The pandemic has been a bane for many, but a boon for a few labels like Alluvial, a brand born in Hooghly district’s Chandannagar. With a focus to create a sustainable brand, they reused and upcycled leftover cloth most fashionably and created journals that played an important role during the COVID-19 lockdowns in the lives of many people going through mental health issues. And now, they are winning
hearts for their gender-fluid clothing.
Ankita Munshi, who runs the show, says, “I did a course in textile designing from Hyderabad. I had a corporate job there but had to return when COVID-19 struck”. Her first collection, Dudhe Alta — a red and white collection — was created by upcycling scrap fabrics that were lying in her house (her family is in the textile business). The specialty of her clothes is gender fluidity. “I believe that clothes have no gender. I make smart formals, co-ord sets with summer jackets and unisex shirts; and the response has been superb. People don’t recognise me by my name anymore, they know me by my brand’s name which makes me super proud,” Ankita says.
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While participating in pop-ups and flea markets in Kolkata has been almost a weekly affair, Alluvial has also participated in pop-ups in Hyderabad, Bengaluru and Delhi.
Speaking about her ideology behind making gender-fluid clothing, Ankita says, “If we go back to history, we would find gender fluidity in clothing. For example, if you consider a sari to be a long, unstitched piece of cloth, dhotis and chaddars are also long, unstitched pieces of cloth. We have also learnt how men sported more jewellery than women. The concept of designing garments as per one’s gender came much later. But today again we can see these lines getting blurred. Fashion for me is a mode of expressing ourselves.”
Rs 300 onwards. Available online.