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7

COVER LOOK: DRESS, SUPRIYA LELE. EARRINGS, BRACELETS; ALL CARTIER

PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAN JACKSON. STYLED BY KATE PHELAN

128 THIS TIME IS OURS 154 THE RISE OF RESALE

Supriya Lele’s clothes showcase a push Today’s savviest fans are finding
and pull between her roots in Jabalpur everything from vintage Alaïa to Zara
and her life in the UK. The result is not in all corners of the digital shopping
a dissonance but a delicate view of space, writes Ellie Pithers
a new India, writes Akanksha Kamath
158 KINGDOM COME
138 A WORLD OF OUR OWN The serenity of ancient wisdom guides
A new generation of independent those who follow. Here, hope floats
designers are working to bring fashion where the river flows.
and sustainability together. Photographed by Rid Burman
Photographed by Eddie Wrey Styling and creative direction by
Styled by Poppy Kain Kshitij Kankaria

vogue india, january 2022

10
28 EDITOR’S LETTER 68 FABRIC OF LIFE
32 CONTRIBUTORS How do you infuse newness into a sacred, old
weave? Palak Shah of Ekaya Banaras discusses
STYLE material memory and breaking new ground

38 BRIGHT SPARK 70 FACE TIME

Naveli Choyal has a penchant for capturing A new generation of Indian models is shaping
Indian street life through a fashion lens. Arushi our definition of beauty. Casting its gaze on a
Sinha spotlights her kaleidoscopic nuances more authentic identity in fashion is talent
agency Feat. Artists, writes Akanksha Kamath
54 AN ENDLESS SUMMER
The Victorian primness of broderie anglaise has 74 READY, SET, SHOW
undergone a roaring revolution With its Cruise 2021–22 collection, Chanel
embarks on a flight of fancy to Provence, via the
56 NEW WAVE glittering Arabian desert of Dubai
With shorelines and bold stripes, this is clothing
and accessories rooted in wide open seas. The VIEW
formula for nautical style is as simple as it is perfect
82 CULTURE CALENDAR
58 BIG-BAG ENERGY An ingredient-driven Mumbai restaurant arrives,
The practical magic of a market tote melds both the Jaipur Literature Festival returns, a new resort
vanity and utility opens on the edge of the Gir forest, and more

60 CRAFTING MAGIC 86 FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Designers around the world are tapping into the Drawn from the creative and political minds of
craftivism of crochet and subverting its time- today’s diaspora, these upcoming novels are poised
worn associations, finds Phyllida Jay to be the debuts of the season, says Sana Goyal

64 OF COLOUR AND COMPANY 88 THE KIDS ARE NOT ALL RIGHT

For artist and jeweller Arpana Rayamajhi, Priya Ramani speaks to new mothers and other
mood-enhancing hues are a testament to her women grappling with the effects of climate
Nepali-in-New York aesthetic, finds Hasina Khatib change as people rethink parenting

Photos: Rid Burman; Asmita Parelkar (opposite)

KINGDOM COME, PAGE 158

vogue india, january 2022

11
90 WHAT JULIE SAHNI TAUGHT ME
While writing about a little-known Indian chef
for his debut book, Mayukh Sen unlocked a
deeper understanding of his own mother’s story

92 LAY OF THE LAND

Subverting the toxic doctrine of hustle culture,
Jahan Jhala left his corporate job in the UK for his
family farm in the Gir forest and is transforming it
into a biodynamic pocket, finds Sadaf Shaikh

JEWELLERY & WATCHES

98 ABOVE AND BEYOND

Carat, cut, clarity and colour have long been the
prerequisites for those looking to buy diamonds.
But what if there’s more, asks Archana Thani

102 SIGN OF THE TIMES

From classic Hollywood to cult celebrities,
leading ladies have fallen for the lure of Rolex on
their wrists and in their hearts, says Rishna Shah

WEDDINGS

104 BEHIND THE VEIL

Sabyasachi Mukherjee has built a brand on being
proudly and unapologetically Indian. Megha
Kapoor speaks with the man behind the country’s
biggest nuptials

WELLNESS & BEAUTY LAY OF THE LAND, PAGE 92

112 ALL FOR AYURVEDA

Packed with the goodness of herbs and spices,
these elixirs are trailblazing must-haves. By
Sonakshi Sharma 124 BEATING THE ODDS
Zinnia Kumar subverts every trope of a fashion
114 BRING THE SHINE model. In recent years, she has harnessed her
Ditch the matte lip and say hello to a maximalist celebrity to confront colourism, dismantle
pout. The spring/summer 2022 runways have long-held beauty ideals and encourage conversa-
concurred that gloss is back tions around sustainability, discovers Sadaf Shaikh

116 MANE ATTRACTION VOYAGE

Meet the freshest hair trend of the new year.
Pulled-back gelled tresses wrapped in a bun are 168 INTO THE VALLEY
making a compelling case for a sleek makeover Bhutan unfolds a journey that is transformative,
both physically and spiritually, finds Kirstie
118 SKIN DEEP Clements as she discovers a remote region with
Melanie Grant has made a name for herself traditions that are defiantly analogue, pristinely
working with the world’s most famous faces. The natural and dazzlingly majestic
skin whisperer walks Arushi Sinha through
crafting a mindful at-home skincare routine. 174 HOROSCOPE
Photographed by Bowen Aricò As a new year dawns, see what January has in
store for you
122 BREAK THE CYCLE
A slew of new sustainable period products 178 DIARY
showcase potential to change the conversation 180 SHOPLIST
around menstruation in India, says Arushi Sinha
182 IN LIST
At Louis Vuitton, the perennial polka dot finds a
fresh look on a black and white handbag built to last

vogue india, january 2022

OH SABYA!
 Scan the QR code below PUBLISHED BY CONDÉ NAST

to get the digital edition Chief exeCutive offiCer Roger Lynch

global Chief revenue offiCer & President, u.s. revenue Pamela Drucker Mann
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President, Condé nast entertainment Agnes Chu
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Chairman of the board

J A N

Jonathan Newhouse
2022
₹150

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28 Editor’s Letter
VOGUE RESET
Sometimes, you must take
another path. The January
2022 issue of Vogue India
ushers in a new era, a new
beginning: a VOGUE RESET.
This issue sets out to
champion the spirit of
creativity in India, spark
conversations, highlight
excellence in the fashion
industry, celebrate the
diversity of the subcontinent
and set forth a new visual
language, one where there is
room for everyone
My time in this industry began 12 years ago as an intern
at Vogue India, an experience that set in motion a chain of
events that has now come full circle, allowing me, with im-
mense gratitude and pride, to present Vogue India’s January
issue as its editor.
To RESET involves change, to begin from the baseline.
It’s an exciting opportunity to take stock, recalibrate and
start again. For our talent, this idea of a RESET was both
personal and universal. Whether it be dismantling long- Scrolling through Instagram and finding Naveli’s imag-
held beauty ideals, reprioritising business models towards a es drew me into a colourful world where culture and fash-
more sustainable ethos around the transferral of joy, or a ion coexist. Speaking with her via Zoom in September, I
daily ritual of reconnecting with nature, it is a concept that discovered that her practice is grounded in a deep rever-
resonates on many levels. ence for India and its artisans.
A collaboration with British-Indian designer Supriya There is a creative life force in India pushing against that
Lele felt like the obvious choice for christening this new long-expired notion of Western standards of fashion im-
path. In the past five years, her signature fusion of Indian agery being a universal ideal. ‘Kingdom come’, photo-
dress codes with a sensual ’90s minimalism has set her apart graphed by Rid Burman and styled by Kshitij Kankaria, a
as the darling of a new wave of design talent taking centre story rooted in spiritual expression, speaks to this energy
stage. I was thrilled when she agreed to come on board as a and fresh vision we hope to embody.
creative collaborator for our cover story. And this thread of being unapologetically Indian also
But even as the cultural landscape continues to spin be- comes through in my conversation with Sabyasachi
neath our feet and we struggle to find our moorings, one Mukherjee, the architect of the blockbuster Indian wed-
thing is undeniable: the urgent need for representation. I ding. Having shaped his empire on the romantic idealisa-
thought it was both important and necessary to ensure our tion of Indian culture while building a truly contemporary
cover star was a true role model. Zinnia Kumar fit that vi- brand, he credits embracing his identity to be at the core of
sion. Her work as a scientist, ecologist, activist and model his success.
sets her apart as someone who lives by her values. Her inter- I hope we can all embrace our collective identities in
view with Sadaf Shaikh is an insight into her mission to dis- this new way going forward. I hope you come with us on
mantle stereotypes. that journey.
From a studio in London, to patterned pandals in the Enjoy the issue.
gardens of Shahpur Jat in Delhi, image-maker Naveli Choy-
al captures and styles our first Homegrown story, which
could be described as a modern love letter to India’s artisa-
Bowen Aricò

nal traditions.
32 VOGUE Contributors

Photos: Christopher Gregory-Rivera (Mayukh); Gareth Phillips (Asmita)

mAyukh sen
Brooklyn-based Sen is the author of Taste Makers:
Seven Immigrant Women Who Revolutionized Food In
America. He won the James Beard Award in 2018 for AsmitA PArelkAr
his profile on Princess Pamela and currently teaches The Goa-based gardener, documentary photographer and
food writing at Columbia University. In ‘What Julie book designer is working on creating edible and biodi-
Sahni taught me’, Sen writes about how the trailblaz- verse gardens with a focus on native plants, alongside
ing Indian-American chef prompted him to explore learning regenerative farming and pursuing her goal of
his own relationship with his immigrant mother’s becoming a farmer. In ‘Lay of the land’, Parelkar gives us
cooking. Page 90 a glimpse into Wild Jai Farm, a biodynamic venture in
Gujarat’s Gir forest that is run by two ec0-conscious
millennials. Page 92

PhyllidA JAy
An anthropologist and author, Jay looks at
a range of historical, social and cultural
issues in present-day India through the lens dAn JAckson
of fashion. She is especially interested in Jackson is known for his ability to
Indian craft and its role in international apply the language of classical
luxury. Her second book, Inspired By India: PriyA rAmAni portraiture to fashion photography.
How India Transformed Global Design, When she’s not searching for interfaith, His work has bagged him cam-
releases this year. In ‘Crafting magic’, she inter-caste and LGBTQIA+ love stories paigns for Dior Couture, Chanel
explores how designers are breathing new for India Love Project, the start-up she and Tiffany & Co. while his editorial
life into the age-old art of crochet. Page 60 co-founded during the pandemic, images have appeared in publica-
Ramani struggles to keep pace with her tions such as i-D, Dazed and the
11-year-old daughter and her passion Wall Street Journal. In ‘This time is
for animals. In ‘The kids are not all ours’, Jackson turns his camera on
right’, she talks to mothers who have cover star Zinnia Kumar, a young
opted out of raising children in these multi-hyphenate who is working
times of climate anxiety. Page 88 towards dismantling colourism and
improving South Asian representa-
tion in media. Page 128
AHMEDABAD | DELHI | HYDERABAD | MUMBAI | LOS ANGELES
www.shyamalandbhumika.com
www.shantanunikhil.com
38 VOGUE Homegrown

BRIGHT SPARK
Handcrafted silks
meet bold, textured prints
to create a sensory
overload.
Naveli Choyal captures
India’s technicolour
spirit—vital,
visceral and
unapologetically vibrant

PHOTOGRAPHED AND STYLED BY NAVELI CHOYAL

HAIR AND MAKEUP: LUNA LAHKAR DUTT

ASSISTANT STYLIST: JAISHREE CHABBRA. PRODUCTION: IMRAN CHOUDHARY
MODEL: MERRILYN BORO/ALF. VISUALS EDITOR: JAY MODI
ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR: MEGHA MEHTA
 JACKET, SHIRT, SKIRT;
ALL INJIRI

“This is an apT represenTaTion of how I understand colour, growing up in India,” explains Choyal. This outfit by Injiri boldly
melds solid colours in box-sized checks and reminds the creative artist of quintessentially Indian silhouettes like the lungi
or gamcha. The label by Chinar Farooqui brings together her own experience of being surrounded by the tribes of Ra-
jasthan and Gujarat, where colour loves company and never appears alone
40

JACKET, KURTA, TROUSERS; ALL PÉRO.

SHOES, MELISSA

“NO ONe dOes embrOidery in a muted colour palette like péro by Aneeth Arora,” says Choyal, who has hand-picked this rose
pink jacket, tunic and pants combination. Arora, who started her label over 10 years ago, dedicates her label to craft tech-
niques passed down from mothers to daughters in households countrywide. Crochet, French knot embroidery and cross-
stitch are some of the time-honoured and deft needlework techniques that make up the Delhi-based brand’s repertoire
SHIRT, JACKET, TROUSERS; ALL PÉRO.
SHOES, MELISSA
vogue india, january 2022
43

JACKET,TROUSERS;
BOTH BOBO CALCUTTA

In a colour wheel of chaotIc brIghts, Choyal describes this Kolkata-based label as something she’s never quite come across
before. “Bobo’s play of colour is incredible. When you hold the garment in your hands, you realise the amount of work,
time and craft that has gone into it.” The label’s riotous colour embroideries in a smattering of sequins are almost always
in unique patterns, unlike the run-of-the mill flora and fauna works you often come across in this style
44

JACKET, SARI; BOTH RAW MANGO. SHOES, MELISSA

OPPOSITE PAGE: SARI, AKAARO

There is someThing abouT Raw Mango’s use of Indian textiles in a supremely modern language. With layering and candy
stripes, this mashru silk longline jacket, sari and vest jacket combination becomes something of a uniform for the modern
woman. “Picking labels for this shoot was an intimate process,” Choyal explains. “I chose everything that I myself would
wear—and I am a woman of practical needs, for whom function always comes first.”
“I drape my saris like this. It helps me run around and get things done, rather than just becoming a piece of
adornment on my body.” The no-distraction draping technique also works to show off the pattern of the Akaaro sari beau-
tifully. This label by Gaurav Jai Gupta champions the handwoven and handmade sari in a new narrative while staying
supremely true to technique and craft. He does not water down, and in that, is its beauty
47

BLOUSE, SKIRT; BOTH NAUSHAD ALI. NECKLACE, SAVIO JON.

