Fashion Uniforms: These creative forces know how to make a powerful statement
One of a kind


These multidisciplinary professionals never shy away from experimenting. But what is common in their style language is that they have a fashion uniform to fall back on. From the good old white shirt to opulent handmade jewellery and saris passed down from grandmothers, this is quite a dose of sartorial indulgence.

Babneet Paul Lakhesar
Occupation: CEO of Babbuthepainter, freelance artist, designer
Your go-to everyday outfit: For summer, oversized T-shirt with heels and for winter, oversized T-shirt, heels, and a jacket. Oh and I love fanny packs!
Why: Exploring, I love exploring street art with clothing.
What will you never be caught dead in: Nothing, really; I’m kinda crazy
Smita Lasrado
Occupation: Co-founder, Feat.Artists
Your go-to everyday outfit: Tube socks, a pair of Nike shoes, a men’s blazer, Helmut Lang tee and skirts or cycling shorts.
Comfort to you is: Never having to hold your breath and never feeling pain in your feet.
An heirloom you’ve been passed: These solid men’s gold rings passed down to me from my grandmother. They make me feel like I’m back in the ’80s: my favourite decade

Arpana Rayamajhi
Occupation: Jewellery designer
Your go-to everyday outfit: I never really have a “go-to” but I can always rely on my tartan kilts for almost any occasion. I have a growing collection and I am absolutely addicted. But always paired with jewellery, of course.
One accessory you always reach for: I make my own jewellery and I wear a lot of them. But not wearing a necklace feels really odd to me.
Clothing as an armour or as a means of expression: Jewellery as armour. Clothes as expression.

Manav Angelo Kashyap
Occupation: Social media strategist & brand communications head, Sabyasachi Calcutta
Your go-to everyday outfit: A colour printed floral kurta in thin khadi by Sabyasachi and Christian Louboutin Aurelien sneakers or Valentino Garavani camouflage RockRunner sneakers.
Clothing as an armour or as a means of expression: Clothing as an armour because I choose which sides of my personality I wish to express and when.

Raja Kumari
Occupation: Rapper, musician, dancer, songwriter
Your go-to everyday outfit: Streetwear mixed with some jhumkas.
Why: I started to pick silhouettes that complement my body and because comfort is key.
Comfort to you is: A pair of sneakers, no heels.
An heirloom you’ve been passed: Jewellery. It carries the history of our culture. I wear my grandmother’s ring.
Clothing as an armour or as a means of expression: You use your clothes to express who you really are; it gives you strength. And in some ways, an armour to face the world. For me, it is both.

Amrit
Occupation: DJ & co-founder of One Stop Away
Your go-to everyday outfit: Vintage tee, oversized blazer, and statement sunglasses. Everday scent: I like to mix depending on my mood, usually a combination of Malin & Goetz (Leather), Le Labo (Another), and Byredo (Gypsy Water).
An accessory you always reach for: Sunglasses from RetroSuperFuture.
Whose fashion uniform do you admire the most: Fran Fine from The Nanny.

Gurpreet Kaur Ahluwalia
Occupation: Marketing professional, currently new mum
Your go-to everyday outfit: Layering, usually with a collared button-down shirt, wide leg trousers and a jacket or sweater.
Why: I love crew necks and button-down shirts and often joke that my collar bones never see the sun!
An accessory you always reach for: My glasses.

Simran Lal
Occupation: Co-founder, Nicobar, co-founder, Paro and chief floating officer, Good EarthY
our go-to everyday outfit: It depends on my daily mood. If I am in a Mughal princess mood, I wear my lovely farshi or lehenga flowing kurtas, juttis, and amazing jewelry and often a sari. When I am in my bohemian gypsy mood, I wear my weekender pants from Nicobar, loose linen top and sneakers or silver Kohlapuri chappals, layers of beads, and lacquer bangles.
An heirloom you’ve been passed: My grandmother’s beautiful patan patola sari and a Mughal era navratan necklace.

Natasha Naegamvala
Occupation: Hairstylist and salon owner
Your go-to everyday outfit: I’ve always been a jeans and T-shirt girl.
Everyday scent: Issey Miyake.
Clothing as an armour or as a means of expression: Definitely as a means of expression! For somebody who loves a pair of jeans and a T-shirt, I still mix and match loads of clothes and put them together to create my own sense of style

Maneka Thadani
Occupation: Marketing & communications manager, Gucci, India
Your go-to everyday outfit:The classic white shirt in a multitude of styles, cuts, and drapes. It is the ideal multitasker, the ultimate in simplicity and versatility. I pair it with everything—from a pair of culottes or jeans to trousers, or with a skirt. I can never have enough.
Trusted pair of shoes: I am a kitten heels person—it’s always about comfort coupled with style

Swati Argade
Occupation: Owner/designer, Bhoomki, a Brooklyn-based ethical fashion brand.
What will you never be caught dead in: Fast fashion. I refuse to wear clothing made by brands with little regard for environmental waste or abusive labour practices.
An heirloom you’ve been passed: An exquisite gold rope necklace I inherited from my husband’s Jewish paternal great-grandmother, Hilda. She escaped Nazi Germany during World War II and managed to carry this necklace with her.

Shahili Gomes-McCoy
Occupation: Co-founder, The Design Collective and director, Gandhara Interiors
Your go-to everyday outfit: My go-to outfit for winters is an oversized long dress with sneakers, glitter socks, and a scarf as big as a blanket.
Most treasured item in your closet: My Sabyasachi wedding sari. Partly for sentimental reasons and partly because it’s just amazing.
An heirloom you’ve been passed: My mother’s Mikimoto pearls

Dhruvi Acharya
Occupation: Visual artist
Your go-to everyday outfit: My painting pants/ jeans/ shorts depending on the weather, and a T-shirt/ shirt.
Why: I need to be mobile and comfortable and because I tend to wipe my hands on my pants while painting.
What will you never be caught dead in: Loud, colourful prints from top to bottom.
Whose fashion uniform do you admire the most: Steve Jobs. I see the wisdom in not having to distract oneself with thoughts of what to wear when the mind is already at work.

Radhika Khandelwal
Occupation: Chef-owner, Ivy & Bean and Fig & Maple
Your go-to everyday outfit: I love wearing shirt dresses during the day and pleated skirts for evenings. But my forever uniform is my chef ’s coat and a comfortable pair of jeans. Favourite designer/ label: Bhaavya Bhatnagar, Bodice and Lovebirds.
Whose fashion uniform do you admire the most: Chef Dominique Crenn.

Karishma Manga Bedi
Occupation: Entrepreneur
Your go-to everyday outfit: Denim and white across different kinds of clothes, lots of flats for the day with a fetish for Indian Kolhapuris and juttis; for evenings, it’s high heels, minimal accessories and clean make-up.
Comfort to you is: A state of mind. If it’s easy in your head, it will be so in your body language as well.
Trusted pair of shoes: I’m a shoe fiend! Sergio Rossi, Jimmy Choo, Gianvito Rossi, Toms, French Sole, Nike, and my Kolhapuri slippers and juttis.

Anita Kaushal
Occupation: Creative director, Mauli Rituals
Your go-to everyday outfit: The best in natural, unstructured fabrics like silks, cashmere, cottons. I like timeless block colours so I can dress down with trainers for work or add heels and jewellery for evening meetings.
Whose fashion uniform do you admire the most: Gwenth Paltrow’s—classic with a slight edge