- Avarna Jain,
Chairperson RPSG Lifestyle Media
Anamika Khanna On Her H&M Collection Being A Melting Pot Of Indian Heritage
Anamika Khanna chats with us about gender fluidity in her designs, and the only fashion rule being to break the rules. Read on…
The world saw Anamika Khanna and H&M collaborate for a recent collection that seamlessly combined a sense of relaxedness and rich craftsmanship. Full of free-flowing silhouettes, capes, dresses, tailoring, bold prints, jewellery and accessories, it seems like the perfect collection for a bride who wants to take her look straight from day to night. In fact, many of the pieces from the collection are perfect to wear at a beach wedding. With stunning, breezy kaftans being a part of the collection, it seems one can easily carry the ensembles in a resort-wear and Indian wedding set-up!
Apart from this, there are some stellar pieces that the designer has crafted with a particular concept and appreciation in mind. Which is what she has shared with us in this chat with our editor Chaiti Narula. Read on to know more…
In Conversation With Anamika Khanna
Manifest: Can you share a childhood memory that still influences your aesthetic today?
Anamika Khanna: It’s very painful [jokingly], this childhood memory, in the sense that in every photograph of mine, I’m somehow dressed in one Indian traditional outfit. I wonder if they were using me as some costume prop. I don’t know what was happening! But yes, I’ve always somehow seen all my pictures with me completely dressed up. My parents also tell me that they gave me reels of thread to play with, and I have this running joke, that I’m still playing with reels of thread.
M: Your designs often blur lines between men’s wear and women’s wear, what excites you about the fluid approach to fashion?
AK: The fluidity of fashion. The freedom to be or to be able to do whatever you feel like. That’s what is exciting.
M: Can you share the story behind the long coat from your latest collection? What does it represent to you?
AK: The long coat that we’ve done in this collection is really special, it very easily blends into an Indian space, it can be worn literally like a coat, with a pair of jeans and boots, but one can also drape a sari underneath it, or even wear a pair of dhoti pants underneath it. The crafts that we’ve used are from different parts of India, and it’s literally like a melting pot of where I belong.
M: How would you describe your personal style in three words?
AK: Subtle, relaxed and experimental.
M: Are there any style rules you like to break, or any that you always follow?
AK: I think my main style rule is that it needs to be broken and that’s how you move forward and that’s how you discover.
Where we give you a fast-paced look into everything you should wish list when you start to think about marriage. What to buy and how to dress, along with modern mithai and the homegrown fragrance makers to bookmark. Make special note of the feature on alta.
It has everything you need to make your wedding special. From the big comeback of red and pink in bridal wear to how the cool kids are wearing corsets to the celebration, there is only one way to get ready for a wedding —with enjoyment.
This section is a building block, a step to a better life. A place where we have all the answers. Or at least the beginning of a great conversation.
This needs very little description. It has travel with a special focus on incredible India, and a collection of wedding albums, sourced randomly, but collected with abundance because happiness has no limits.