SHOES, MELISSA

ThIS fuSS-free TIe-dye SkIrT and ShIrT by nauShad alI are an example of how clothes can have cultural connotations with-
out compromising on a contemporary context. For the look, Ali uses tie-dye in a unique ombré that shades from ink black
to potent blue. When combined together, they synchronise, and the lustre of handwoven silk catches the camera’s flash,
forming a feverish new hue.
48 VOGUE Homegrown
LOCAL TIME
New kid on the block
Naveli Choyal
is an image-maker
and multi-hyphenate with
a penchant for capturing
Indian street life
through a fashion lens.
Arushi Sinha spotlights
her kaleidoscopic nuances of
our layered culture

Naveli Choyal wears a black cotton sari when I meet

her on the set of the Vogue India shoot. It’s is hitched up to
her ankles with Nikes peeking out from under, a tell-tale
sign that she’s at work, taking in her surroundings, mov-
ing purposefully to get the perfect portrait. “My focus is
always the cultural elements this country has to offer,” THE CREATIVE KICKS OFF OUR SECTION
DEDICATED TO SPOTLIGHTING HOME-GROWN TALENT
explains Choyal of her process. “Once I decide what that
is, I work backwards from there.”
As we embark on a journey to reshape the narrative
around fashion, craftsmanship and sustainability, it’s It is little surprise, then, that Choyal is a dyed-in-the-
clear Choyal is the perfect creative collaborator. She wool traditionalist when it comes to Indian textiles and
speaks passionately about the grit and integrity of India’s their upliftment. “I only work with brands that benefit an
artisans and makes it clear that she is not interested in artisan community. The clothes cannot be polyester, that
viewing them through the lens of a foreign gaze, saying, is not my vibe.” Uncannily, at any given time, the multi-
“Too often, it is Western designers who get credit for hyphenate creative looks as though she has stepped out
using Indian textiles.” of her own images. “My work is a reflection of my
The former designer at Raw Mango credits her back- thoughts and my way of living. When I’m picking who to
ground of spending days with textiles and fabrics as work with, I’m mindful of their values and whether they
the influence behind her singular vision today. “I love live up to them.”
fashion, but I love my culture equally. My aim is to be At our shoot in a garden in Delhi’s bohemian Shah-
able to understand it better through the lens of fashion,” pur Jat, Choyal is busy directing a model in a braid under
she says. patterned pandals with nothing except a wooden table,
She was born and raised in Ajmer, Rajasthan. A re- chairs and marigold garlands as props. Her approach is
gion with a rich history of textile and print-making, an interesting mix of relaxed and deliberate, with an
which has birthed both the bandhani and the leheriya, it ease so light that it camouflages her attention to detail.
was her learning ground. “Growing up, my mother was There are slices of Indian life that captivate Choyal and
my fashion icon. She wore the most amazing bandhani she seems to have an eye for the kinds of details that
kurtas,” confesses Choyal. bring an image to life. “India identifies so deeply with
Until recently, Choyal believed herself to be the only celebration that we even celebrate death here, like at the
artistic member of her business-minded family. While ghats in Varanasi, where they do both, burn bodies and
researching her family history, a discovery about her lin- chant songs that celebrate life,” she says.
eage convinced her otherwise. “It turns out that my ma- It is that juxtaposition between tragedy and jubi-
ternal great-grandfather was a photographer at the royal lance that creates the contrast central to Choyal’s point
court of Jaipur. And my great-grandmother was an ac- of view. When I ask what drives her, she replies, “As cli-
complished carver who received a presidential award. chéd as it sounds, my feelings, my instinct, my gut—they
No one in my family has ever talked about it.” never lie.” It’s a belief that has helped her focus on the
It was this discovery that made her pivot to photog- ways in which she would like to shape her career. “I see it
raphy feel like a homecoming. She confesses that learn- happening every day,” she confesses, “and it makes more
ing about her ancestors’ creative heritage brought vali- and more sense to me that if you do what you believe in,
dation: “I was now able to join the dots. It made me feel what resonates with you, and is in line with your char-
like I’m not the only one who has that itch to create. acter, you can’t go wrong.”
 VOGUE PROMOTION

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commitment and love. And it only makes sense to create Settting the tone for a one-of-a-kind itinerary, filled with
these special memories with a private, intimate vacation myriad experiences, Hilton Goa Resort makes for the perfect
celebrating your honeymoon in North Goa’s most gorgeous backdrop for the most romantic getaway.
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 ART CHAMPIONING
SUSTAINABILITY
BMW Group and India Art Fair pay homage to art and commission
the first-ever car wrap for the first all-electric BMW iX

Impactful art deserves to be showcased, and such feats India—the BMW iX. An unrivalled car demonstrating the
deserve their laurels. It deserves recognition, and if anyone excellence of modern technology with a forward-thinking,
knows how to rightfully celebrate compelling art, it is the India monolithic approach, the first all-electric BMW iX is
Art Fair. In association with BMW Group, India Art Fair engineered with a high proportion of recycled and natural
celebrates and supports modern and contemporary art from materials, revealing sustainability at its core. With an
South Asia. With art at the very core of their philosophy, the impressive and efficient charging performance, the electric
BMW Group is a pioneer in revolutionary works of art such as car goes up to 425 kilometres in just one charge, making it
the BMW Art Car Project. The group has upheld its position ideal for both long distance or city driving. The BMW iX will
as a champion of cultural innovation worldwide, with the be showcased for the first time at the India Art Fair, through
commissioning of the artistically excellent BMW Art Cars, or the vision of an artist’s idea of sustainability.
the spearheading of BMW Tate Live and similar initiatives,
affiliated to their name. With their impressive and aspirational THE FUTURE IS BORN OF ART COMMISSION
lineup of the most revered products in the world like the first ‘The Future is Born of Art Commission’ will be the first ever
all-electric BMW iX, BMW has demonstrated its passion for commission for designing a BMW car wrap to be awarded to
art, aesthetics and car design, with creativity and artistry at an Indian artist—a labour of the powerful partnership between
the helm. the BMW Group and India Art Fair with the goal of
championing emerging artists driving positive change for
THE FIRST ALL-ELECTRIC BMW iX awareness towards sustainable development. After a long
Bringing forth their undeniable prowess in designing selection process, the four shortlisted artists represent a wide
exceptional automobiles with an eco-positive outlook, BMW breadth of perspectives and inventive interpretations. Among
introduces its very first all-electric car from the brand in them are Faiza Hasan, an artist who places community at the
 VOGUE PROMOTION

Faiza Hasan expands the idea of sustainability with that of community, with the Farah Mulla’s car wrap incorporates the idea of interactive art, playing
Urdu word ‘suno’ which means ‘to listen’ prominently featured in her car wrap with the notion of a car as an extension of the human body

Latheesh Lakshman’s design plays on the importance of renewal and Visakh Menon ‘remixes’ his signature digitally-inspired works to
regeneration, illustrated in a style which links it to sustainability create an all-new design to interpret sustainable circularity

centre of sustainability; Farah Mulla, a geologist interested in

how space and sound create each other and affect human
interaction; Latheesh Lakshman, an artist and creative
director who playfully highlights the importance of electric
cars for the future; and Visakh Menon, a painter with an
affinity for the digital, who exposes the inner workings of data
and electronics that shape our everyday in his proposed
car wrap.
Shortlisted by an esteemed jury that consists of some of the
most eminent names in Indian art—Bose Krishnamachari,
founding president of the Kochi Biennale Foundation; Sonal
Singh, director of Christie’s India, Alex Kuruvilla, managing
director of Condé Nast India, and Jaya Asokan, fair director
at India Art Fair—selected artists were asked to create
proposals that respond to the theme. These spectacular
designs were grounded in the artist’s own practice and
interpretative frameworks placing the artists’ voice and vision
for the future at its forefront. The winning BMW iX wrap
design will be unveiled at India Art Fair 2022, and travel
around the country.

For more information, visit Indiaartfair.in

 A SEASIDE SOJOURN
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resorts offer the perfect opportunity to experience tropical bliss

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 VOGUE PROMOTION

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54 VOGUE Style

AN ENDLESS SUMMER

The cumulative term used for a collage of eyelets seen on clothes,

‘broderie anglaise’ means ‘English embroidery in French’. Spliced
and diced to perfection, the Victorian primness of the deft
needlework has undergone a roaring revolution since its beginnings
in the 1800s. What we have today are holes in clothes that never
looked so pretty
 55

2
Photo: Nathaniel Goldberg. Stylist: Virginie Benarroch. Makeup: Stéphane Lopez. Manicure: Swamp. Hairstylist: Marc Alex Falba. Production: Louis. Production Assistants: Livia Rossi, Léa Meylan

1. EARRINGS, TIMELESS PEARLY, ₹38,800

2. LACE DRESS, ‘MALIE, ₹27,500
3. SHOES, GIANVITO ROSSI, ₹50,000

4. LACE BLOUSE, ISABEL MARANT, PRICE ON REQUEST

5. BERMUDA SHORTS, ZARA, ₹2,590
6. SUNGLASSES, LINDA FARROW, ₹34,400
7. BELT, CHANEL, PRICE ON REQUEST
56 VOGUE Style

NEW WAVE

With shorelines and bold stripes, this is clothing and accessories

rooted in wide open seas. If there is one way to cast off the
last two years, it’s by jetting off to places where warm waters
meet our toes, the wind is salty, and balmy afternoons turn into
sanguine nights
57
1. STRIPED TOWEL,
HERMÈS, PRICE ON REQUEST
2. BUCKET HAT, JW ANDERSON, ₹ 9,740

JIL SANDER

3. TUNIC, BALMAIN, PRICE ON REQUEST

4. BASKET TOTE BAG, MARK CROSS, ₹ 63,750
5. ‘PHOEBE’ STRIPED SILK
WIDE-LEG PANTS, KHAITE, ₹ 66,300
3

vogue india, january 2022

58 VOGUE Style

BIG -BAG ENERGY

Photo: Greg Lin Jia Jie; Stylist: Regina Chan; Makeup & Hair: Emil Zed; Production: Kelly Huang; Fashion Assistant: Marianna Fronnais; Production Assistant: Kabel Forbs; Model: Edwina Preston

Emerging after a rather unusual year, the reorientation of our

fashion choices manifests in the rejection of the utterly frivolous.
So, goodbye mini bags that fit only a lipstick bullet and plastic
cash—we are now finding our happy medium in TV-sized
market totes. The supersized silhouette rooms together high and
low fashion in a structured tote that compartmentalises our apples
from our oranges
vogue india, january 2022
59

1. STRIPED SHOPPER TOTE, BALENCIAGA, ₹ 88,800 2. TOTE BAG, BOTTEGA VENETA,

PRICE ON REQUEST 3. ORANGE TOTE BAG, MARNI, PRICE ON REQUEST
4. LEATHER TOTE BAG, JIL SANDER, ₹ 1,98,700
5. STRIPED MARKET BAG, LASTFRAME, ₹ 20,000

vogue india, january 2022

60 VOGUE Style

CRAFTING MAGIC

PÉRO

ANEETH ARORA OF PÉRO IS DRAWN TO CROCHET BECAUSE OF ITS

INHERENT VERSATILITY AND SILK-ROUTE PREDILECTIONS. SEEN HERE IS
A JUMPER IN THE DEFT NEEDLEWORK STYLE

Crochet, that afternoon pastime formerly reserved for

grandmothers, is back in the spotlight. By tapping into its
craftivism and subverting its time-worn associations, designers
around the world are bringing innovative interpretations to the
traditional craft, finds Phyllida Jay
61
“In Jamaica, crochet is a craft
that is still passed down
generationally, often from
grandmothers and
mothers to daughters.
You see it everywhere—doilies
and table runners in people’s houses,
swimsuits, cover-ups and hats”
—Rachel Scott

1. SANDALS, VALENTINO, PRICE ON REQUEST

2. CORDUROY PULLOVER,
STORY MFG, ₹68,100 3. JEANS, GUCCI,
PRICE ON REQUEST

A ‘doilycore’ skirt made from pieced-together cro-

cheted table mats for the autumn/winter 2021-22 line-
up by Eckhaus Latta exemplified the rebirth of crochet
out of the confines and craft renaissance of lockdowns.
During the ‘waxed and vaxxed’ optimism of Summer
2021, young designers like Natalia Fedner and Isa Boul-
der took crochet’s lacy propensities to body-skimming
extremes, finding favour with millennial icons like Ky-
lie Jenner, Adut Akech and Saweetie. Meanwhile, Aus-
tralian designer Dion Lee’s structured corset tops and
dresses demonstrate just how versatile crochet can be.
When immaculately executed, crochet can create the
perfect balance between form and fit.
But beyond celebrity-approved trends, in the hands
of many designers, crochet is combining aesthetic rein-
vention with social innovation. Launched in early 2021,
Diotima is reinventing crochet while tapping into its
diverse cultural histories and aesthetics. For its found-
er, New York City-based Rachel Scott, who grew up in
Jamaica, 2020 was a time of deep reflection. She decid-
ed to turn a long-held dream into reality, collaborating
with a group of female crochet artisans in Jamaica, who
Scott had met on a trip many years before.
“In Jamaica, crochet is a craft that is still passed down
generationally, often from grandmothers and mothers to
daughters. You see it everywhere—doilies and table run-
ners in people’s houses, swimsuits, cover-ups and hats. In
the Rasta community, in particular, there is a special rev-
erence for crochet hats and belts. Aside from the Jamai-
can-specific crafts, I am always thinking about what fash-
ion is from a Jamaican perspective.”
A bestseller is what Scott calls the ‘web top’, a tradi-
tional Jamaican starched cotton crochet harness top.
Reminiscent of a spider’s web, it’s an eminently roman-
tic piece, deftly subverting codes of sartorial primness.
vogue india, january 2022
62
Another, the Marchande skirt, sees crochet spilling like “The possibilities are endless.
an ethereal cloud down one side.
Collaboration and innovation also inform péro, the You begin with a single
Delhi-based label founded by Aneeth Arora, which first
began tinkering with crochet in 2015 and is known for
strand of running yarn and you
its elegiac storytelling through tactile interpretations of can do anything with it”
India’s handwoven textiles.
Arora explains that one day while walking in Delhi, —Aneeth Arora
she saw a woman with an unusually magnificent cro-
cheted dupatta decorated with birds and butterfly mo-
tifs. Arora was so drawn to it that she began chatting with
the woman, which resulted in a long-term collaboration
with Delhi’s Afghani refugee community. For autumn/
winter 2021-22, Arora wanted to push the envelope with
crochet, using neon-infused crocheted ‘granny square’
inserts as an integral part of the construction of soft wool
jackets and a standout handwoven merino wool revers-
ible parka with a crocheted hood.
The upcoming spring/summer 2022 collection will
feature crochet-covered pieces, including men’s shirts
and dresses, for the womenswear collection. “They are
jaali-like,” says Arora, and are made from crocheted
fine silk thread, tapping into crochet’s historical affini-
ties with lace. (Some experts believe crochet’s origins
lie in Tambour work developed in 16th-century Eu-
rope, incorporating Persian, Indian and Chinese em-
broidery influences.)
Arora is drawn to crochet because of its inherent
versatility and silk-route predilections.“The possibili-
ties are endless. You begin with a single strand of running
yarn and you can do anything with it.”

