One of the biggest music festivals globally, Lollapalooza needs no introduction. With crowd favourite artists and creators marking their presence at the much awaited festival, the excitement is palpable. Open air concerts also call for sartorial picks that will allow you to groove to your favourite artists and be versatile. Which means that a pair of Levi’s jeans is everyone’s concert staple. The beloved denims can be paired with a crop top, a bralette or anything you please.
Levi’s, through the decades, has been at the forefront of effortlessly blending comfort with functionality and style. This season, the style quotient is ready to be amped up with The Levi’s Tailor Shop. With renowned artists Aaquib Wani, Mira Malhotra and Aniruddh Mehta on board to craft exclusive designs on your favourite Levi’s staples, the customization options are endless!
In a candid conversation with these three artists, we delved deep into what goes behind their creative approach, self-expression and how Levi’s finds a spot in their fashion game.
Aaquib Wani
ELLE: Describe this year’s Lollapalooza X Levi’s in three words?
AW: Dynamic, Bold, Fusion.
ELLE: Tell us about your collaboration with Levi’s for Lollapalooza- the inspiration and what the final designs?
AW: Levi’s Tailor Shop channels the rebellious spirit of Lollapalooza into denim, drawing inspiration from the festival’s eclectic energy and diverse styles, resulting in uniquely vibrant designs.
Artwork 1: Mumbai Skyline
The iconic skyline of Mumbai sculpts the background for all the memories we make at Lollapalooza. This concept revolves around creating a soundscape against this distinctive skyline with the archival look of sheet music, which is the origin of every note we sing out loud.
Artwork 2: Enchanted Forest
The inspiration stems from an individual’s quest for inner tranquility, immersing themselves solely in music, getting lost in its melancholic embrace to find solace.
Artwork 3: World Map
Music keeps us connected through transcending boundaries, the memories attached to it can take a new shape in a new place, at another time, in any part of the world. Same song, different places.
Artwork 4: Metal hearts
Inspired by Raj Kapoor’s romance in the rain,(but w a twist) two heartless machines find love amid glitchy harmonies beneath a cybernetic umbrella, creating a surreal love story in a futuristic ballet of code and circuitry.
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ELLE: Your Tailor Shop picks – your personal favourite designs from the entire line-up?
AW: Personal picks from the Tailor Shop include Mira’s version of Adam & Eve and Bigfatminimalists Dance Dance Dance! Both, reflecting a mix of individuality and festival flair.
ELLE: What’s your go-to Levi’s outfit for festivals?
AW: The go-to Levi’s festival outfit consists of distressed jeans paired with a vintage band tee, complemented by the iconic Levi’s trucker jacket for an effortlessly cool and rock-inspired look.
ELLE: What sparked your creativity or inspired you while you came up with your unique designs?
AW:Unique designs are inspired by a diverse range of influences, including personal journeys, cultural experiences, and the vibrant atmosphere of Lollapalooza, resulting in a collection that resonates with individuality.
ELLE: Name an artist who has inspired you in your artistic journey especially while curating these designs with Levi’s.
AW: David Bowie stands out as an artist whose fearless creativity serves as a guiding inspiration in the journey, reflecting a commitment to pushing artistic boundaries in collaboration with Levi’s.
Mira Malhotra
ELLE: Tell us about your collaboration with Levi’s for Lollapalooza- the inspiration and what the final designs.
MM: I really focused on two things: looking at the festival experience as well as embedding in some typical rock elements, basically memorabilia and memories, ideas of nostalgia and the (pop) culture of music. There’s a lot of fun, playfulness and humour in all I do, and this is no different.
ELLE: Your Tailor Shop picks – your personal favourite designs from the entire line-up?
MM: I am really looking forward to our collaborative pieces because they’re so unpredictable when doing them. I really like my Gorilla piece because it’s so funny and feels so different across the garments. I love Aaquib’s Bouquet of Drums because it’s serene and noisy all at once, and Aniruddh’s Dance print because it has so much energy and looks so dynamic.
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ELLE: What makes Levi’s denim the ultimate canvas for self-expression?
