Designer duo Dev and Nil take cues from their travels for their Festive/Resortwear collection

Inspired by Turkish design elements, the collection makes use of the mosaic designs from pottery and carpets
DevRNil
DevRNil

Designers Debarghya Bairagi and Navonil Das of Dev R Nil are known to keep most of their new releases low-key and off the ramp. The duo has, instead, come to prefer the Instagram buzz that their designs receive thanks to the Bollywood celebrity clientele that include the likes of Rajkumar Rao, Neha Dhupia and Sonakshi Sinha. While this may seem like an intentional move towards a completely digital market space for the Kolkata-based brand, Nil, one half of the founding duo, tells us — as they are set to showcase their pre-summer/festive edit in Collage — that they still prefer bricks over clicks.

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A continued narrative from their previous collections that were rife with floral motifs and geometric patterns, soft shades of ecru, grey, and greens in contrast to hints of blue, red, mint and yellow dominate Dev R Nil’s latest collection. “As a brand, we have deliberately taken a step back and refocused our designs to showcase our signature aesthetics — our distinctive prints and embroidery,” offers Nil. Inspired by Turkish design elements, the collection makes use of the mosaic designs from pottery and carpets — sometimes isolating individual details like the stripes, leaves or the repeating kaleidoscopic motifs — to create a uniform pattern story on the ensembles. 

Dial things up
An easy-to-wear, diffusion line designed keeping comfort, wearability and the weather in mind, the collection consists of dresses, bustiers, tops and jumpsuits in structured and draped variations for women, and kurtas, sherwanis and bandhgala sets for men. “Our ensembles are decidedly ethnic. Though we play with colours, prints, patterns or cuts, there will always be a distinct Indianness to it,” he says talking about the line that employs fabrics like crepe, double georgette, cotton satin, lycra and silk. 

Take two

Working towards the next collection that will launch later in April, the upcoming season marks the label’s 15 years in the industry. Sharing his thoughts on their journey so far, Nil is mixed in his feelings about the direction fashion has taken over the years. While he is enthusiastic about the new opportunities that the menswear market has to offer, the designer cannot hide his scepticism when it comes to sustainability. “Sustainability is the new trend, with scores of new designers setting up brands as soon as they graduate. However, an overwhelming number of these brands close down after a couple of seasons. Pacing yourself as a brand and thinking of sustainability on a holistic level — in terms of labour, fabrics, the number of styles you create — is the need of the hour.”

Rs 15,000 onwards. At Collage.
 

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