1. CHUNKY SNEAKERS, CHLOÉ, ₹59,900

2. METALLIC CROCHET MAXI DRESS, CHRISTOPHER ESBER, ₹92,125
3. CROCHET BUCKET HAT, ETRO, ₹21,550
GABRIELA HEARST

vogue india, january 2022

64 VOGUE
OF COLOUR AND COMPANY
For artist and jeweller Arpana Rayamajhi,
mood-enhancing hues
are a testament to her
Nepali-in-New York aesthetic,
finds Hasina Khatib

vogue india, january 2022

65

FROM LEFT: JEWELLERY FROM ‘THE NARCISSIST’ SERIES;

STACKING A NECKLACE FROM THE COLLECTION,
RINGS BY THE ZUNI TRIBE IN TAOS, NEW MEXICO.
Method to the madness or madness as the method? Ask OPPOSITE PAGE: RAYAMAJHI CAPTURES A SELF-PORTRAIT WEARING A FLORAL
SHIRT BY MANGO, ’60S MOD PANTS FROM ZARA AND SANDALS BY TOGA
Arpana Rayamajhi and she’ll tell you that the answer
lurks somewhere in-between. “There is an order to how
I dress, despite the assorted nature of the things I wear.
But a little madness is always necessary for any creative
endeavour,” declares the Kathmandu-born and New sponse. On a subconscious level, her sartorial choices
York-based multidisciplinary artist. If you haven’t serve as a time capsule to her childhood in Nepal, a
scrolled through the merry mosaic of colours, prints cache of the colours, sights and sounds she grew up with
and patterns on her Instagram profile yet, your mood that are now holding court in her looks.
board is missing a trick. There is no pandemic-induced “I first learned about colours when walking down
censoring of her instincts, no functionality-over-frivol- the streets of my hometown while shopping with my
ity approach to fashion. Instead, her compulsive use of mother. That experience lives with me till today, as I
colour means that you’ll notice her from across the find myself gravitating towards styles that wouldn’t
room or even a crowded New York sidewalk. make it to magazines or social media but are emblem-
“Can you imagine what the streets of New York atic of everyday people looking their best,” she remi-
would look like if one day we all decided to wear colours nisces. Her true sartorial education, however, came
and patterns? The visual juxtaposition against all the when she visited the vibrant streets of Tokyo. “The
concrete would be incredible,” she muses. It is a fantasy street-style culture in Japan will teach you that fashion
that might just come true as fashion folks start gradually isn’t about putting together expensive brands or fol-
turning their attention to dopamine-inducing hues and lowing the latest, must-have trends. It’s what you wear
vivid brights—which couldn’t be better news for Ray- and how you wear it. It’s the story behind the items you
amajhi. “Colours are a celebration of life,” is the reason- picked and what they say about you,” she observes.
ing she has frequented in the past, but the pandemic has Having originally come to New York to enrol at The
afforded her time to unpack the layers beneath that re- Cooper Union School of Art, a surprise turn to jewel-
vogue india, january 2022
66

vogue india, january 2022

67
lery has helped Rayamajhi accumulate a lofty roster of
accomplishments since. Her handcrafted creations
have been spotted on supermodels Gigi Hadid and
Adriana Lima and afforded her entry into The New York
Times’ coveted 30-under-30 list. Looking back, she be-
lieves that the secret sauce to her success stemmed
from filtering her design sensibilities through the lens
of her heritage. Her jewellery line features beads hand-
picked from her travels around the world and served
with a host of ephemeral trimmings including tassels,
neon hair from wigs, even pencil erasers. “Over the
years, I have given many reasons for how my brand
came to be. Being in a new city, being broke, having to
DIY my own accessories to wear… While all of these
reasons are true, I was ultimately inspired to create jew-
ellery for a much simpler reason: I was an art student
who missed her home. With beads and with crystals, I
found a way to rekindle my connection with my roots
and express my heritage.”
Rayamajhi’s story is one that resonates with many,
so it comes as little surprise that she has amassed a loyal
online following over the years. While she has lever-
aged her platform to speak about political matters in
the past, she admits to finding herself disillusioned with
anonymous trolls and criticism that can negate the
space for healthy conversation. “How can we ask for
more physical diversity and representation but penal-
ise the diversity of ideas and concepts?” she questions.
It is an answer she is yet to discover. But as she navi-
gates her way into the world of filmmaking, she claims
that the only drama she likes now is on-screen—script-
ed and imaginary.

CLOCKWISE, FROM TOP RIGHT: BEADED CREATIONS IN A RAINBOW

OF COLOURS; RAYAMAJHI IN AN UPCYCLED ZAZI VINTAGE COAT AND AEDYE BOOTS;
WEARING A FARM RIO CARDIGAN AND MANGO SKIRT.
OPPOSITE PAGE: IN A FRINGED JACKET FROM TORY BURCH AND JEWELLERY
FROM ‘THE NARCISSIST’ SERIES

vogue india, january 2022

68 VOGUE Style
FABRIC OF LIFE

BANARASI SILK SARIS FROM THE EKAYA X MASABA COLLABORATION BRING

NEW DIMENSIONS TO THE TIMELESS TEXTILE

How do you infuse newness into a sacred, old weave?

The boundless Banarasi textile finds 21st-century prevalence at
Ekaya Banaras under the leadership of its CEO Palak Shah.
The textile heiress discusses material memory
and breaking new ground in one of the country’s most
long-standing textile traditions
69
“As A child, I was my father’s keenest apprentice. He was a “Ultimately, the goal is to encourage the next generation of
third-generation textile entrepreneur in a 120-year-old textile weavers to enter the craft to preserve it, to bring respect to the
manufacturing family business and I shadowed him trade. You cannot do any of it without scale. We cannot confine
attentively. I accompanied him on visits to the loom and sat in our crafts to India alone if we want them to have a longer lifespan.
the crevices of his office, making blouses for my dolls with lefto- “I remember how my dad always spoke about wanting to
ver fabrics. I learnt unconsciously, subliminally and round the challenge the weavers’ creativity—as well as his own—even be-
clock. But I had no aspirations to join him or to work in fashion. fore we launched Ekaya. He wanted to innovate and shock the
Solely soaking it all in from sight and sound, I instinctively knew Banarasi world. Our work spans kadwa, cutwork, jamdani, real
my kadwa from my cutwork. We ultimately co-founded Ekaya in zari, tanchoi, jangla and butidar, but the premise has always been
2012. No matter where you stray, by growing up in the heart of a to rethink age-old techniques to create something new every
family steeped in the preservation of Banarasi textiles, you will time. Forward-thinking is at the forefront. This isn’t just weav-
eventually find your way to this greater cause. ing, this is textile engineering.
“Even as a finance student in London, I was interested in lux- “The possibilities are infinite. Like when our weavers used
ury. I always wondered—perhaps even envied—the pride at- loosely twisted yarn to achieve the raised effect and thicker tex-
tached to buying something made in France or Italy. Why isn’t the ture of chikankari on a fabric. Or something as simple as doing
same mantle extended to ‘made in India’? I would often ask myself. away with sari borders (which was previously the norm). For our
The association is most often, and unfairly, deemed too ‘cultural’ Revival Project, which restores and repairs heirloom saris, we
for a global audience. Having been incredibly India-proud all my turned to the Patola weaving technique to revive a Banarasi sari.
life, I wanted to celebrate my roots, not shy away from them. With all our collaborations—Abraham & Thakore, Masaba Gup-
“Giving Banarasi textiles and our craftsmanship a global ta, Archana Rao, Ashdeen, Misho—we partner with designers
lease was the way to do it. Think about it—our wonderful Indian who have never worked with Banarasi before, so preconceived
diaspora in New York or Kenya may not buy a sari without a limitations don’t get in the way of discoveries and explorations.
special occasion for it. But nothing is stopping them from buying With Banarasi, it cannot just be about bringing back the past, for
an Indian textile in the form of art or jewellery. Tell me you it is futile if we aren’t also moving towards the future.”
haven’t yearned to carry a piece of your heritage on a long trip
overseas? You should be able to do it in the form of a black Ba- As told to PrAAchi rAniwAlA
narasi jacket that makes you feel just a little bit closer to home.
“Is that bastardisation? On the contrary, I call it adaptation.
For years, Banarasi was frozen in time because purists valued
rigidity over growth. But you are allowed to play with the codes
as long as the DNA remains untouched. If you can’t wear a Ba-
narasi sari in its original form, I’ll give you a power suit instead,
but maybe we will never make a pre-stitched sari because drap-
ing is an art form. By making Banarasi accessible, you aren’t tak-
ing away from the craft. Techniques are being preserved, the
process isn’t diluted, and most importantly, the weavers get their
due. As I see it, it is our 10,000-plus weavers who are the heroes,
not the product.

LEFT: A WEAVER AT WORK ON A HANDLOOM; RIGHT: A HANDWOVEN

SILK JACKET INSPIRED BY LEOPARD PRINT

vogue india, january 2022

70 VOGUE Style

FACE TIME
A new generation of Indian models is shaping our definition of
beauty. Casting its gaze on a more authentic identity in fashion is
talent agency Feat. Artists, writes Akanksha Kamath

“Your idea of beauty is formed by the people you come in

immediate contact with—the people who feed you, play with you
Photos: Bikramjit Bose/Feat. Artists; Styling: Nikhil D

and teach you,” explains Nikhil Dudani (or ‘Nikhil D’, as per his
preferred alias). As one half of Feat. Artists, a home to models,
photographers and stylists, Nikhil, along with model Smita
Lasrado, is pushing for an industry-wide shift where diversity does
not come with a strict quota attached.
71

RIYA
Height — 5΄9.5˝, waist — 24,
chest — 29.5, shoes — 40, hips
— 34, eyes — black, hair — brown

BRIJESH
Height — 6΄3˝, waist — 32, chest
— 33, shoes — 44, hips — 35, eyes
— brown, hair — black
vogue india, january 2022
72
“Why did we only have European or South
American models in campaigns all through the late
’90s and early 2000s?” he asks. In India, often, our
layered colonial past favours Eurocentric beauty
standards—fair skin, straight hair, lithe bodies.
“That pushed me to dig deeper and find models
who reminded me of people I grew up around.”
In a multicultural country with no fixed fea-
tures, mutable lifestyles, foods, fashion or dress,
casting directors play a crucial role in accurately
mirroring society. “My sister’s round face, my Ma-
harashtrian neighbour’s smile, my school bus driv-
er’s dark chocolate skin, my art teacher’s long, wavy
hair—they all form different parts of India and my
idea of Indian beauty,” he explains. What instructs
the co-founder and stylist’s eye for a fresh face is a
new lens on beauty that tips the scales of exclusivi-
ty. Take, for example, his chance bump-in with
newly-minted model Brijesh.
“I was walking to Smita’s apartment one after-
noon and I saw Brijesh moving furniture in the
same building. He immediately struck me as a
model—long hair, brown skin and a very strong
bone structure,” says Nikhil about a chance sight-
ing on his daily walk to work. “We called him over
after work and asked him how he felt about model-
ling.” As a migrant far from his farming roots in
Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, this was a stranger-than-
fiction proposition from the pair. After consulting
with his brother, Brijesh said yes. Shortly after , he
landed a modelling gig for fragrance giant Byredo’s
newest campaign. And now he’s signed on with
Supa Model Management. Like a proud mentor,
watching his protégé take flight, Nikhil tells me,
“Brijesh leaves for London soon. He’s going to make SUSHIRU
international waves.” Height — 5΄8˝, waist — 27, chest — 32,
Like the rest of the world in strict lockdown, Ri- shoes — 39, hips — 33, eyes — black,
ya’s scouting was a result of hours spent scrolling In- hair — black
stagram. “Riya was a stand-in model for my friend’s
label in Puducherry. She is the kind of model you’d
see in a Chloé show, but also in a bridal campaign for
Manish Malhotra. Gawky, slender and with big eyes,
she reminds me of Twiggy from the ’60s.”
Around the world, as supermodels with star-like
qualities were born, in India the movement gave us
the lithe, dusky beauties Lakshmi Menon, Madhu
Sapre and Ujjwala Raut. “You don’t see that kind of
beauty around anymore,” Nikhil reflects. “I saw
Megha five times at a bar in Bandra before I had the
courage to talk to her. One night, I found a friend
speaking to her and saw it as my opportunity. She
was a bit hesitant—as an investment consultant, she prominent memory of Sushiru was of him as a de-
never imagined modelling as a valid career path.” sign assistant backstage at fashion weeks. We met
Someone wise once said that fashion is a func- again, years later, at a gender-based event where I
Photos: Bikramjit Bose/Feat. Artists; Styling: Nikhil D

tion of society. It reflects the subcultures and popu- saw him perform drag. As a former fashion student,
lar cultures that emerge as whispers in dinner-par- Sushiru has the knowledge of fashion and its histo-
ty conversations, and then more loudly on political ry, and as a model, that serves him well. He brings
pedestals. Feat. Artists represents models of all gen- something new to every job in the form of perfor-
ders and ethnicities from the subcontinent and pro- mance and movement.”
motes their talents and skills. “On principle we say Today, four years after the creative duo began
no to any kind of misrepresentation of gender and their passion project to cover the length and
caricature of the LGBTQIA+ community,” says breadth of the country with the faces that constitute
Nikhil, who operates from this framework of fash- it, they can proudly say they have achieved
ion. His next subject stands to illustrate: “My most their goal.
vogue india, january 2022
73
“My sister’s round face, my Maharashtrian neighbour’s smile,
my school bus driver’s dark chocolate skin, my art teacher’s long,
wavy hair—they all form different parts of India and my idea of
Indian beauty”—Nikhil D, co-founder, Feat. Artists

MEGHA
Height — 5΄5˝, waist — 24, chest —
30.5, shoes — 39, hips — 34, eyes —
dark brown, hair — black
vogue india, january 2022
74 VOGUE Style
READY, SET, SHOW
With its Cruise 2021–22 collection,
Chanel embarks on a flight of fancy to
Provence, via the glittering Arabian desert
of Dubai, with a collection of
graphic pieces inspired by the
work of filmmaker Jean Cocteau

In an homage to Chanel’s Cruise 2021-22 show, which was held in a former quarry, this collection was set against the backdrop of
draped beige fabric that mimicked the rocky edifice of the original venue. The sentiment behind this showcase was, as per
Chanel’s creative director Virginie Viard, an “invitation to travel”, with the atmosphere of the show transporting guests to the
South of France. Projections of olive trees against the drapery brought to mind the Mediterranean vibe of the first show,
which was unveiled at the Carrières de Lumières in the village of Les Baux-de-Provence, in the South of France, in May.
75
for only the second time in its leather pieces and the soft light of
storied history, the House of Chanel Les Baux-de-Provence, which
presented a collection in Dubai— inspires its lighter, more feminine
eight years after the maison made its elements. Priyanka Kapadia,Vogue
debut in the city in 2014. Creative India’s fashion director, talks to
director Virginie Viard took Arushi Sinha about her favourite
inspiration from Testament Of elements from Chanel’s latest offering.
Orpheus, a 1959 film by Jean Cocteau,
who had a close, personal friendship
with the fashion house’s founder,
Gabrielle ‘Coco’ Chanel. Cocteau’s
black and white film had an
aesthetic defined by simplicity,
precision and poetry—all elements
that Viard sought to capture in this
collection via its monochrome
palette and graphic dresses. In many
ways, this line is a study in contrasts:
between the rock-punk inspired
aesthetic that informs its fringed and

this flowing white caftan, in particular, exudes sophistica-

tion with its free-flowing silhouette and open-neck col-
lar, and the ballooned sleeves serve as an homage to the
sense of movement present in this collection (in details
such as fringes and frills) as well as a play on volume.

