All about ‘Yu’

Anif Ashraf and his team at ‘Yu Collective’ are bringing gender-neutral collections that fit every wardrobe
Members of Yu Collective
Members of Yu Collective

Anif Ashraf never shies away from experimenting with fashion. From raiding his sister’s wardrobe for her baggy jeans to borrowing her long chains and pearl necklaces, the 26-year-old has always been keen on changing the course of fashion

However, styling himself over the top to look fashionable was never in his books. He resonated more with minimal aesthetics instead. And now, Anif is slowly breaking the conventional idea of glitz and glamour through his clothing brand Yu Collective.

The young designer says the idea of starting a clothing brand never crossed his mind, as he was always busy in his career as a banker. “Fashion and dressing up in style was my area of interest, it is something that I follow religiously in my everyday life. I often used to put up my fashion game online,” he says.

And that is where everything changed. One day, a user commented under his post asking whether he himself designed the pants he was wearing. “This turned out to be the beginning of a dream that I never dreamt,” says the Kochi native. At Yu, the collections are gender-neutral. The sleek shirts, minimal checks, dropped shoulder cuts along with long wide sleeves, all portray Yu’s vision of fashion in simple terms. There’s no need to dress “over the top” to look fashionable, believes Anif and his team.

“Blings, chunky shows, colourful pants, jackets, aren’t the only way to look fashionable. The brand shows how to dress minimally, and change the game altogether,” adds Anif. Each collection is based on a concept. For ‘Dream Darling’, the colour palette is white, and the entire line resonates with nothing but peace. ‘Daisy’ comes in brown, whereas ‘Colour of Summer’ is all white and black. Sage green and nude are the other add-ons.

“Yu is who I am. It is my aesthetics that are portrayed in each design. Even amid a sea of clothes, Yu is identifiable,” says Anif. Though each outfit looks oversized, it’s freeing and comfortable. Anif claims that Yu is a perfect balance between oversized and regular fit.

The idea of looking chic is challenging, especially when one is dressed up in loose-fitting attire. This is where ‘Yu’ becomes more than just a clothing brand. “We are a styling brand as well. With each outfit, we also provide a sneak peek into how to wear them in an interesting combination. Also, any pants bought from Yu can go well with any of our shirts as well. That’s how they have been designed is done,” says Anif.

While starting something that is solely in line with minimalism, Anif was sceptical of whether the Kerala market will accept Yu’s core idea. “Kerala’s fashion has changed a lot. People have started to get an idea of what Yu is all about. People buy our designs and style them similarly to how we present the collection,” says Anif.

Related Stories

No stories found.
Indulgexpress
www.indulgexpress.com