Known for his contemporary yet retrosexual take on men’s fashion, Mumbai-based couturier Arjun Khanna just launched his latest edit, AW ’22, that’s inspired by ‘the mafia’ as shown in several Hollywood movies. Popular with a number of celebrities including Sidharth Malhotra and Javed Jaffrey, the collection follows a SS ’22 collection that was all about pastels, whites and hues that would work at a soirée. We catch up with the designer to find out more about the latest collection from his eponymous label that’s known for its sherwanis, bundis, kurtas, jackets, trousers, denims and accessories.
Where did your inspiration for this edit come from?
The inspiration for the collection comes from old Hollywood movies, that era of really fine dressing. Men only wore a smoking jacket or a tuxedo and the way they wore it has always excited me. So, that’s the backbone of this entire collection. Those tuxedos inspired my sherwanis and bandhgalas with the styling of a tuxedo or a smoking jacket — subtle collars, subtle cuffs et al.
What is the colour palette we can look forward to?
So, the tuxedo edit, particularly, is just a study in black on black on black. The other silhouettes have strong colours including bottle green, burgundy and cobalt blue. These are the three colour palettes.
What are the fabrics you have chosen for this collection?
High-end luxurious fabrics with lots of texture, lots of satin on cotton, satin on wool, satin on terry wool, satin on velvets and crêpe.
What are the silhouettes you’ve chosen?
The silhouettes are very sharp. I played with the single-breasted jacket and the double-breasted jacket. It’s a lot of fine drapery along with fine tailoring.
Finally, have you already started working on your next edit?
I have actually and I am quite excited about the new line. I don’t want to get into the details, but it’s something in indigo, is all I’ll say.
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romal@newindianexpress.com
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