HYDERABAD: When we think ‘fashion’, it’s usually ball gowns, neon outfits, furry coats and the like. Rarely do we think ‘luxury menswear’. But over the years, one designer put his heart and soul into designing aesthetic outfits for men: Kunal Rawal. Here in Hyderabad for a unique ‘Meet the Designer’ event at his flagship store, Kunal Rawal speaks passionately about the fashion industry, his collection, and his love for Hyderabad.
Excerpts.
Tell us about the flagship store in Hyderabad.
Hyderabad is very dear to me. Not many people know this but in my costume designing days, I did quite a bit of work in the Telugu film industry. We worked so hard with Rooshad Shroff to design the flagship store for us. This store is planned like a supermarket runway, where all the clothes are in a functional conveyor belt; it feels like my own runway show because the clothes keep moving.
We have the morse code tag tile indicator for visually challenged clients. The store here houses collections from the last two years, including my bestsellers, the Diwali edit we just launched, Sehra, and couture collections from Couture Week in Delhi. The Hyderabad store is like a museum, where every piece is specially curated by me.
How has Hyderabad changed in terms of fashion?
Hyderabad is very fashion forward and the majority of its population is young. I believe that the youth of India is far more progressive than the youth of the strongest first world nation. That is what inspires me and Hyderabad defines that. We love the Telugu industry so much. I have spent time working with Ram Charan, Rana and Allu Arjun.
What are the colours that you have used in your designs?
India is such a diverse country; every 100 km, there is a new drape, language and a new aesthetic all together. So, I have a lot of fun creating a diverse collection for different markets. We are known for our thread works, French knots, and tone on tones.
Over the years, we’ve repeated colours that go with the label, like whites, navy blues, black, military colours, charcoal and olives. In addition to that we have bright red, electric blue, hot pink, rusks and browns. Ivory and neutrals are our favourites.
Tell us about your works for celebrities.
Celebrities are trend drivers with unique x-factors. Every celebrity has different likes, dislikes, personas, body types and brings out a different personality of our brand. Ranbir Kapoor is a brand favourite and earlier this year, Aditya Roy Kapoor walked for us and looked amazing. We’ve also dressed Arjun Kapoor, Varun Dhawan, Ajay Devgan, and Akshay Kumar.
What is the inspiration behind your designs?
Inspiration comes from the most mundane things in life. There are days where you go ‘wow’ as things just start flowing but there are days when things don’t go the way you want them to. Well, I use fashion to define my mood—on days I feel low, I wear brighter colours. Fashion has a lot to do with emotion.
How do you think men’s fashion has evolved over the years?
Men’s wear has been changing and evolving every year. I recall that when we worked on Shahid Kapoor’s wedding wardrobe, he let me do what I wanted to do. That was the first time you saw someone wear straight pants rather than a churidar and shorter kurta. The market has been evolving so beautifully with men’s wear and this lets us push groom’s wear in an exciting direction season after season.
What can Hyderabad soon see from you?
Hyderabad appreciates our aesthetics and gets first dibs on anything that I do. I am planning to do another showcase here in six months. We are also testing and starting a couture resort line and by summer, you will have a collection from us.