Celebrating a decade of Huemn in a rumoured haunted mill which is almost in the ruins—trust Pranav Kriti Misra and Shyama Shetty to never take the safe route. But this time, Pranav helmed the show all on his own and his partner-in-crime cheered him on from the sidelines. To mark 10 years of Huemn, the label collaborated with the iconic soda brand Pepsi for the second time. What’s different, you ask? It is an on-par affiliation, “The earlier association was more in terms of making a line with Pepsi. But this time they’ve aligned with us in the partner capacity, as someone who also believes in our vision. Although we’ve taken a couple of their IPs and developed products around them—it is essentially a new Huemn collection,” shares Pranav, as we speak in a free-wheeling chat a day before the big show.
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The designer and poet par excellence looked calm, as he took the final bow after a show that paid a befitting homage to the brand’s decade-old legacy. A location that is fit for their anti-establishment aesthetic? Check. An effortless concoction of comfort and cool? Check. A diverse casting without making diversity the main peg? Check. While the fashion onlookers may look at it with a conscious checklist, Pranav doesn’t have one, to begin with. “The best way to approach the subject is not to approach the subject. Here’s our name: Huemn, which is a wordplay on human. ‘Hue’ in Huemn stands for colour, so it’s literally about how different we are from each other, which was the foundation of the brand. From day one, I have believed in the concept of personalities rather than models. More than models, I prefer the concept of role models. People who inspire you, their gender, caste, religion, or landscape doesn’t even matter. It could be their style, the way they talk or just the intellect that they have; it could be anything, and usually, we try to cast models with that lens. Somehow, it just falls into place and the casting becomes very diverse in its approach,” explains Pranav.
While their sensitivity towards inclusivity and story-telling may first catch your eye, it’s the clothes that will make you stay. Concept saris with double pallus, graffiti-etched shirts, t-shirts and cropped tops, structured jackets, distressed denim and hybrid silhouettes—street style but rooted in authenticity. It’s often said, that art is an extension of the artist, but one look at Pranav’s personal style/ethos and you may think differently. The renowned Hindi poet who is often sighted in a humble kurta teamed with a pair of jeans and sneakers may deceive you with his simple appearance, but when it comes to his design ideology, it’s a whole different beast. “I grew up in Lucknow, which was unrelated to Delhi or Bombay, particularly in terms of fashion. I’m a complete outsider, the lens in which I view the industry is completely different. I don’t place a high value on clothing, I always say it’s almost like another layer of skin. I’m more invested in people, their narratives, and the stories in the background. In terms of products, we are heavily influenced by the society around us. So obviously, In the beginning, we were very aggressive with the kind of clothes we wanted to make and the market wasn’t ready for it. That is where the challenge was. As an entrepreneur, you have to create a market and educate your market—that took a lot of work. I believe that uniqueness finds its way in a very organic connection with society.”
Through Huemn, the designers are constantly questioning the world we’re living in and are challenging the status quo through art, but weaponising the medium of fashion for the greater good isn’t always, how does one find the balance? “Whether it’s art or fashion, we as a society try to be inclusive but we are not. In fact, we are very exclusive. We start closing doors on people. The language we talk in and even the topics we discuss do not connect with ground-level people, and I think that is where I’ve always had a strong feeling that I want to disrupt. I am interested in people and in educating people, and I am also aware that the industry I am a part of is a very important industry, it is not a surface-driven industry, which is the common notion of the ground. It’s not just for prettification or day-to-day activities. It is an image maker, so I think a sense of responsibility and organic flow is very important. And to that, I’ve always kept my senses open and never attempted to push an agenda ever but always spoke about what’s important through our craft.”
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“I’m an entrepreneur, but at the end of the day, to stay relevant and true to ourselves we venture into uncharted terrains. Whether it’s a social issue or even diving into the political landscape, we just try to be present with our work. I’m more than happy when people talk about such issues in a mainstream fashion. When younger brands come in and the market is seen developing, it is also an outcome of the hard work of a decade and more of other people that have been working constantly in that direction.”
Huemn is built on human stories and that only comes out of collaborative experiences. Retrospecting on the past and introspecting about the future, Pranav weighs in on the community they’ve built. “The most powerful type of learning that has occurred in the last ten years and it constantly runs through my mind is that the creative brain is a very arrogant one, and I think when I look back, I was trying so hard as I was so focused on telling my story. Over a period of time, I’ve learned to respect the community more and be a part of the community and that has seamlessly translated into the clothes we make. As a result, designing clothes has become even easier over time. I feel that Huemn today is more of a fraternity-driven platform than a brand-led only by my solo vision. It’s a very democratic space.”
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He’s someone who is in the thick of two separate creative careers with contradictory visions and outcomes, evem a roadmap to navigate his mind wouldn’t help. The method to his madness is decipherable just to him, but as a wordsmith, he leans into his other world of literature to find inspiration for fashion. “I do not have a set process. Even for the show, people ask where is the rough work or where are the sketches. There is nothing! Because literally, everything is just a story; everything is done live. Everything is done with hands. Everything is dealt with hands and dialogue because a lot of inspiration for the brand is also from the poetic and literary world. So, words are thrown around in the studio, eventually, somehow, they find a place in our silhouettes and clothes. Many times we fail and then when we succeed, those are the only things that go out. But it’s a very beautiful style and a very unique way to operate.”
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The future seems promising because the foundation laid in the past year has been a solid one. “The constant support of the community and the consumers, have given us a firm grounding and I feel very happy about that. The association with Pepsi is also kind of an organic one. We’re both brands that delve deep into the youth culture. Seconding Pranav’s sentiment, Saumya Rathor, Category Lead, Pepsi Cola, PepsiCo India also shared her two bits on this partnership. “Pepsi is a brand that has always resonated with the voice of today’s generation. This new generation is armed with swag and an inherent confidence in their own abilities. They are not afraid to express themselves and Fashion has always been an important tool through which they can express their identities. Our collaboration with HUEMN is our commitment to celebrating this very philosophy.”
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