From Old Hyderabad to Kanye West, Tara.M.Y.T’s debut collection is a nod to multiple influences

Jasleen Kaur’s label Tara.M.Y.T, launched a few days ago, derives its name from the quintessentially Hyderabadi word ‘taramati’ and is inspired from street style and pop culture. Their first collection offers a refreshing sartorial sensibility, which mimics hip-hop aesthetics. Also, the styles do not adhere to gender-based stereotypes — the bomber jackets from the collection are androgynous.“I did take a lot of visual inspiration from Wes Anderson movies, and set designs of hip-hop stars like Kanye West, pop stars Es Devlin and Charli XCX’s music videos,” explains the 23-year-old designer. The movie buff also maintains that her colour palette was inspired by the 2017 musical La La Land, which explains the inclusion of the solid yellow and blue in her collection, apart from basic white-and-black jackets. However, the tales of inspiration do not end there for the student of the Design Space Programme from the National Institute of Fashion Design, New Delhi. During her travels to Punjab, her hometown, she was fascinated by the logos and one-liners on trucks as she drove on the National Highways. Further research led her to find out about truck art and her oversized bomber jackets sport some edgy motifs inspired by the one-liners behind trucks. “Also, I will be launching a collection of slogan tees and baggy track pants in the next couple of days, on which you can spot truck art logos,” informs Jasleen. She launched the label after two years of research as she couldn’t find too many labels from the country with authentic street cred. The name of the collection, 0606, thus reminds one of the number plates behind the trucks.

Jasleen remembers that a few years ago, when she set out to shop for street wear, she couldn’t find any Indian label where she could shop from. “There weren’t too many labels that created fashion statements catering to the street style vibe, and definitely, none that felt like our own,”  she says. The designer adds, “There are colourful hoardings, graffiti — we live in a colourful country. So I thought it would be great if I could create clothes to reflect that and add a bit of Western pop culture influence.”

Jasleen also points out that to stay true to the desi element of her clothing, she makes use of indigenous fabrics that are natural and durable. The artisans she works with are also based in Old Hyderabad, in the lanes of Abids and Charminar. For the bomber jackets, she uses linen with a lining to keep warm during the winter months. These functional jackets can be worn with denim, dresses and skirts as well.

Rs 13, 000 onwards.