Viard’s muse for this collection was the apartment of

Coco Chanel, and she picked elements from the iconic
designer’s home to interpret into animal motifs-turned-
charms that dotted pieces such as the white tweed jacket
pictured here—lions for that famous Leo, camels, doves
of peace, fawns and female sphinxes.
vogue india, january 2022
76

There are few pieces that have as much lore around them as the classic Chanel tweed suit. This
season, Viard brought the original firmly into the modern era by using 100-per-cent recycled
tweed and adding elements such as fringed hems for a punk-meets-Provence approach.

Viard Took oVer The reins of Chanel after

the death of its famed, long-time creative
director Karl Lagerfeld in 2019. This col-
lection, in particular, with its punk and
streetwear influences, is the most com-
fort-driven collection from the maison
thus far. Its fringed leather skirts and
open-knit sweaters speak to a rock-
inspired vibe. Its jewellery with spikes—
including a jewelled double-C piercing
for the lower lip—capture a youthful
rebelliousness.

when iT comes To a successful line, the key is always balance. Viard kept this in mind, off-setting the
mod and ’60s rock-era-inspired pieces with softer, more feminine influences that incorporate
the classicism of the French Riviera, courtesy flowing négligées and caftans, high-waisted palaz-
zo pants in prints that included a calligraphic camellia pattern, and ivory lace dresses.
vogue india, january 2022
77

working with both mod and punk references, Viard offered graphic takes on staple pieces like the classic suit, which features
details like a cropped blazer and wide-legged pants.

As fAr As ChAnel runwAy shows go, what happens off the catwalk is just as important as what happens on it, as evidenced by
celebrities such as Penélope Cruz, Soo Joo Park and Caroline de Maigret marking their attendance, wearing head-to-toe
looks from the collection. Grammy Award-winning singer and composer John Legend was also in attendance and serenaded
audiences with songs on a balmy Dubai evening.
vogue india, january 2022
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ERRIKOS ANDREOU, VOGUE WEDDING BOOK 2019
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82 VOGUE View
MATTER OF TASTE
It’s easy to see why Ekaa Mumbai,
a new ingredient-driven restaurant
in Kala Ghoda, has been a year in
the making. Pandemic issues aside,

chef Niyati Rao, who trained at

Noma and has previously worked
at Goa’s A Reverie and Mumbai’s
Zodiac Grill, spent as much time
curating the menu for her cuisine-
agnostic eatery (each dish
spotlights one hero ingredient) as
she did designing its pared-back
aesthetic—think handcrafted
tumblers by Pune’s Curators of Clay
and custom-made tableware by
Ahmedabad-based The Burrow.
1. RAO HAS SOURCED INGREDIENTS FROM THRISSUR TO MANIPUR
2. EKAA COMMISSIONED BESPOKE TABLEWARE PIECES FROM LOCAL CERAMICISTS
83
Writer’s corner
In keeping with the changing times, the Jaipur
Literature Festival will follow a hybrid model that will
see events hosted both on-ground (from January 28
to February 2, 2022) and virtually (from January 28 to
February 6, 2022). What hasn’t changed is the festival’s
commitment to showcasing the best of both local and
international literary talent, as evidenced by this year’s
list of speakers, which includes poet Arundhathi
Subramaniam, playwright and screenwriter Farrukh
Dhondy, notable novelist Jonathan Franzen, British
writer of Bangladeshi and English descent Monica Ali
and 2021 Booker Prize winner Damon Galgut, among
other favourites. Jaipurliteraturefestival.org

MONICA ALI
CLOAK FOR MM (2018)

ARAMNESS GIR COMPRISES 18 SUITES,

DESIGNED AS KOTHIS

Wild thing
Setting a new benchmark for the ultimate Indian
safari experience, Aramness Gir has been designed
shape of MeMorY as a village-style lodge entrenched in Gujarati
The title of contemporary artist Bharti Kher’s ongoing culture, boasting authenticity and luxury in equal
exhibition Strange Attractors, at Delhi’s Nature Morte, borrows measure. The only boutique lodge bordering Gir
from a mathematical concept expounded within Chaos Theory National Park, the space aims to protect the Asiatic
which states that all matter is unique and non-arbitrary. Never lion while delivering exceptionally crafted opulence
closing in on themselves, strange attractors remain constantly via its spacious, two-storeyed kothis. Visit a
in motion, and this is the principle with which the artist Maldhari tribal family to learn more about their
aligned her process, approaching the creation of sculpture culture and wind down with a relaxing spa ritual
as a series of dynamic encounters that capture personal and after a hearty meal at the property’s indoor and
political experiences. Also on display is a selection of recent outdoor dining areas. Aramness.com
sculptures (2017-2021) from Kher’s oeuvre, inviting viewers to
step inside her headspace. On view till January 9, 2022

vogue india, january 2022

84 VOGUE View

FINE LINES I found that existing literature

Designer Aku Zeliang’s latest focuses only on men’s tattoos
collection of wall art is a nod to and decided to spotlight tattoos
his native tattoo traditions. In borne by women in Nagaland
remote tribes of Nagaland, such and other parts of South-East
as the Yimkhiung, Phom and Asia for the Huh Tu (‘tattoo’ in
Konyaks, tattoos were once Konyak) collection,” he says of
rewarded as signs of valour for the six wall pieces that are
men, while women inked them woven by skilled women onto
after attaining milestones like naturally-dyed bamboo splits.
puberty, marriage and Caneconcept.com
childbirth. “While researching, ‘HUH TU’ WALL ART, ₹4,000 ONWARDS
85

MUMBAI-BASED SANTANU HAZARIKA WITH THE

BLACK-AND-WHITE CANVASSES THAT WILL DEBUT
AT HIS SOLO SHOW THIS MONTH

Note worthy
Cashing in on the crypto boom in India, engineer-
turned-multimedia artist Santanu Hazarika
recognised the power of NFTs (non-fungible tokens)
in June, when he dropped his first art collaboration
with Pune-based musician Ritviz, which was lapped
work of art up in 30 seconds. Since then, he has created NFTs
Since 2014, Kolkata’s Scarlet Splendour has brought whimsy that lie at the intersection of art and music, such as
and drama to many homes with its playful creations. This his most recent collaboration with the rapper Divine,
month, its new Gelato collection reinterprets Milanese who won the 2021 MTV Europe music award for
designer Matteo Cibic’s bold creation, the General study table, Best Indian Act. This month, Hazarika will debut his
in a new subdued colour palette. Featuring inlay work, an first solo show at Worli’s Art & Soul gallery which
edgy colour pairing and three in-built arches, the arresting sees over 30 street art-inspired works that will also
new General Berry table also comes with an extendable writing be available as NFTs. On view till February 12, 2022
top and other small details that will amp up your #WHF
set-up. Scarletsplendour.com

‘GENERAL BERRY’ STUDY TABLE BY MATTEO CIBIC

FOR SCARLET SPLENDOUR, ₹8,62,500
‘DANCING DUO’ BRASS CANDLESTICKS, ₹18,320
‘SER GRAND DADDY’ INFUSION KIT, ₹685

perfect mix
Mumbai-based Ōtanē was born out of co-founders Sharan
Kutty and Errol Crasta’s desire to elevate the cocktail-making Light it up
experience at home during the lockdown last year. The Scrolling through the feed of Fourth St, Rukaiya
brand’s handcrafted, made-to-order infusion kits place Daud’s eclectic and spectacularly curated store in
emphasis on prominent taste notes and local food pairings, New Zealand and Australia, can give any home-
drawing out a robust profile that is suited to the Indian palate. owner an itch to refurbish and renovate. If a simple
Kutty, a mixologist and Crasta, a graphic designer (which upgrade is all you’re seeking, bring home this
explains the beautifully designed bottles) recently launched a striking pair of Dancing Duo candlesticks. Avail-
new kit for whisky lovers called Ser Grand Daddy, which able in brass as well as iron, you’ll be left question-
combines the sweetness of fresh apples with the woody ing what is more captivating—the flame or the
flavours of cinnamon and clove. @Otane.in bold design that is made in India. Fourth-st.com
vogue india, january 2022
86 VOGUE View
FIRST IMPRESSIONS

Drawn from the creative and political minds

of today’s diaspora, these upcoming
novels—from head-on honest to downright hilarious—are poised
to be the debuts of the season, says Sana Goyal
87
BROWN GIRLS by Daphne Palasi Andreadas (4th Estate)
Welcomed into the world with a long list of endorsements from
the likes of Megha Majumdar and Raven Leilani, Brown Girls, out
next month, dives deep into the lives of a group of young women of
colour growing up in Queens, New York, and follows their journey
from girlhood to adulthood. A love letter to women of colour the
world over, the 2016 Booker Prize winner Paul Beatty put it best
when he described the book as “a late-night FM radio dedication to
the crew, the block, and the mission”.
The ReTuRn of faRaz ali ameRiCan feveR
by aamina ahmad by duR e aziz amna
(RiveRhead books) (aRCade publishinG)
Praised by award-winning novelists Kamila Shamsie and Winner of the 2019 Bodley Head/FT Essay Prize and long-
Yaa Gyasi, and set in the “walled-off world of Lahore’s listed for the Sunday Times Audible Short Story Award
red-light district” during Pakistan in the anarchic late 2020, Dur e Aziz Amna debuts with a novel this March
1960s, Ahmad’s novel, out in April 2022, is a multilayered which will appeal to fans of Valeria Luiselli and Mohsin
and multigenerational saga where power and patriarchy, Hamid. Offering a fresh perspective on coming of age,
politics and corruption collide in a caste-ridden society. the hilarious novel tracks the journey of a Pakistani
Gripping, moving and atmospheric, this book is a quest Muslim in rural America through the sceptically witty
for answers among secrets in the city’s alleys. narrator Hira.

We move Good inTenTions

by GuRnaik Johal by kasim ali
(seRpenT’s Tail) (4Th esTaTe)
Johal, who was shortlisted for the The Guardian 4th Estate Ali’s accolades—being shortlisted for Hachette’s Mo
BAME Short Story Prize in 2018 at the tender age of 19, Siewcherran Prize and longlisted for the 4th Estate BAME
debuts with his short-story collection in April which is Short Story Prize—precede his arrival onto the literary
“brimful of the music and movement of multicultural landscape this March. Nur and Yasmina have been in
London”—and which can stand shoulder-to-shoulder love for four years. The twist? Nur’s Pakistani parents
with iconic London novels such as White Teeth, Brick Lane don’t know that Yasmina exists, or that she is Black. What
and The Buddha of Suburbia. Set in West London, with follows is a love story full of hard choices and
planes hovering above Heathrow airport, these stories tensions, family obligations and racial prejudices. Not to
chart the trajectories and movements of multiple genera- be missed by fans of Modern Love.
tions of immigrants—where the past and present, local
and global criss-cross and converge. edGWaRe Road
by yasmin CoRdeRy khan
all This Could be diffeRenT (head of zeus)
by saRah Thankem maTheWs Historian-broadcaster Khan, the author of two non-fic-
(vikinG) tion works (The Great Partition and The Raj At War),
Mathews, who has been awarded fellowships from the debuts a novel this March set between Karachi and Lon-
Asian American Writers’ Workshop and the Iowa Writ- don, and 1981 and 2003. A story about “family and identi-
ers’ Workshop, grew up between Oman and India, and ty, wealth and corruption, and the ties that bind us and
immigrated to the United States at 17. In her debut the ties we have no idea we’ve severed”, this is a book for
book, out this August, we see a young immigrant, Sne- readers of Bernardine Evaristo and Zadie Smith.
ha, building a life for herself—in a story of queer love,
friendship, work, struggle and precarity in 21st-century The immoRTal kinG Rao
America. For author Lauren Groff, All This Could Be by vauhini vaRa
Different is “an extraordinary novel, spiny and delicate, (W. W. noRTon)
scathingly funny and wildly moving” and Mathews’s Karan Mahajan describes Vara’s first work of fiction
“every ringing sentence holds both bite and heart”. (which asks, “Can anyone—peasant labourers, conven-
tion-destroying entrepreneurs, radical anarchists, social-
media followers—ever get free?”) as three novels in one
book. Dystopia, the digital age, and Dalit histories and
stories meet in this lyrical and satirical novel, out in May,
and set in a post-Trump future. A must-read.
vogue india, january 2022
88 VOGUE
The kids are not all right
In the age of environmental deterioration,
a tide of conscious humans are rethinking
parenting to appease a desperate planet
that may soon be uninhabitable.
Priya Ramani speaks to new mothers and
other women grappling with
the personal effects of climate change

