1. Abacaxi: Sheena Sood, founder of this Brooklyn-based label realised her love for tropical fruits during a trip to Brazil, leading her to Abacaxi (which means pineapple in Portuguese). Her travels to India inspired her designs, which are a mix of traditional textiles (like mashru, leheriya and handloom ikats) in contemporary silhouettes.
Abacaxi’s S/S’19 campaign, Zanzibar
Abacaxi’s first collection, Shibari
2. Chindi: With sustainability becoming an increasingly important aspect of our wardrobes, it’s always nice to add more green brands to our list. ‘Chindi’, a word used by Indian tailors to describe waste fabric—is an initiative by Tanushree Shukla, who recycles textile scrap into handcrafted products. The process starts with collecting and sorting the waste, which is then pulped and spun into high-quality yarn. This fabric is then used to create crochet and canvas bags.
Crochet pouch, INR 1150, Chindi
Crochet bag, INR 4500, Chindi
3. M. Hiramatsu: Taking inspiration from Indian textiles, Japanese designer Marina Hiramatsu has established a new take on modern sustainability. She has developed one-of-a-kind hand-embroidered panels that can be attached to anything from T-shirts to hoodies. Defined by their distinct designs, these panels allow people to customise according to their style.
Sishu – hand embroidered panel
M. Hiramatsu’s new campaign, Bloom
4. Prismix by Suhani Pittie: Hyderabad-based jewellery designer Suhani Pittie is known for creating sculptural pieces that trick and delight the eye. Prismix her newest collection, is an eclectic mix of striking, intricate shapes, elevated with bright acrylic adornments.
Gold-plated and acrylic earrings, INR 8000, Suhani Pittie
Gold-plated and acrylic ring, INR 3000, Suhani Pittie
Silver-plated and acrylic necklace, INR 7000, Suhani Pittie
5. Biskit: With comfort, functionality and durability at its core, BISKIT was inspired by the idea of breaking the gender binary. Co-founded by Shruti and Harsha Biswajit in 2017, the brand features clothes that can be worn across seasons. Its first collection Spaced Out takes inspiration from India’s recent propulsion in space.
Biskit‘s first collection, Spaced Out
6. Pratik Shetty: After making his dream debut at Men’s Fashion Week S/S 2020 for brands like Raf Simons, Lanvin and Fendi, Pratik Shetty is quickly becoming a runway regular and has already starred in a campaign for Alexander McQueen.
ELLE: Where did you grow up?
Pratik Shetty: I was born and brought up in Dombivli, Mumbai
ELLE: Did you always want to become a model?
PS: I was initially into sports, but then one day I sent my pictures to Anima Creatives and there’s been no looking back.
ELLE: One thing you love most about your job?
PS: Travelling, of course.
ELLE: Your dream brand to work for?
PS: I would love to star in a Prada campaign.
Pratik Shetty for Raf Simons
7. Cross a line: While designing textiles for a French brand, Vaishale Mittal realised her innate love for denim, which resulted in the inception of her label ‘Cross A Line’. With clean silhouettes and fine tailoring, each piece of the brand’s first collection is made autonomously and hand finished. Mittal’s designs are rendered in a wealth of techniques—like vegetable-dyed khadi, hand spun and recycled denim.
Cross A Line’s first collection, Periphery’
Photograph: Imaxtree.com/2019 (Pratik Shetty/ Anima Creatives Management)
