Fashion is an extension of yourself; it’s your second skin: Sanjay Garg

In this exclusive story, we delve into Sanjay Garg's creative process, his journey to reshape India’s fashion landscape, and how Raw Mango continues to push the boundaries of what it means to wear culture with pride
Raw Mango
Raw Mango
Published on
Updated on
5 min read

At the intersection of tradition and innovation, Sanjay Garg, the visionary founder of Raw Mango, is redefining what it means to wear luxury. A master at blending the timeless elegance of India’s rich textile heritage with contemporary design, his creations tell a story of cultural dialogue, individual expression, and profound craftsmanship. With his distinctive eye for colour, texture, and the art of sustainable fashion, he’s crafting garments that transcend trends, elevating the very essence of luxury to something both personal and political. In this exclusive story, we delve into the designer’s creative process, his journey to reshape India’s fashion landscape, and how Raw Mango continues to push the boundaries of what it means to wear culture with pride.

Raw Mango
Raw Mango

Q. What sparked your initial interest in fashion, and how did it evolve into a career?

A. I have always seen fashion as an outsider; I’m still waiting for that interest to happen! I saw what India was doing and what they were catering to, and there was no sync. In fact, I wanted to change the fashion scene completely; to see it through the lens of culture, anthropology, design, textile, skill, and craft.

Raw Mango
Raw Mango

Q. Fashion is often seen as a form of self-expression. How do you use your collections to express your own personality and vision?

A. Just like the pen is a writer’s hathiyar, my work has been a dialogue with myself. I want to provoke the purist. In fact, not just through fashion. I have always tried to explore and evolve through different mediums of expression — be it film, music or photography— each is important in its own way.

Raw Mango’s perspective is shaped by my personal expression, the commentary is very much a dialogue and reflective of the current times. I remember my teacher at NIFT saying that tota green (parrot green) is such a gavaru (unsophisticated) colour. I am from Rajasthan, I never saw any colour as unsophisticated. So I stick with lime green. It was this perception I want to change.

Raw Mango
Raw Mango

Q. How do you view the relationship between fashion and culture, especially when it comes to traditional Indian garments?

A. Culture is made up of bigger things. It is formed by social identity, the ideas, customs, and behaviors of a society. Many factors determine what culture is, including what people wear—such as tattoos among tribal groups, piercings, or the wearing of a bindi—along with certain rituals and the clothes and possessions associated with them, and even politics. All of these elements play a significant role in shaping fashion.

Raw Mango
Raw Mango

Your work beautifully blends contemporary styles with rich traditional textiles. How do you find the balance between staying true to your roots and embracing modern fashion trends?

Tradition is not passé. It’s ongoing; it’s also about the future. We are not just bearers of it—taking it from past generations and passing it on unchanged. For traditional craft to survive, it requires constant design intervention. It needs to retain the values of the past, while remaining relevant in the present and holding value for the future. As a design house, we keep our craft and the communities that create it very close to us, building value for everyone involved—from the weavers to the women who wear Raw Mango.

Raw Mango
Raw Mango

What role do you think fashion plays in shaping identity, particularly for the modern Indian woman?

In fact, it’s the other way around. Fashion is an extension of yourself. It’s your second skin. Your home is also a reflection of that, your personality. What you wear reflects how you look at the world and how you want the world to look at you.

How do you feel about the current fashion landscape in India? Do you see it evolving in a way that’s more inclusive of traditional craftsmanship?

There is much work still to be done, though we are witnessing a shift toward more conscious consumption in a very small-scale section of society. Conscious living, conscious buying, conscious eating—it’s all interrelated.

Indian craftsmanship depends on three things. Being Indian and comfortable in Indian skin. Changing the perception of “handmade in India.” And appreciating our luxury versus what is made outside… what is the future that lies in luxury, design, quality, and innovation.

Raw Mango
Raw Mango

How do you define luxury in fashion, and does that definition change depending on the context of the garment or the customer?

Of course, it does. The meaning of luxury always changes as the context changes. Indigo-dyed textile, where it is not available, will be luxury even if its colour is bleeding. Handloom bleeds colour, but it becomes luxury. Bleeding Madras became a phenomenon. Luxury is also something individualistic that the wearer of the garment can experience and feel, or having the luxury to make something individualistic or customised.

Raw Mango
Raw Mango

Fashion is often about telling a story. How do your designs communicate the stories or values you want to share with the world?

Raw Mango’s perspective is shaped by my personal expression, the commentary is very much a dialogue and reflective of contemporary issues. Sometimes it is about the craft community, the making, technique and skillset of it. It is not just through campaigns and wearing clothes, but across all touchpoints — from stores to the music and graphics. The stories are multiple and always a dialogue.

Sanjay Garg
Sanjay Garg

As a designer, what is the most fulfilling aspect of your work in fashion? Is it the creation process, the final product, or seeing others wear and experience your designs?

I think the creative process is very exciting. There is something you want to bring to the table, and the process of conceiving that is really exciting.

manuvipin@newindianexpress.com

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