LED BY GRASSROOTS ACTIVIST AND RURAL WOMEN

COMMUNITY LEADER GAURA DEVI, THE CHIPKO MOVEMENT
WAS A NON-VIOLENT SOCIAL AND ECOLOGICAL PROTEST BY VILLAGERS,
PARTICULARLY WOMEN, AIMED AT PROTECTING
TREES AND FORESTS SLATED
FOR GOVERNMENT-SPONSORED LOGGING
89 “If the planet continues to heat
Economist GEEtika DanG, 30, feels joy when she’s around
at current levels, children born in 2020
babies, but she’s known for the better part of a decade that and after, will experience three times
she doesn’t want children. “I have not been able to recon-
cile the conflict I feel about bringing a child into a world as many climate disasters as their
that doesn’t seem survivable,” says the Delhi resident.
It’s something she communicates clearly when she’s in
grandparents and seven times more
a relationship. These days, she’s dating a climate scientist heatwaves across their lifetimes”
whose views are in sync. “I promise we’ll only adopt if we
change our minds,” he told her. — Sonal Kapoor, Protsahan
My husband and I adopted 11 years ago but it was more
because our half-hearted efforts to have a child yielded no
India Foundation
results, and for us, parenthood was never about perpetuat-
ing the gene pool. As an older parent, I must confess I
worry about how my child will negotiate the floods, fires,
and other very real-but-Biblical-themed doomsday cli-
mate scenarios without having us to watch over her.
Speaking to environmentally conscious women is heatwaves across their lifetimes as compared to a person
terrifying. It makes me wonder why my daughter’s school born in 1960,” she adds.
curriculum devotes so much time to looking back at past Deb knows she will never be able to provide any
civilisations instead of preparing her for the changes that offspring the idyllic childhood she had. Her home was the
lie ahead. ground floor of a rental on the outskirts of Kolkata with a
As an inhabitant of the world’s most-polluted city, small pond, lots of gondhoraj (gardenia) trees and birds.
Dang experiences these changes first-hand, but a recent Her days were spent climbing boundary walls and playing
tragedy brought the climate crisis too close to home. Her with neighbourhood children from mixed backgrounds.
younger brother, an infantryman in the Indian army, was at “What do I offer a child now? A bubble of an apartment
a glacier post when the temperature dipped by 20° Celsius with indoor plants and no spaces to play?” she asks
within minutes. When he sneezed loudly, it caused the poignantly.
blood in his brain to freeze, triggering a rare brain stroke. Like Deb, ecologist Madhushri Mudke has always
He has recovered now, but he had to be put in a medical shared a deep connection with nature. She grew up in
coma to be resuscitated. Nagpur and visited nearby tiger sanctuaries such as Pench,
And then there is the coViD-19 pandemic, which has Kanha or Tadoba on weekends. The sighting of her first
given many of us a taste of the bitter future. When Diya Deb tigress in sixth grade is still a thrilling highlight of her
was the programme director of Greenpeace India in 2017, a teenage years.“I used to be calm and relaxed in the forests,”
colleague created a spoof about an apocalyptic future set in says Mudke, and this feeling was partly responsible for why
2030, where people fought for oxygen cylinders and air she opted for her field of study. “But my guilt and anxiety
masks. “That became a reality this summer,” says Deb, who has been the highest since I stepped into environmental
was in Kolkata in May 2021, when major Indian cities ran studies. I know I’m done after one child,” says the PhD
out of oxygen cylinders and hospital beds during the thick scholar, who works at Bengaluru’s ATREE and had a baby
of the second wave. She saw first-hand how people were nine months ago.
struggling when she took her father to the coViD-19 ward. Mudke says the way we talk about the population
“Why burden this earth with more children when we debate needs to change. India’s fertility rate fell below
know where we are heading?” Deb questions. “You know replacement for the first time ever in 2021. “Having a child
that things are not going to get better. As much as we are is a choice. Why not have one or two children instead of
campaigning to mitigate climate change, at the end of the three or four?” she asks, adding that we need to discuss
day, we are trying to adapt to what is happening around us.” consumption habits and not numbers.
Though Deb never had an “overly motherly instinct’ “For us in the tropics, most of the concerns of climate
when she got married 11 years ago, she couldn’t have said change are about how it’s going to be unequal,” Mudke
for certain that she didn’t want children. Increasingly explains. “It’s a social justice issue rather than just a carbon
though, Deb and her husband Saikat are convinced they debate.” She’s preparing her son for the future by giving
don’t want a child. him values every privileged Indian will need in the years to
UnicEF’s first child-focused climate risk index found come: empathy, compassion and kindness.
that India is one of four South Asian countries where
children are most vulnerable to the effects of climate
change, putting their health, education and basic safety at
risk. George Laryea-Adjei, UnicEF’s regional director for
South Asia, called it an “alarming crisis”.
“What no one is recognising is how climate change has
already become a part of children’s lives now and is a
deeply evolving child rights crisis,” agrees Sonal Kapoor,
founder director of Protsahan India Foundation, an
organisation that works to eradicate child abuse. “If the
planet continues to heat at current levels, children born in
2020 and after, will experience three times as many climate
disasters as their grandparents, and seven times more
vogue india, january 2022
90 VOGUE View
WHAT JULIE SAHNI TAUGHT ME
While writing about a little-known, path-breaking Indian chef
for his debut book, Mayukh Sen unlocked a deeper understanding
of his own mother’s food and her immigrant story

In 1980, the Indian-born chef and food writer Julie and Nirvana Club One—in the 1980s. This stint report-
Sahni broke new ground when she published her first edly made her “the first Indian woman to be a chef at a
cookbook, Classic Indian Cooking, in America. A tome New York restaurant,” as The New York Times claimed.
of recipes drawn mostly from North India, the book I’m embarrassed to admit that I was unaware of this
was delicate in its precision. “There is no mystical particular achievement three years ago when I began
secret behind Indian cooking,” she wrote. “It is, in fact, work on my debut book, Taste Makers: Seven Immigrant
the easiest of all international cuisines.” It was a Women Who Revolutionized Food In America, a group
landmark text for its time: Sahni asserted the innate biography of chefs and food writers who came to
worth of Indian food while convincing America that America and expanded the nation’s appetite. Sahni
getting, say, rogan josh on the dinner table wasn’t hard. graciously welcomed me into her life when I
For Sahni, that cookbook was just one triumph in a approached her in early 2019. That life, I would learn,
varied culinary résumé that has involved writing and provided fertile narrative terrain.
teaching. She also served as the executive chef of two Born to a Tamil family in pre-Independence India,
Indian restaurants in Manhattan—Nirvana Penthouse Sahni had been a prodigious Bharatanatyam dancer in
91 For Sahni, that cookbook was
her teens before studying architecture at the Universi-
just one triumph in a varied
ty of Delhi and, later, urban planning at Columbia in culinary résumé that has involved
New York. She spent the 1970s working in city
planning, but in 1973, she began carving out a culinary writing and teaching
career, establishing an Indian cooking school in
New York.
Over the course of 2019, I spent hours at her Brook-
lyn home, where she told me stories of the battles she’d
fought, dealing with the twin terrors of racism and mi-
sogyny as she made a life for herself in her
adoptive country. In writing Taste Makers, I strove to
tell her story—as well as the stories of the book’s six
other women—with empathy, despite the fact that I,
American-born but with ancestral roots in West Ben-
gal, hadn’t had the same journey as these women. In
trying to render their stories with sensitivity, I thought
often of my mother Kasturi Sen (née Roychoudhury),
who came to America from India not long after Classic
Indian Cooking was published.
Though my mother had grown up in a village in
West Bengal, hours from Kolkata, an arranged
marriage to my late father, Sakti Sengupta, brought her
to New Jersey in the early 1980s. This transition, I have
gathered through conversations with my mother, was
akin to displacement. Living with my paternal grand-
parents in an unfamiliar country, she now had a differ-
ent family, a different language to speak, an entirely
different set of responsibilities.
One of those tasks was cooking. At home, she
would prepare Bengali comfort foods, making piles of
luchi on Sundays, rolling out the dough tirelessly and
frying it in a pool of oil until the bread began to bubble.
Much of her early life in America was spent feeding the
strangers she now called family. I’ve often wondered
how she was able to live through those hardships when
her parents were so far away, and how she managed to
take care of herself.
The household I was born into 30 years ago was one in the home, like the kind where I grew up. I speak to
that took my mother’s labour for granted, dismissing her my mother every day but I haven’t yet ginned up the
cooking as mere fulfillment of duty. Though as I grew courage to ask her if cooking Bengali food in her early
older, I would come to appreciate how much her meals days in America gave her pleasure, if it tethered her to
shaped my palate, even the simple ones like her aloo that village which circumstance pulled her away from,
sheddho bhaat: she’d bruise white rice with potatoes, or if the work itself was too exhausting to provide her
often adding a boiled egg to the mash. Some might scoff comfort. These feel like impossibly large, even painful
at assigning splendour to such commonplace dishes— questions for one person to answer.
I’m sure even my mother would—yet that’s precisely the After writing this book, I hope that my mother can
problem I sought to write against in my book: it’s easy to see herself in Sahni’s story, and in all others in Taste
overlook the quiet artistry of home cooking, so much of Makers. For them, cooking became more than just a
it performed by women around the world. way to survive in a place they came to call home, even
I became more aggravated about these imbalances if they’d never imagined themselves there. These
as I wrote Taste Makers. Documenting the stories of the women found joy in an act meant to sustain us.
women in my book, like Sahni, clarified my thinking
around immigrant women’s labour in the kitchen, the
inherent dignity of home cooking, and how easily a
surrounding culture can devalue such work. The
American food media has sometimes overwritten
Sahni’s myriad accomplishments. The New York Times,
in its obituary of the late chef Floyd Cardoz (a formida-
ble chef in his own right), called him “the first chef to
bring the sweep and balance of his native Indian cook-
ing to fine dining in the United States,” but in fact, it
was Sahni who blazed that very trail for him.
A JAMES BEARD AWARD-WINNING WRITER, MAYUKH SEN’S DEBUT BOOK,
In writing this book, I realised that such overarch- TASTE MAKERS: SEVEN IMMIGRANT WOMEN WHO REVOLUTIONIZED FOOD IN AMERICA
ing cultural disregard for women’s work often begins (WW NORTON), IS OUT ON JANUARY 28, 2022

vogue india, january 2022

92 VOGUE View
LAY OF THE LAND
Subverting the toxic doctrine of hustle
culture, Jahan Jhala left his corporate
job in the UK to return to his
fourth-generation family farm in
Gujarat’s Gir forest. Along with his
partner Mallika Chandra, he has now
undertaken the ambitious endeavour
of transforming the plot into a lush,
biodynamic pocket, finds Sadaf Shaikh
PHOTOGRAPHED BY ASMITA PARELKAR

Visuals editor: Jay Modi

 CLOCKWISE, FROM ABOVE: FRESH ROSES FORAGED FROM THE FARM’S GARDEN;
NATURAL A2 GHEE DERIVED FROM THE GIR COWS; THE CATTLE OPENLY
GRAZE AT THE FARM’S BIODYNAMIC ORCHARD. OPPOSITE PAGE: A PATH LEADING
TO THE ANCIENT RIVERBANK THAT BORDERS THE FARM

“The best fertiliser is the farmer’s footsteps

on his land”— Confucius (500BC)

Jahan Jhala sagaciously invokes the famous philoso-

pher’s words, smoothly eliding the 2,500-plus years be-
tween when they were uttered and the present as he Zooms
from the Gir forest. The 30-year-old appears discernibly gist whose job involved designing solutions for brands that
fatigued as we chat about Wild Jai Farm, a 53-acre estate wanted to watch their carbon footprint. As he plunged
that has been in his family for four generations, of which he deeper into research, he realised that “eliminating plastic
recently became custodian. But his exhaustion springs straws” would always be the ultimate benchmark for cor-
from the sweet pain of physical toil, not millennial ennui. porations to adopt in the name of environmental impact.
He’s spent the day in a flurry of activity. “You’ve called on a Disillusioned, he wanted to effect real change rather than
very auspicious day for the farm,” he says mysteriously, simmer behind a screen. He quit his job and began volun-
waving away my curiosity as I try to probe further, insisting teering once a week at Tablehurst, a community biody-
that he’ll reveal all in due time. namic farm and garden in Sussex. Soon it rose to two days
Jhala wasn’t always this beatifically effervescent. Born a week, then three, and before he knew it, he had spent
in Delhi, he moved to the UK at the age of 10, and upon seven months as a full-time volunteer at Plaw Hatch Farm,
completing his studies, found himself working as a strate- Tablehurst’s sister estate.
vogue india, january 2022
94

vogue india, january 2022

95
Around the same time, some 6,800 kilometres away, volunteering. But that wasn’t enough. She burrowed into
Jhala’s grandfather Jaisinh—after whom the farm was inci- the heart of her unease and discovered that what she actu-
dentally named—was looking to sell the land, having de- ally needed to change was her own lifestyle. “I found farm-
voted 45 years to its operations. His grandson was crest- ing to be a practical way of addressing my problems. It felt
fallen when he was informed of this decision but knew he like I had not only found a solution to my eco distress, but
didn’t have much say in the matter. Even as realisation that there was a way I could actually live it,” she explains.
dawned, the tendrils of another idea began twining round Armed with a certificate in a permaculture design
his brain. “It started with my father going to the farm a lot course from Jorhat in Assam, Chandra stumbled upon Jha-
more frequently. A few years ago, he ended up spending six la’s profile on Bumble in what seems like a serendipitous
months there at a stretch,” Jhala recalls. Invigorated by his millennial meet-cute. “His bio read ‘cosmic biodynamic
father’s enthusiasm, as well as his own new-found environ- farmer’ so I was instantly curious. We matched and within
mental conscientiousness, Jhala swiftly wrapped up his life 10 minutes we were engaged in deep conversation about
in London and moved to the verdant folds of the Gir forest food forests,” the 28-year-old laughs. A few months later,
in December 2019. she relocated to the Gir forest with Jhala to pursue farming
Initially transformed into a mixed orchard by his great- full-time, converting all her professional commitments
grandfather in 1950, Wild Jai Farm now follows a biody- into consulting gigs.
namic model, thanks to the efforts of Jhala, his father Ajai, Wild Jai Farm draws from the teachings of the Austrian
and his partner Mallika Chandra, a designer and photogra- philosopher and spiritualist Rudolf Steiner, who developed
pher. Chandra recalls that she began experiencing climate biodynamic farming in 1924 as an alternative form of agri-
anxiety in 2019 when she witnessed the Australia wildfires culture which eschews artificial pesticides and promotes a
first-hand while visiting family and tried to find catharsis in self-sustained farming system in which all materials are re-

Chandra recalls that she began experiencing climate anxiety

in 2019 when she witnessed the Australia wildfires first-hand while
visiting family and tried to find catharsis in volunteering

THE MARIGOLDS GROWING ON THE FARM HAVE NATURAL PEST-CONTROLLING ATTRIBUTES

AND PROTECT THE CROPS AGAINST UNWANTED INVASION
OPPOSITE PAGE: JAHAN JHALA AND MALLIKA CHANDRA ARE WORKING TOWARDS TRANSFORMING
THE FOURTH-GENERATION FARM INTO A SELF-SUSTAINING BIODYNAMIC PLOT

vogue india, january 2022

96 VOGUE
The phasing of the moon isn’t the only astronomical observation
these new-age farmers centre their agricultural activities around.
Equally important is the satellite’s position in relation to other planets

