories of the slowdown in the fashion industry, post lockdown. His point of view is different, he emphasises. “People are not going to stop celebrating important occasions of their life. And most importantly, a groom will never compromise on what he wears, just like a bride. We are already bombarded with enquiries about our next collection and we are working towards it,” says Malik who plans to launch a virtual 3D store that will reduce the number of visits.

 Price: Rs 40,000 upwards