MM: If you think denim, you think Levi’s, always. And denim is the most durable fabric there is which means you can wear it anywhere and always. It can take a lot of beating and unlike some other delicate fabrics, this means you can literally do whatever you want with it, heavy embroidery, fabric painting, printing, heatpress, the works, and it will stand up to all of that like a champ
ELLE: What’s your go-to Levi’s outfit for festivals?
MM: Oversized denim jacket over a lightweight slip dress and some combat boots!
ELLE: Tell us about how self-expression comes to life through art and music?
MM: Part of the experience of music is what the words mean, how the music feels to you, essentially the flavour of the music. How you relate with all of this culture and how you can make it your own is where self expression comes in. In one piece for example, I’ve taken things you notice that are really rebellious, like wearing nothing on stage but having your guitar cover your nakedness, and likened it with the iconography of my own religious upbringing – the Adam and Eve story (usually a leaf covering their nudity), all the while off-handedly laughing at the similarities because it’s light hearted and funny.
ELLE: How has music influenced your creative process for Lollapalooza and What’s your go-to jam while working on a design?
MM:Music and the culture surrounding it is a huge inspiration always. My go to jam while working is usually something enjoyable and laid back, but not attention grabbing, something like old Grimes stuff from the early 2010s really gets me in the zone.
Aniruddh Mehta
ELLE: Tell us about your collaboration with Levi’s for Lollapalooza- the inspiration and what are the final designs?
AM: This collection is inspired by the DIY patch-up jackets that are an iconic and integral part of the music scene across all genres such as Rock, Pop, Punk, Electronica, Rap – and everything in between. From stickers to badges and patches – this style personifies the essence of the music scene and tells the story of people collecting their most favourite memories over time and wearing them with pride. The artworks are designed to speak to the alternative underground music fan as well as the mainstream pop audience – with something for everyone, across the spectrum of both cultures.
ELLE: What do you think makes the Levi’s Tailor Shop a must-visit for festival attendees at Lollapalooza this year?
AM: Festival goers love the idea of customisation and it’s a perfect fit for a festival as big as Lollapalooza to have the iconic Levi’s tailor shop as a part of the experience. There’s tons of designs and options to choose from – whether it’s screenprinted design on a tshirt or a large artwork flanked on the back of the denim jacket – there’s something for everyone. Mira Malhotra, Aaquib Wani and I – all three of us have a distinct design style that’s unique to each artist, which makes for a diverse range of artworks that are available at the tailor shop this year
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ELLE: Your Tailor Shop picks – your personal favourite designs from the entire line-up?
AM: My personal favourite from my set is the ‘Sonic Punk’ artwork – it’s bold and sure to stand out amongst the crowd at a festival. ‘Enchanted Forest’ by Aaquib is another favourite – tons of percussive instruments with a floating human figure at the center of it all – there’s a feeling that’s illustrated in this piece that I strongly gravitate towards. Lastly, ‘Fangirl #1’ by Mira is just the perfect artwork to rep at a festival. I can see that one flying off the shelves.
ELLE: What sparked your creativity or inspired you while you came up with your unique designs?
AM: My designs emerged from the starting point of patch-up jackets and sticker-bombing. It’s something we usually see at festivals and within the music scene. Smaller nuances like these are what makes alternative culture what it is – people pasting stickers in places where they’re not supposed to and repping the spirit of DIY with jackets, bags and fanny packs that have their favorite pins, badges, etc. My designs are an attempt to emulate that spirit.
ELLE: What’s your creative process like? Do you plan beforehand or go with the flow while creating your pieces?
AM: I usually have a mood in place before I start my work. The direction more-often-thannot finds its way through a process of iteration and elimination. I end up making 15- 20 half-baked ideas within which I find a few that I gravitate towards more than others. That’s usually when I know I’ve found something that works for me. After that is the easier part where I clean up and begin to finesse the piece as much as possible.
ELLE: Artists you would love to style from this year’s line-up.
AM: I’m a huge fan of Sting. I’d be stoked if I see him repping any of the designs from the Levi’s Tailor Shop.