A GIR KESAR MANGO TREE, THE FLESHY FRUITS OF

WHICH ARE THE MAIN CASH CROP FOR THE FARM

cycled and fed back into the land. Similar to organic farming day is moon opposition Saturn,” he intones reverentially, in-
in principle, but a lot more esoteric in terms of its adherence dicating that this particular alignment sets in motion an im-
to celestial events and an astrologically-derived sowing and maculate balance of forces conducive to any farming activity.
planting calendar, the practice had been adopted by almost Incidentally, this is exactly the kind of talk that fuels the cyni-
one lakh farmers in India as of 2017—and statistics have only cism of biodynamic sceptics. I look at the couple with quizzi-
been on the upswing ever since. It’s also a method that is, at cal dubiousness, but they only return twin indulgent smiles.
times, brushed off as ‘mystical pseudoscience’, with practic- Indulgence, I learn, grows in extraordinary abundance
es such as filling the horns of dead cows with manure and at Wild Jai Farm. Apart from the vegetable nursery that
burying them under 18 inches of soil to be imbued with cos- feeds the residents, the plot is entirely unfenced, so animals
mic inputs adding, in equal part, sensationalism and outrage cannot distinguish between where the forest ends and
to this sci-fi-esque farming practice. where the farm begins, which means that anything growing
But Jhala and Chandra’s faith in the stars and in lunar there—from crops like Gir Kesar mangoes, chikoo and co-
and planetary cycles is unwavering. “Think of it this way: conuts, to intercrops like bananas and turmeric—is theirs
the tide is higher during the full moon and lower during the for the taking. “Most farmers would see this as a problem
new moon. The moon pulls water up and down in the because the creatures basically come and help themselves
ocean, it also does the same in plants, animals and humans. to whatever we’re growing. But the farm was never meant to
Once you embrace that perspective, you can plan every be a commercial operation, so it’s shaped in a way that en-
farming activity in line with the lunar cycle,” Jhala clarifies. courages animals to visit. We get antelope, Sambar, wild
The phasing of the moon isn’t the only astronomical ob- boar, leopards, jackals and hyenas, besides a ton of insects
servation these new-age farmers centre their agricultural ac- of course, and bats and parrots too. There are even apex
tivities around. Equally important is the satellite’s position in predators like Asiatic lions and crocodiles which only ap-
relation to other planets. And here’s where our conversation pear in places that have a complete food web, so we’re very
from earlier, about it being a propitious day, crops up. “To- grateful to have them,” he beams. “Even the emergence of
97
pests is valuable because it’s essentially an indicator for an farmer’s footsteps really are the best fertiliser for the land.
imbalanced ecosystem,” Chandra chimes in. Besides allowing us to take stock of all that happened dur-
The only animals who remorselessly upend this deli- ing the night, it also allows us to plan what we need to do
cate equilibrium are the langurs who seem to have missed for the day. Plus, it’s a lovely walk,” he sighs dreamily.
the fair-share memo. “They’ll just chew on a barely-grown The most tangible change from their move to the farm
stalk instead of waiting for the tree to bear fruit,” the couple is evident in their lifestyle. “For me, it’s a slower pace of liv-
lament. But even the complaint is steeped in fondness and ing and a healthy respect for my time as well as that of other
I can tell that they don’t truly resent the langurs’ boister- people’s. I don’t subscribe to artificially created deadlines
ousness. Wild Jai Farm will always remain open to those and I stand up for rest a lot more,” Chandra submits. For
pesky primates. Jhala’s part, he seeks liberation from modern vices. “I gave
As their pastoral life paints the very picture of idyllic up smoking completely when I left London and I also cut
harmony—and I find myself daydreaming about ditching back on drinking. The only functional addiction that I feel
the big city myself—Chandra is quick to warn, “Farming is like I have to let go of is my phone and social media as an
hard work,” adding how their mornings begin at 7am with extension of it. I’m actually considering going back to one
a tour of the farm to ensure no rude shocks await them of those classic Nokia handsets,” he says.
from the previous night, followed by watering the crops, As it turns out, Jhala didn’t have to wait too long to
preparing the compost, spritzing the trees with biodynam- follow through on that plan—nature came to his aid once
ically-prepared sprays and feeding the cows. “The land again. A few days after our chat, Chandra calls me, chuck-
changes every day. With fruits, it’s either too early to pick ling. “Jahan dropped his phone in the river!” she exclaims.
them or they’re overripe, so it helps knowing what to ex- I can’t help but join in her laughter. There couldn’t have
pect,” Jhala says, drawing my attention back to the Confu- been a more fitting conclusion to the farmer’s reluctant
cius quote with which he began our conversation: “The tryst with modern tech.

Apart from the vegetable nursery that feeds the residents,

the plot is entirely unfenced, so animals cannot distinguish between
where the forest ends and where the farm begins

ABOVE: THE ABUNDANT FLOWERS IN BLOOM ATTRACT A PANOPLY

OF POLLINATORS, LEADING TO A SELF-FUNCTIONING ECOSYSTEM.
RIGHT: THE FARM USES ONLY HEIRLOOM AND OPEN-POLLINATED SEEDS
THAT ARE EITHER SAVED IN ITS OWN SEED BANK OR PROCURED FROM OTHER
BIODYNAMIC FARMERS

vogue india, january 2022

98 VOGUE Jewellery

Above and beyond

Carat, cut, clarity and colour have long
been the prerequisites for
those looking to buy diamonds.
But what if there’s more to finding
the perfect rock? Archana Thani shares
a 21st-century guide
that goes past the four C’s

Photo: Bowen Aricò. Styling: Megha Kapoor

FROM LEFT: ‘LOVE’ RING, ‘ETINCELLE’ EARRINGS; BOTH CARTIER.

‘B.ZERO1’ RING IN WHITE GOLD AND DIAMONDS, BULGARI. ‘T TRUE’ RING, ‘T1’ NARROW
DIAMOND HINGED BANGLE; BOTH TIFFANY & CO.
99
Diamonds, like their wearers,
are more multifaceted than ever.
No longer reserved for the red carpet
or high-society soirées, diamonds
have become part of daily discourse.
Welcome to the ‘T-shirt and
diamonds’ era
Shaped through the ever-changing lens of time,
diamonds today represent the reinvented perception
of beauty and luxury of a generation, altering the way in
which we buy jewellery. They are forever, yet of-the-
moment, and that’s why our love affair with them will
never cease to exist. They adapt, remodel and reset to
the heart’s desire.
The proliferation of diamonds in pop culture puts
them into a context previously unimaginable. Not only
are they easier to access, but designers are reflecting
the needs of a younger generation by creating ‘every-
day diamonds’ at more attainable price points.

What are the four C’s?

The four C’s of diamond quality is a language jewellers
everywhere use to describe the attributes of a diamond.
Think of it as the gold standard of diamond jewellery, a
barometer to measure every stone against. However,
today, these aren’t the only markers of a diamond’s
worth. The C’s have opened up to include a wider spec- FROM TOP: ‘LOVE’ RING, ‘ETINCELLE’ EARRINGS; BOTH CARTIER.
‘B.ZERO1’ RING IN WHITE GOLD AND DIAMONDS, BULGARI.
trum of determinators such as connection, craftsman- ‘T TRUE’ RING, TIFFANY & CO.
ship and consciousness, which are terms that are being
added to the modern-day diamond glossary.

Cut
The cut of a diamond doesn’t actually refer to its shape,
but determines how it interacts with light. A diamond’s
cut affects its sparkle and brilliance. Precise workman- grades are based on the number, size, relief and posi-
ship in diamond cutting is required so that proportions, tions on the inclusions. Diamonds that form without
symmetry and polish maximise its magnificence. any inclusions are extremely rare and deemed ‘flawless’
Women today are venturing away from traditional cuts on most grading scales. These rare diamonds are some
and opting for alternative ones, like marquise and trap- of the most valuable in the world. On the flip side, we
ezoid diamonds, to stand out from the crowd. live in a society where flaws are celebrated, so clarity or
lack thereof can also add to the character of a diamond.
Colour
A diamond’s colour is graded on a scale from D (colour- Carat
less) to Z (light yellow) with D being the most sought-after. Carat weight is the measurement of what a diamond
The less colour, the higher the grade, so even the slightest physically weighs. One carat is equal to 0.2 grams. Dia-
hint can make a dramatic difference in value. The excep- monds of a greater carat weight are exponentially more
tion to this rule is for diamonds that possess a rare or unu- valuable than diamonds of a lower carat weight. The
sual colour such as red, blue, pink, green or yellow. importance of carat weight can vary depending on the
Now, there has been a shift with the onset of ombré piece you are buying. If the stone is the central focal
diamond trends—black, brown and grey diamonds point of your piece, you might want to give this ‘C’ more
have become increasingly popular for those looking for value. However, for your everyday, daintier pieces, it
‘everyday luxe’ jewellery. may not be a highly determining factor.

Clarity
The clarity scale contains 11 grades, ranging from IF (in-
ternally flawless) to I3 (including grade 3). Inclusions
are nature’s birthmarks, the characteristics that make
each diamond unique. The clarity of diamonds refers to
the absence of these inclusions or blemishes. Clarity
vogue india, january 2022
100
ConneCtion
In a market where lab-grown diamonds exist, opting
for natural diamonds symbolises valuing authenticity
in connection. However, connection isn’t just about
owning a natural diamond, it’s also about creating
meaningful experiences that happen at every touch
point throughout your purchase. From your diamond
dealer to your designer, each individual brings their set
of unique experiences, expertise, inspirations and in-
fluences to the table. The sum of the parts creates some-
thing larger and more valuable.

Craftsmanship
Adding value beyond gems and precious metals is a
growing appreciation for highly skilled craftsmanship.
In the fast-paced day and age we live in, time is increas-
ingly viewed as a luxury. We seek out experiences that
make us slow down and appreciate life. Craftsmen do
exactly that. They spend their time honing a skill and
perfecting it, and that’s what makes their work so covet-
able. Jeweller-client relationships go way back in his-
tory, from the time of the Cartiers making jewellery for
the maharajas, to hip-hop bling king Jacob Arabo mak-
ing pieces for his roster of A-list rappers. Today, we have
a number of talented contemporary designers who can
create something unique to suit everyone’s needs.

ConsCiousness
Sustainability ranks as high as quality, design and price
when it comes to purchasing diamonds. Protection of
the environment, fair worker treatment, conflict-free
sourcing, supporting local communities and a dia- FROM LEFT: ‘B.ZERO1’ RING IN WHITE GOLD AND DIAMONDS, BULGARI.
‘T T1’ WIDE DIAMOND RING, TIFFANY & CO. ‘LOVE’ RING, CARTIER.
mond’s origin are key considerations for conscious OPPOSITE PAGE: ‘ETINCELLE’ EARRINGS, CARTIER
customers. In an industry where transparency is being
demanded by the consumer in every aspect of the sup-
ply chain—from mines to independent retailers and
designers—everyone has a role to play in upholding
standards. Ask your suppliers or brands if they are part
of organisations like the Responsible Jewellery Coun-
cil, which focuses on setting standards on business eth-
ics and responsible supply chains and the Kimberley
Process, which is committed to removing conflict dia-
monds from global supply chains.

From your diamond dealer

to your designer, each
individual brings their set
Photo: Bowen Aricò. Styling: Megha Kapoor

of unique experiences, expertise,

inspirations and influences
to the table
vogue india, january 2022
vogue india, january 2022
102 VOGUE Watches
SIGN OF THE TIMES
From classic Hollywood to cult celebrities,
leading ladies have fallen for the lure of Rolex
on their wrists and in their hearts, says Rishna Shah

PictureLux/Alamy

The Rolex on this daddy-daughter duo transcends generations. Filmmaker and actor Sofia Coppola’s ‘Oyster Perpetual Date’
watch was a gift from her father, Francis Ford Coppola, the highly-acclaimed creator of The Godfather trilogy. The vintage
steel timepiece, one of Rolex’s breakthrough designs, is worn here by the younger Coppola on a film set in the late 1980s
103 If we were to go back in time
A glAmorous fur-coAted, turban-clad, red-lipped
to mine the muses and patrons of
model caresses a dainty wristwatch in a 1930s adver- the brand, Grace Kelly, the princess
tisement for Rolex. She embodies the finer things in life,
and her timepiece helps paint that picture. “Leaders of of Monaco, was adored for her
fashion and precision: A Rolex wristlet—the ideal
gift—will please because of its beauty and will be val-
on-screen presence and off-screen
ued for its usefulness,” reads the vintage poster which, a fashion choices
century later, still holds true. Today, Rolex watches
have become celebrated icons of design that have be-
come even more desirable and hard to get hold of since
the pandemic began. Think multiyear wait lists, supply
chain shortages and a hot resellers’ market. “The brand
has rooted itself so deeply in global culture that it has Over the decades, several A-list ladies have ditched
come to represent much more than its products—it the dainty and bought their bounty from the men’s sec-
symbolises wealth, success, style and quality,” says La- tion. If wearing a Rolex is a power move, then a woman
etitia Hirschy, founder of Kaaviar PR and co-founder of wearing a men’s Rolex is an even bigger power
Watch Femme, a international collective dedicated to move. Australian supermodel Elle Macpherson was a
bringing more female perspectives to the watch world. trailblazer of this trend, casually rocking an ‘Oyster
“Its cultural prominence has made it the king of its do- Perpetual Cosmograph Daytona’ with a 40mm dial
main. Rolex watches are among the most collectible.” decades ago like it was no big deal. The Daytona watch
The Geneva-based brand began its story in the ear- was originally launched for professional motor racing
ly 1900s, earning a reputation as a high-precision in the 1960s. With its three bold counters at 3, 6 and 9
watchmaker, with its founder Hans Wilsdorf inventing o’clock, it’s a loud, look-at-me watch. Unphased,
the first waterproof wristwatch named the Oyster. This Macpherson has even gone bigger recently, with a
was a big deal, especially when it accompanied explor- beefy 42mm two-timezone ‘Sky-Dweller’ worn with
ers on adventures to the highest peaks and into the a no-nonsense white tailored suit. Other tough girls
deepest oceans of the world. Not only were the novel- breaking the rules are Victoria Beckham (her left wrist
ties functional badges of pride, they were also consid- is reserved for a chunky 40mm ‘Cosmograph Daytona’),
ered style symbols for the rich and famous. “Icons speak the Olsen twins (their Rolex medley includes a fabu-
to icons,” explains Sharmila Bertin, editor-in-chief lously boyish ‘Oyster Perpetual Day-Date’) and Priyan-
of The Watches Magazine, “and Rolex’s timeless designs ka Chopra Jonas. “I love men’s watches,” reveals the
speak to every generation.” global icon to Vogue.com, whose roster includes a two-
If we were to go back in time to mine the muses and tone ‘Cosmograph Daytona’ and a treasured Rolex that
patrons of the brand, Grace Kelly, the princess of Mo- belonged to her late father.
naco, was adored for her on-screen presence and off- When it comes to Rolex, award-winning actor
screen fashion choices. Her style as European royalty Drew Barrymore does not discriminate. Much like her
was so sophisticated and elegant (remember when Her- wardrobe choices, her collection is vast and varied,
mès named the holy grail of handbags after her?) that it without being defined by a specific style, size or metal
still lends inspiration today. In 1972, the princess was finish. She flexes an ‘Oyster Perpetual GMT-Master II’
photographed in Monte Carlo, dressed in resort chic at with a black and red ‘Coke’ bezel in steel (discontinued
its finest: a Pucci caftan, a pink turban, a beaded bag watches like this are big deal) or switches up the mood
and a yellow gold Rolex ‘Lady-Datejust’. The bestseller with a swanky ‘Oyster Perpetual Datejust’. Fellow actor
timepiece was first unveiled in 1957 with a five-link Ju- Jennifer Aniston prefers to play it safe and keep her
bilee bracelet and a flute-ridged bezel—two signature time-tellers understated. Her go-to is an ‘Oyster Per-
characteristics that have become the brand’s visual petual Day-Date’ with a trusty 36mm dial and three-
identifiers. In the same decade, Sophia Loren, another link President’s bracelet, but she’s also known to have
Hollywood star from the golden age of cinema, was of- other inconspicuous (but impressive) options up her
ten seen flaunting a Rolex in yellow gold with an earlier sleeve, like a black-and-green edition of the ‘Oyster
iteration of the link bracelet. The Italian goddess liked Perpetual Milgauss’ that can handle huge magnetic
to style hers with smoky eyes, a statement necklace and fields up to 1,000 gauss. But if you really want to be
a cigarette. wowed, you’d have to break into Italian influencer Chi-
ara Ferragni’s vault. The leggy blonde often shares pic-
tures of her trendy arm stack with her 25-million-plus
Instagram followers, accessorised with intricate wrist
tattoos, multiple gold and bling bracelets and the hot-
test it-bag. We’ve all zoomed in to her extremely rare
yellow gold ‘Oyster Perpetual Datejust’ with a Mickey
Mouse dial (a novelty that would make any auction
Not only were the novelties house’s heart flutter) and let’s not forget that drool-
worthy, limited-edition baby pink and steel ‘Oyster
functional badges of pride, Perpetual Submariner’ she wore while summering in
they were also considered style Europe. Ferragni’s collection is one that dreams are
made of—and one we’d rather not wake up from for
symbols for the rich and famous now. Especially in the current Rolex climate.
vogue india, january 2022
104 VOGUE Weddings

