Designer duo, Shivan Bhatiya and Narresh Kukreja, not only brought to India the idea of resort wear but along with it came the idea of experiencing a new city with each of their collections. Shivan & Narresh, the first and only swimwear label in an overly-conscious, traditional country, was launched with multiple challenges to overcome. The duo catered to the need of the 2010 Indian woman who was constantly traveling the world, adapting to international trends, and refining her personal style—but was unable to find an Indian label that could get her ready for a beach holiday. It was then in 2011 that the visionaries, Shivan Bhatiya & Narresh Kukreja invented the bikini sari. Not only did it give the Indian woman the right to wear a bikini but also incorporated traditional wear in the form of a classic draped saree.
With travel and holidays being the essence of the brand, they cater to the unique & evolving ideology of millennials who perceive luxury in experiences, and aim to give them a bold, confident and sophisticated global luxury holiday wear solutions.
At the recent Lotus Makeup India Fashion Week SS20, the designer duo brought to the runway their new collection ‘Seoul Series’. Inspired by their recent visit to South Korea, they brought to life the culture of the city. The collection featured a line-up of athleisure and urban style silhouettes, perfect for the millenials who like to keep is classy and chic. Contemporary silhouettes including jumpsuits, quilted jackets, swim swear, capes, dresses and metallic pants were created using five new prints -Mujigay, Seoul Soul, Morning Calm, Kurt and Hututi, imbibing the true essence of the designers’ latest travel to Seoul, South Korea.
“Each silhouette and pattern for Seoul Series has been created reflecting the aftertaste of Korean popular culture and art. With flowy patterns, interlacing techniques and oversized contours, this collection forays into puffer jackets, bomber jackets, sweatshirts and ruffled detailing as a re-imagination of K-Pop with our signature print and resort wear styles,” says Shivan Bhatiya, Head Designer, SHIVAN & NARRESH. The looks were further accessorised with bags in unconventional shapes and embroidered belts. A burst of colour and bold graphic prints make this collection absolutely drool worthy. Known as the swimwear sartorialists their collection is packed with style and well-suited for your next holiday destination.
As the fashion worlds moves to a place of inclusivity, we need to realize that fashion is for all. To adopt inclusivity of gender many brands are creating androgynous and unisex silhouettes, which can be adorned by people of all genders. In a modern world where gender is fluid, fashion designers are breaking stereotypes; prejudice, and boundaries.
While the designers brought their A-game to the fashion week here's what the duo has to say about blurring the lines of gender-based fashion. "Fashion is one of the most creative ways for one to express their true self, it is only fair for designers to pay attention on how much more there is to gender, than just male and female whilst blurring the lines by keeping their silhouettes gender neutral. Unisex fashion can be defined as the voices of those who don’t relate to fashion as strictly male or female in terms of silhouettes," says Narresh Kukreja, Creative Director, SHIVAN & NARRESH.
"Genderless fashion is something that is taking over the fashion space internationally. Brands are now focusing on silhouettes that don’t restrict to any particular gender as it expands their universe giving them an opportunity to explore wider demographics in terms of audience and a much wider space for creativity."threw light on his idea of creating garments which are gender neutral. At Shivan & Narresh we constantly want to concentrate on becoming a more holistic brand focusing on styles and patterns that elevate the essence of millennial luxury holiday lifestyle incorporating ensembles that are more gender fluid like bomber jackets, pyjama sets and oversized sweatshirts," says Shivan Bhatiya, Head Designer, SHIVAN & NARRESH.
The designers also weighed in on how genderless fashion will change the future of the fashion industry. "The fashion industry internationally has become more accepting towards inclusive categories such as different body types and gender diversity, especially with the onset of the millennial generation. However where the Indian fashion trade is concerned the mindset of the consumer is constantly changing, but there is still a long way to go. For instance, for us starting a swimwear brand was a challenge as the society didn’t perceive this category in a very accepting manner even though our sole purpose behind this was inducing confidence the women concerning their bodies. Being able to change that approach is a milestone not only for the brand but the fashion industry as well. Similarly, for brands to become more open to diverse categories of clothing such as gender neutrality can turn out to be a breakthrough for the future of the fashion industry, " say Shivan Bhatiya, Head Designer, and Narresh Kukreja, Creative Director, SHIVAN & NARRESH.
Eco-friendly, ethical and sustainable fashion is finally on the industry's agenda - and for many brands and designers this has been a year of awakening. Not only are the duo, Shivan & Narresh adopting inclusivity in fashion but they're also battling with the larger idea of fashion sustainability with creations that are timeless and can be styled in multiple ways. Narresh Kukreja, Creative Director, SHIVAN & NARRESH further adds by saying "Being a luxury holiday brand we believe in timelessness of resort & holiday categories and always advice to use our pieces to be re-used and re-styled across your wardrobe for using your precious outfits more often than being worn only once. This has a huge impact on buying consciously for your wardrobe and creating impact on the environment."
"One can contribute towards sustainable fashion by using fabrics that are re-usable and by investing in longer lasting pieces rather than investing in pieces that don’t last a very long time," says Shivan Bhatiya, Head Designer, SHIVAN & NARRESH.
While staying fashion-forward and on trend is important, we cannot ignore the fact that fast fashion is synonymous with harm to our planet. It's that we realise FASHION IS FOR ALL but not at the cost of our planet. Invest in timeless style and eco-friendly fabrics like organic cottons, linens and Khadi to make your contribution.