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Business News/ Mint-lounge / Features/  In brogue: The casual dresser
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In brogue: The casual dresser

Designer Anand Bhushan on his shoe obsession, clothes made by his contemporaries and vintage collectables

Anand Bhushan wearing his winged Jeremy Scott X Adidas gold sneakers. Photographs: Ramesh Pathania/MintPremium
Anand Bhushan wearing his winged Jeremy Scott X Adidas gold sneakers. Photographs: Ramesh Pathania/Mint

Anand Bhushan’s obsessive love for sneakers has made him convert a part of the space in his living room into a closet. “I have close to 150 pairs and my mother is always cringing when I buy more," laughs the Delhi-based designer. “I can never wear anything formal—be it shoes or clothes," adds Bhushan, dressed in jeans, a red shirt from his eponymous collection emblazoned with panda motif embroidery and a pair of winged Jeremy Scott X adidas gold sneakers.

An alumnus of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, Delhi, and the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, Bhushan will debut his menswear early next year. At 31, he has proved his mettle as a talent on the Indian fashion scene with his unusual texturing and unconventional fabric choices. His casual personal style is enviably helped by his designer friends. “I recently ordered this trippy jacket from Amit Aggarwal (of AM.IT) made of denim but the sleeves are made of multi-coloured plastic. I saw it in his show at the Amazon India Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2016 show and I just had to have it," he says. Here he shares his passion for English fashion designer Sarah Burton’s take on Alexander McQueen, brooches, his love for all things plastic and metal and how he loathes the trend of “organic clothing" in India. Edited excerpts from an interview:

How would you describe your style?

I am a casual dresser. Even if it is a black tie event, I’ll still wear jeans and a T-shirt. I love shopping for statement pieces in my wardrobe and buy a lot from my friends and contemporaries. I enjoy wearing Arjun Saluja’s hakama pants, which are loose dhoti trousers with pleats in the front. I love Rimzim Dadu’s play on textures as well. Kallol Datta is one of my closest friends and an amazing designer—I love his silhouettes and have a lot of pieces from his Time series. These designers excite me, and I love wearing their clothes in my own way.

Do you wear clothes from your own collection?

Yes, actually I do. I always take out elements that have a menswear sensibility from my collection and develop it from there. So, mostly I create jackets, T-shirts and casual evening shirts that retain the signature DNA of my brand. In the past, I made menswear only for friends, but next season, we will be launching a whole range of clothing for men.

What are your wardrobe favourites?

I think Kallol and péro by Aneeth Arora do the most comfortable, breathable clothes in the nicest cotton possible. When you wear their clothes, people notice it, which for me as a designer and a consumer is a wonderful feeling. I also love the kurtas by Abraham & Thakore and shirts by Rajesh Pratap Singh.

Do you wear a lot of international labels?

Oh yes, I do. I love jackets from Dolce & Gabbana, shirts from Armani and the rebellious prints and draped T-shirts from Vivienne Westwood, who I think is mad cool. I feel Sarah Burton’s take on Alexander McQueen is supremely interesting, and I pick up a lot of the T-shirts from the brand.

What are the pieces that you can’t do without?

Sneakers. I collect a lot of adidas, Puma, Vans x Star Wars and a lot of vintage combat boots from Camden (London) and Milan. In fact, the only pair of formal shoes I own is a pair of gold brogues. In fact, Rimzim makes amazing shoes and post that it is up for sale—and I am always the first in line for that. I picked up the most amazing platforms from her collection.

Are you a fan of accessories?

Mostly brooches. I have a piece from jeweller Eina Ahluwalia’s Wedding Vows collection that says “Love, Respect, Protect". I also got a few pieces of various versions of Mickey Mouse from Disneyland—first editions, Pirates Of The Caribbean commemorative pieces; a silver owl from Mykonos; and one with bird’s feathers (often found during hunting season) attached to the brooch made by local artisans in Budapest. One of my most precious pieces is a piece made by my friend (and designer) Sailex.

How has your style sense changed over the years?

I think it has changed with my body shape, which has always fluctuated over the years. When I was in school, I was morbidly obese weighing close to 140kg. And then when I started college, I lost all the weight and became 55kg. I wanted to wear all forms of fitted clothing then. I’m still a big person, and for me comfort is key when it comes to my clothing.

Any fashion faux pas you cannot revisit from your past?

Oh my goodness, so many. In college, I was obsessed with the way Madonna dressed and so I did those badges with acid-wash denim and wore it on weird multicolour T-shirts. It was a horrible phase and should be banned. Then I went through an all-black phase when I refused to wear any form of colour. Now, of course, I have outgrown all this and my style is a beautiful mix of everything.

Do you stay away from any trends?

I don’t wear any organic clothes. I love plastic and metal. This entire movement of organic living and holistic rubbish that is marketed as fashion, I stay away from it. The entire revolution of Khadi and linen has been going on for a long time, it’s a part of our culture, but is now taking centre stage on the Indian runway. The clothes look similar to the ones you find at your neighbourhood corner shop and are being sold at exorbitant prices. I find the idea of selling a gamcha for 25,000 outrageous.

Do you have any favourite shopping destinations?

Not really. I stay away from places that scream designer wear, choosing to browse through local stores. I travel a lot. I visited Stockholm earlier this year and spent some time in an old town there called Gamla Stan. It was filled with so many vintage souvenirs—not necessarily clothes or accessories—but it really piqued my interest.

Supriya Dravid tweets at @superear.

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Published: 28 Nov 2015, 12:22 AM IST
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