Rooted in the notion of simplicity, Aseem Kapoor’s eponymous label hopes to offer clothes that transcend seasons and are timeless both in their devotion to technique, aesthetic and commitment to craft. Aseem, who used to head the design team at Tarun Tahiliani for over 15 years, launched this label with his wife Pooja Haldar in October 2020. The couple — both graduates from National Institute of Fashion Technology, Mumbai — love to work with natural fibres and fabrics and reimagine natural textures and tribal motifs for a modern lifestyle. Hugely popular with several celebs including Vidya Balan and Bipasha Basu, the label is now showcasing in Chennai and we caught up with Aseem to find out more.
“We’re bringing two collections, Taphree and Art-Class, to Chennai this time around. Taphree was designed as a monsoon edit at the peak of COVID-19 while I was sitting at home and translates into ‘aimless wandering.’ The collection is inspired by Mughal miniature art forms and features extremely relaxed co-ord sets that are perfect to lounge in. Art-Class, on the other hand, is inspired by the memories of my childhood, when I used to go to art classes — it’s a collage of those memories that feature a crazy mix of different colours and textures. It’s my own interpretation of my mood and is an evening wear collection,” begins the designer who is also known for his focus on asymmetrical design.
Taphree, that is a collection focused on cotton-linen and cotton-silk, features the padshahnama colours more famously associated with Mughal miniature paintings — dull tangerines, beiges and browns; while Art-Class which was the label’s Autumn-Winter ’21 edit features ivory-black combinations and vermillion in georgettes, crepes, and mul.
“We design all our clothes for the Indian woman body type — narrower shoulders, broader hips — and ensure that we have engineered waistbands for bottoms and all our silhouettes are very narrowing. Most of our tops are free-sized and the bottoms are always customised. We’re also known for our drape saris, kaftans, kurtas and jumpsuits,” explains Aseem adding that they’ve also decided that their Spring-Summer ’22 edit, that’s out next, will be a continuation of Art-Class as they want to further explore the theme.
INR 12,000 onwards. At Collage.
romal@newindianexpress.com
@elromal