Behind the veil Known as the

Indian fashion industry’s retro revivalist,
Sabyasachi Mukherjee has built a
brand on being proudly and unapologetically
Indian. Vogue India’s editor, Megha Kapoor,
speaks with the man behind the country’s
biggest nuptials
 105

ACTOR RANVEER SINGH PERFORMS RITUALS DURING HIS WEDDING

TO BOLLYWOOD STAR DEEPIKA PADUKONE IN 2018. OPPOSITE PAGE: ACTOR
AND PRODUCER PRIYANKA CHOPRA JONAS AT HER WEDDING IN 2018,
WEARING SABYASACHI JEWELLERY AND BRIDAL COUTURE

The ‘Sabya Wedding’ is a moniker used for a certain

brand of Indian weddings witnessed at home and away, ents that make a wedding. I like to do business in
for a look that blends the traditional and modern. Wed- a 360-degree manner, so I think of all the other
dings, as couturier Sabyasachi Mukherjee knows, are aspects that are relevant to a wedding—the mu-
big business. An estimated 25 lakh weddings were an- sic, the flowers, the set, the design.
ticipated across India just between November 14 and For me it was never just about making
December 13, 2021, according to a Confederation of All clothes. It was about the textiles, the weavers, the
India Traders (CAIT) report. The three-day mega social printers, the people who create tents for the
event has become our greatest cultural export to the weddings, the people who serve the food. Do In-
world, all while playing a supporting role to surround- dian weddings from a celebration point of view
ing industries, from thousands of karigars to jewellery, and they become more wholesome.
travel and hospitality. Here, we discover how Mukher-
jee became a covetable cultural phenomenon and a MK
₹271 crore-strong business as of January 2021, 20-odd It’s interesting that there are so many people who try to
years after he dressed his first bride. emulate that concept of the Sabyasachi wedding. Does
that bother you?
Megha Kapoor
Photos: Stories by Joseph Radhik; Errikos Andreou

The Sabya Wedding is more than just a concept. It’s SM

synonymous with what is perceived as the gold stand- It would have bothered me if they didn’t. When
ard of the Indian wedding, one of our biggest cultural you do something that becomes part of the zeit-
exports. How did that come about for you? geist, everybody wants to be a part of it. What I
have done is created a language that has moder-
SabyaSachi MuKherjee nity but at the same time is traditional and is eas-
I became a wedding designer simultaneously by ily understood. The extensive copy market and
design and by accident. When I started, I noticed the different price points at which Sabyasachi
that Indian weddings could be so much more. copies sell assure me that I have been able to cre-
Nobody was taking ownership of all the ingredi- ate a language of democratic luxury.
vogue india, january 2022
vogue india, january 2022
 CRICKETER VIRAT KOHLI AND ACTOR-PRODUCER ANUSHKA SHARMA
AT THEIR WEDDING IN TUSCANY IN 2017 WHICH GARNERED NATIONAL INTEREST.
OPPOSITE PAGE: PADUKONE AT HER WEDDING, FLANKED BY FAMILY,
WEARING SABYASACHI JEWELLERY AND BRIDAL COUTURE MK
I read that Suzy Menkes once told you that opportunity
lay within your own country. Was this a turning point
for you?

SM
I met Suzy in London during a cultural and fash-
MK ion celebration at Buckingham Palace. Suzy, who
I have heard that you are even involved in art directing has always been curious about the brand, asked
the photography for the wedding. I’d love to know me what I was doing at the time. I told her I was
more about your process. feeling lost and planning to set up my brand in
New York. She said, “Pack your bags and go back
SM to India. You’ll become a bigger global star if you
I am someone who functions from instinct and I become a bigger national star.” This resonated
like to create an entire look for a wedding. I am with me. It reminded me of the iconic Bengali
not happy just creating the product. And while I poet Michael Madhusudan Dutt, who wrote po-
don’t design weddings, I sometimes tell my cus- ems in English until somebody told him that un-
tomers what they need to do to enhance every- less he began writing literature in his mother
Photos: Stories by Joseph Radhik; Errikos Andreou

thing. It’s about the smell of the flowers when tongue he would always be a failed literary genius.
you walk in, about the priest chanting, the food He came back to India and wrote the most
that you eat, the colours, and the sunlight if it is iconic poem, which in Bengali loosely translates
an open-air wedding. There are so many things to ‘The Bengali Mother Tongue’. Loosely translat-
that come together to make it beautiful and ed, he said, “I was playing with muck and I ignored
memorable. the lotus.” I too realised that for me to become a
global designer, I needed to first find out who I
was by coming back to my roots. Only in this way
could I embrace my regional identity and my na-
tional identity before aspiring to become global.
vogue india, january 2022
 PADUKONE AT HER PRE-WEDDING MEHENDI CEREMONY WEARING
A BLUSH PINK KURTA BY SABYASACHI. OPPOSITE PAGE: SINGH ENJOYS A MOMENT
WITH A FRIEND SWIRLING IN AN ANGRAKHA BY SABYASACHI
MK
That really comes through in your visual language.
There is a romanticisation of Indianness and tradition,
but then it’s also very contemporary. How do you bal-
ance the two? MK
I can’t have this conversation without asking you about
SM your big Bollywood weddings— Priyanka Chopra and
I was speaking at a luxury conference with the Nick Jonas, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh and
Maharaja of Udaipur, who said something pro- most recently, Katrina Kaif and Vicky Kaushal. How
found: “For culture to be relevant, it needs to be important is the celebrity connection for your brand?
dynamic.” That stuck with me. I’ll share another
instance with you. I’m a follower of Coco Chanel SM
and I love what Karl Lagerfeld did with the I think of myself as a ferryman between the past
brand. If you look at the Chanel N°5 perfume and the future. I bring back a lot of Indian au-
bottle, it has not changed in years. So while the thenticity. The thing about weddings is that, in
foundation stays the same, what Lagerfeld did some way, most people like to conform on their
with the brand was tell a different story with the big day. I think there are certain things that are
same clothes season after season. bigger than who you are. Culture is one of them.
If you really want tradition to be relevant, The timelessness of culture and tradition is big-
don’t try to modernise it. Try to edit it. What I ger than the biggest stars because you are dip-
have done with my brand is I have kept the ping into a larger universe. Celebrities come to
markers of tradition sacrosanct, but I have let me because even though they are stars, they are
people interpret it in their own way and their also girls and boys who have nurtured dreams of
own language. I think that is the nature of being their wedding day.
inclusive. When you create a product, let people
find a way to wear it in their own way through
image-making and storytelling.
vogue india, january 2022
 Photos: Stories by Joseph Radhik; Errikos Andreou

vogue india, january 2022

 SINGH AND PADUKONE PAINT A TRADITIONAL PICTURE
IN MATCHING RED AND GOLD OUTFITS

MK
What’s next for the brand? There’s talk of expansion, po-
tentially in the US and, from what I understand, into oth-
er areas. Can you talk to me about where you see it going?

SM SM
I want to bring my language to whichever part of I dressed my friend Zeesha Zafar, a shoe designer,
the world accepts it undiluted. I think it’s impor- for her wedding. She’s a brave, bohemian girl who
tant to be able to speak your language as it is. I wanted to wear something whimsical, something
think when you go somewhere, you should go old and printed. I thought of the old tablecloths
with a strong identity of who you are and let peo- we use in India and decided to block-print them.
ple discover you. People will come for the au- As you keep printing on the fabric, a little bit of the
thentic experience. colour keeps bleeding. It’s called an achara. Over
the years it gets layered with multiple colours and
MK it becomes a beautiful textile. These are throwa-
So whatever may come, it’s going to be unapologetically ways you get for ₹10-15 a metre, a basic fabric. I
you. You must have created some special memories with showed her the textile and she loved it, as did I.
some special people. Any moments that stand out to you? In fact, when Vogue India launched, this was
the same lehenga I used as my submission for the
celebratory issue. I keep telling people the formu-
la of looking beautiful on your wedding day is not
about what you wear. It’s about how you feel in
what you wear. Be yourself, eat, drink, be merry,
be happy, be connected with yourself. If you are
happy as a person, irrespective of what you wear,
you look beautiful. The outfit I made for Zeesha
was a celebration of all that.
vogue india, january 2022
 111
MK to be the businesses of the future. When I think of reset-
As you know, this is our relaunch of Vogue India and we are ting, I think of pausing and thinking about priorities.
calling the project ‘Vogue Reset’. I would love to know, how do Earlier when we had fashion businesses, they
you reset? And on a broader level, what do you think the world wanted to create beautiful products, they wanted to cre-
needs in order to reset today? ate beautiful experiences. Monetary profits were impor-
tant, but businesses were not Excel sheets. I make a
SM beautiful thing and you pay me money and it makes you
From a business point of view, I look at what’s happening happy. Today, more and more businesses are becoming,
in the world and there is a lot of corporate greed. A lot of you know, just businesses. Today you are really just cre-
businesses have enormous stock lines but zero bottom ating products to sell. That is not sustainable. We need
lines. On the flip side, there are also beautiful small busi- to go back to the joy of creating beautiful products. Only
nesses which do not make a ton of money but they make then can you pass the joy on to your consumers so that
a ton of profit. And these are the businesses that are going they come back for more.
Photos: Stories by Joseph Radhik; Errikos Andreou

CHOPRA JONAS IN BRIDAL RED AND GOLD POLKI JEWELLERY

FROM SABYASACHI JEWELLERY

vogue india, january 2022

112 VOGUE Wellness & Beauty
ALL FOR AYURVEDA
In Sanskrit, Ayurveda means ‘the science of life’ and, by extension,
beauty. Working from the inside out, the practice goes beyond
borders, finding top-shelf status in bottles around the world.
Packed with the goodness of herbs and spices, these elixirs are
trailblazing must-haves. By Sonakshi Sharma

forest essentials
sunehre din and chandani
raatein body mist
Sunehre Din is crafted with rose and
Kashmiri saffron, making it ideal for
sunlit days. For a sensual experience,
add Chandani Raatein to the top of
your list. Its floral heart of white
jasmine and ruh motiya infused with
golden champa is apt for the evening.
Their warm and woody notes are
balanced for a long-lasting effect,
transitioning well from dawn to
dusk. ₹ 4,800 each

fable and mane sahascalp

amla soothing serum
Oiling one’s hair is a practice that’s
passed down from generation to
generation, from mothers to
daughters, in Indian households.
Why? It nourishes dry and sensitive
scalps to make way for major mane
game. If you want softer and
stronger hair, try this natural oil
serum that’s enriched with amla, a
113
potent source of vitamin C and
bakuchi, a traditional Ayurvedic
ingredient. It also smooths hair
cuticles and provides hydration.
₹ 2,595

sahajan skincare radiance face serum

Historically, age-defying elixirs packed with Ayurvedic ingre-
dients were originally made for royal families. But now you
can try them at home, thanks to formulas like this one. En-
riched with triphala, gotu kola and hyaluronic acid, this serum
will visibly brighten your skin as well as reduce fine lines and
wrinkles. Its antioxidant and collagen-stimulating properties
will leave you with supple, glowing skin. ₹ 4,113

uma oils pure bliss wellness candle

Maintaining equilibrium is a key aspect of leading a healthy
life, and incense can help in the process. This luxuriously craft-
ed wellness candle can combat stress and fatigue when lit. Its
earthy, floral notes of ylang-ylang, clary sage, rose and laven-
der have an aromatherapeutic effect on the senses. ₹ 5,134

taza ayurveda
loofah bath brush
Using ancient weaving
techniques, this loofah is
made from agave leaves and
stuffed with fresh vetiver
roots. Beyond cleansing and
exfoliating dead skin cells, its
coarse texture improves
lymphatic drainage and
mauli rituals sleep dharma pillow mist
The art of living well is a vital part of Ayurvedic rituals, and
leaves the skin supple. Its
there’s nothing more important than getting your eight hours antimicrobial and anti-
of shut-eye. Harnessing the soothing botanicals of bergamot,
lavender, geranium, vetiver, sage and camomile, this pillow inflammatory nature makes it
an ideal bath addition. ₹ 1,515
spray feels like a cocoon. Swiftly nudging you into a slumber,
it’s a thing made of dreams. ₹ 2,205
vogue india, january 2022
114 VOGUE Wellness & Beauty
BRING THE SHINE
Giambattista Valli declared, “Don’t be scared of beauty,” before his
spring/summer 2022 runway show, so it’s appropriate that a
maximalist pout was spotted on the Valli catwalk. Makeup artist
Isamaya Ffrench romanticised the
classic gloss in shades ranging
from nude to deep vermilion. To
recreate this look, add these iconic
lip tints to your vanity.
1. M.A.C LIP GLASS IN ‘LUST’ ₹ 1,650 2. CHANEL ROUGE ALLURE LAQUE IN
‘62 STILL’ ₹ 3,000 3. BOBBI BROWN CRUSHED OIL-INFUSED
GLOSS IN ‘AFTER PARTY’ ₹ 1,900 4. ESTÉE LAUDER
PURE COLOUR ENVY KISSABLE LIP SHINE IN ‘REBELLIOUS ROSE’ ₹ 2,450
5. TOO FACED LIP INJECTION EXTREME LIP PLUMPER IN ‘ORIGINAL’ ₹ 2,000

1 2

James Cochrane

5 4
 DEC
2021
150

N ATASHA
P OON AWALLA
ON FASHION, FAMILY
AND PHILANTHROPY

DEC
2021
150

N AT A S H A
P O O N A WALL A
ON FASHION FAMILY
AND PHILANTHROPY

RH E A
K A POO R
LIVING IN STYLE
116 VOGUE Wellness & Beauty
MANE ATTRACTION
Meet the freshest hair trend of the new year. Spotted gliding down
the runway of 2021 LVMH Prize winner Nensi Dojaka, slicked-
back gelled tresses wrapped in a bun are making a compelling
case for a sleek, shiny and sophisticated hair makeover. To keep
flyaways in place, bookmark these treatments and tools to ace the
season’s hottest look.

1. MOROCCANOIL TREATMENT OIL ₹ 3,150

2. WELLA PROFESSIONALS OIL REFLECTIONS LUMINOUS REVEAL
SHAMPOO ₹ 1,050 3. OLAPLEX NO.6 BOND SMOOTHER ₹ 2,950

7
James Cochrane

4. SEBASTIAN PROFESSIONAL
TAMING ELIXIR WEIGHTLESS SMOOTHING CREME SERUM ₹ 1,800
5. DYSON CORRALE HAIR STRAIGHTENER ₹ 36,900 6. MASON PEARSON HANDY BRISTLE 5 4
BRUSH ₹ 11,862 7. KÉRASTASE CHRONOLOGISTE MASQUE INTENSE RÉGÉNÉRANT ₹ 4,000
 ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST ` 200 NOVEMBER-DECEMBER 2021
THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD INDIA

FEELING
MAXIMAL

ARCHITECTURAL DIGEST ` 200 NOVEMBER DECEMBER 2021

THE MOST BEAUTIFUL HOMES IN THE WORLD INDIA

FEELING
MAXIMAL

FEELING
MAXIMAL
HAIR: MICHELE MCQUILLAN/M.A.P MANAGEMENT
MAKEUP: VICTORIA BARON/M.A.P
MANAGEMENT. MODEL: BELLA THOMAS/KULT MODELS
 Skin deep
119 VOGUE

Melanie Grant has made a name

for herself working with some of the
world’s most famous faces.
The skin whisperer walks Arushi Sinha
through crafting
a mindful at-home skincare routine
PHOTOGRAPHED BY BOWEN ARICÒ. STYLED BY MEGHA KAPOOR

It’s ImpossIble to say the name Melanie Grant and not

conjure an image of healthy, smooth-as-glass skin. The
EARRINGS, BULGARI. RINGS, BOTH TIFFANY & CO. skincare expert, whose winning approach is a hard-to-
OPPOSITE PAGE: EARRINGS, BULGARI
find mix of clinical and traditional, has been beauty
guru to some of the biggest stars in the world, including
Victoria Beckham, Nicole Kidman and Cate Blanchett.
“There is proven formulation and technology now that
gives amazing results,” says Grant, when we speak over
the phone, “but we still want a sensorial, spa-like expe-
rience when it comes to skincare. So I think there is
value in both.”
Grant’s foray into clinical skincare began decades
before she decided to go into business for herself. But as
she amassed years of experience working with leaders
in the field, she found a coldness to the clinical environ-
ments she worked in. It was this realisation that led to
Grant taking the leap to found her own skincare clinic,
which immediately found high-profile devotees. With
eponymous signature high-end clinics in Melbourne,
Sydney, Los Angeles and Paris, the skin expert’s star is
firmly on the rise, with no signs of slowing down.
Aside from her brick-and-mortar businesses, Grant
also has an e-commerce presence via the Melanie
Grant Skincare Edit, a curated selection of products
that have the Grant stamp of approval—including cult-
favourite holy-grail brand Augustinus Bader, for which
Grant is a global advisor—as well as a signature series
of Melanie Grant at-home facials. What sets these facial
kits apart from their contemporaries is the detailed in-
structions they come with, which are completely fool-
proof (perfect for a skincare novice) and promise to
coax your complexion back to its glowing best. “I’ve al-
ways given myself a home facial once a week,” confess-
es Grant when I ask her what inspired the line.
120
The Melanie Grant at-home facial experience is, if
anything, intuitive: it begins simply with clean skin.
Grant recommends a purifying face wash, or a lactic
acid cleanser in times of skin trouble. The next step is to
exfoliate, and Grant says that either chemical (AHA/
BHA-based) exfoliants or manual scrubs will help clear
dead skin to make way for active products to penetrate
the skin. The third step may be the most important: a
massage. Grant is quick to point out that “firm, consist-
ent pressure” and “smooth, upward, circular motions”
work best, saying that incorporating a gua sha or a jade
roller has worked well for her. While she is not a fan of
sheet masks, she recommends a hydrating cream mask
or an oil-absorbing clay mask as the fourth step, de-
pending on what your skin needs. The second-to-last
step takes the form of a serum, and Grant instructs
glowing skin-seekers to invest in a multitasking prod-
uct for this stage. Finally, no skincare routine is com-
plete without a moisturiser to seal in the actives that
your skin has absorbed. According to Grant, the con-
sistency of the formula depends both on your skin and
the time of day: lightweight for the morning, and a rich-
er, more hydrating solution for night-time.
Much like the rest of us, Grant is not immune to the
stress of being unable to switch off, now that working
from home has become the norm, and says, “Seeing the
impact that stress can have on your skin can be scary.” In
an age where the boundaries between work, play and
rest have been blurred, Grant finds that having a dedi-
cated skin regimen can take on a ritualistic, almost ther-
apeutic quality. “A skincare routine bookends my day. RING, BULGARI
It’s about having a sensorial experience, whether you’re OPPOSITE PAGE: EARRINGS, BULGARI

giving yourself a little massage while applying your face

oil or just taking some time out for yourself to be pre-
sent.” Despite the fact that Grant’s clinic offers a line-up
of top-shelf products that read like the who’s who of sk-
incare, she believes that there are good options available
at every price. She also points out that people tend to put
too much stock in the ‘right’ cream or serum or laser
treatment, emphasising, “If we’re not looking after our-
selves on the inside, there is no product or treatment that
can help. Good, healthy skin can’t be faked.”

In an age where the

boundaries between
work, play and rest have been
blurred, Grant finds that having
a dedicated skin regimen can
take on a ritualistic,
almost therapeutic quality
vogue india, january 2022
vogue india, january 2022
122 VOGUE Wellness & Beauty
BREAK THE CYCLE
A slew of new sustainable period products showcase
potential to change the conversation and attitude around
menstruation in India, says Arushi Sinha

A MENSTRUAL CUP IS NOT ONLY A COST-EFFECTIVE SOLUTION,

IT ALSO SIGNIFICANTLY CUTS WASTE AND CAN LAST UP TO 10 YEARS

Much like death and taxes, menstruation is an the modern woman could manage a period while also
inevitable part of life as a woman. Until the 1960s, peri- being a contributing member of the workforce, the
ods were a fairly low-impact phenomenon when it convenience of disposable napkins and tampons ig-
came to environmental costs. Towards the end of that nored the environmental costs. As the global con-
decade came the ability to mould and shape plastic sciousness awakens to the disastrous ecological effects
into smooth, pliable shapes, and thus came their prolif- of a use-and-throw economy, many parts of modern
eration into feminine hygiene care, following which life are under scrutiny for their waste-making habits,
women were persuaded by conglomerates peddling with period care being no exception.
plastic-based sanitary care products to ditch wash- A 2007 study estimates that an urban woman will,
and-reuse cloths for their disposable counterparts. in her lifetime, utilise anywhere between 5,000 and
While this was positioned at the time as a way in which 10,000 plastic-based disposable feminine hygiene
 123 Before the advent of menstrual cups,
products like pads and tampons. Each of these will take
brands like Carmesi and
up to 800 years to decompose. In the age of eco-con- Heyday pioneered the mindful
scious consumerism, it appears that sustainable period
products may be the final frontier, with the Menstrual menstruation movement
Hygiene Alliance of India (MHAI) observing that nearly
121 million women and girls still use disposable pads as
in India by offering pads
their primary sanitary care product. made of plant-based materials
Enter, the menstrual cup. A 2019 study by The Lan-
cet reveals that the little-known period care device is such as bamboo and banana fibre
just as safe and effective as pads or tampons, and much
more budget-friendly. A menstrual cup is made of
latex, rubber or silicone, comes in a curved, bell-like
shape and is made to be inserted into the vagina to
capture and hold menstrual blood. Perhaps one of the
cup’s biggest selling points is that it requires changing
only once every 12 hours, at which point it can be re-
moved, washed and reinserted. There are obvious ben- able pads and inserts that are machine-washable)
efits: the cup significantly cuts down the generation of revolutionised the menstrual market.
waste and is also exponentially more cost-effective While the availability of these products points to a
than its disposable counterpart, with a single cup hav- hopeful future where more women can adopt sustain-
ing the ability to last its user up to 10 years. In a country able period practices, what continues to stand in the
where ‘period poverty’ is a very real phenomenon that way of such progress is the lack of awareness around
witnesses women and girls go without access to sanitary the existence of these products and the hesitancy
care because of how much it costs, menstrual cups are around using insertable period care.
poised to be the way forward. For all its evils, in the arena of dismantling the
Sahar Mansoor, founder of zero-waste lifestyle shame and secrecy around periods, social media
brand Bare Necessities, was an early adopter. “I shines as a tool that can be harnessed to create a con-
switched from pads to the menstrual cup back in 2015, versation that champions the needs of girls and wom-
at which time there was only one brand making the en and brings a new lens onto menstruation. Hashtags
product in India. It was a bit of a learning curve. I like #FreePeriodStories created by menstruation ac-
remember watching YouTube videos to learn the tivist Amika George and #JustATampon have gone a
proper way to wear and remove it—I had a slight fear long way towards lifting the veil that exists around dis-
of the unknown, but it was pretty easy to get used to. cussing the subject freely. Women like LA-based musi-
Photo: Felicity Ingram; Styling: Lorna McGee; Hair: Anna Cofone; Makeup: Sunna Björk Erlingsdóttir; Model: Jill Kortleve; Digital artwork: Dtouch London

And I’ve been on the green period team since 2015, so cian Kiran Gandhi, who ran the London Marathon in
I’m pretty proud of that,” she shares. bloodstained sweatpants and Amsterdam-based Diipa
With that in mind, it may surprise you to know that Büller-Khosla, who partnered with UNICEF for its Red
the first patent for the menstrual cup was filed 84 years Dot Campaign, are among the torchbearers carrying
ago by Leona W Chalmers, an American actor. So why this conversation forward. In a country where 71 per
has it taken so long for the device to catch on? cent of girls are estimated to have no knowledge of
Delhi-based gynaecologist Dr Tripat Choudhary menstruation before they experience their first period,
explains, “A large number of women continue to use conversations like these are not just helpful but
pads because the concept of insertable sanitary care is imperative. On the policy front, actor-author Twinkle
still alien.” Mansoor concurs, noting that antiquated Khanna and activist Trisha Shetty have pressured
notions around virginity and misinformation about officials to abolish the tax on feminine hygiene prod-
products like the menstrual cup are two big causes that ucts, helping make them more accessible to millions
have slowed their acceptance domestically. To try and across the country.
combat the associated stigma, Dr Choudhary recom- For those who have put sustainability at the fore-
mends that girls “should be taught about options like front, doing your part should go beyond altering your
menstrual cups early, so that they can appreciate the personal practices and extend to raising awareness
environment-friendly nature of the product, and around reusable products like the menstrual cup—and
its convenience.” this can begin with something as simple as a conversa-
Today, there are several sustainably-minded tion with a close friend. In this writer’s experience,
brands in India that have taken up the cause of intro- even the most educated women have scrunched up
ducing the domestic market to eco-conscious sanitary their noses at the idea of using a cup, and this may have
products. Soch Green was the first Indian label to offer much to do with the fact that as women, it was in-
a reusable menstrual cup in the country and has now grained in many of us to speak in hushed tones and
been joined by other home-grown brands such as Hic- hide tampons up our sleeve at that time of the month.
cup, Avni, Plush, Sirona and Azah. Perhaps this points to a clear solution: in order to
Before the advent of menstrual cups, brands like be able to treat the environment with the care it de-
Carmesi and Heyday pioneered the mindful serves, we must first begin by treating our own bodies
menstruation movement in India by offering pads with the same love and respect. If you’re wondering
made of plant-based materials such as bamboo and where to start, being loud, proud and unapologetic
banana fibre. In the West, brands like Knixteen (a teen about your own experience is the best way to create
period underwear) and Lunapads (which makes reus- space for other girls and women to do the same.
vogue india, january 2022
124 VOGUE Wellness & Beauty
BEATING THE ODDS
A scientist, ecologist, activist and writer,
Zinnia Kumar successfully subverts every conceivable trope
of a fashion model, thanks to a lengthy scroll of accomplishments.
In recent years, the iconoclast has harnessed
her celebrity to confront colourism,
dismantle long-held beauty ideals and encourage
conversations around sustainability with a profundity that belies
her age, discovers Sadaf Shaikh

Social entrepreneur, ethnic inclusion advocate, I come from North, East and South Indian line-
sustainability consultant, South Asian cultural advisor age and have family members with diverse skin tones
and CIEEM-accredited (the Chartered Institute of Ecol- who were bullied or treated differently. It made me liv-
ogy and Environmental Management) ecologist—Zin- id when the South Asian community in Australia would
nia Kumar wears many hats and dons each with dis- say mean things to my cousin, mum and grandmother
cernible ease, a trait that has little to do with the fact because they were dark-skinned while giving me pref-
that she is also a sought-after model appearing in cam- erential treatment because I had lighter skin. The pen-
paigns for Miu Miu, Kiko Kostadinov and Off-White. ny finally dropped when a young woman in the com-
But scroll through the 29-year-old’s Instagram feed and munity died by suicide after being rejected by multiple
you’ll find that it is refreshingly spare for a millennial male suitors.
who is so firmly ensconced in the visual medium. In-
stead, the Australian-Indian multi-hyphenate uses her SS
social media influence as a launchpad to fire emphatic Your commitment to raising awareness about
missives to her 664K followers. In a post from 2018, she colourism stems from childhood memories of
lambasted prominent Indian celebrities for promoting your mother struggling to find a shade of founda-
skin lightening products while the caption for a shoot tion suitable for her skin, and of your grand-
out-take posted last year criticised luxury brands that mother insisting you should avoid the sun. So
outsourced their embroidery to India’s skilled artisans much racial trauma is generational. What are
at below minimum wage. your opinions on dismantling skin tone bias at
Considering the impressive range of qualifiers Kumar home, especially since elders often pass it off as
has to her name, her schedule is naturally chock-full of well-meaning advice?
commitments—and the UK-based model prefers it that
way, which is why she gladly allows her advocacy work to Zk
claim her weekends as well. In her first-ever cover inter- The folly is in thinking of ourselves and our generation
view with Vogue India, the polymath offers compelling as the sole victims of colourism. Each generation before
insights on the politics of colour and representation. ours was a victim too, with far more severe conse-
quences. The pain of both colourism and racism is in-
Sadaf Shaikh tergenerational. In order to contextualise elders’ advice
How did you develop an interest in conserving and discern what it is that they’re trying to protect us
the environment and dismantling colourism? from, it’s important to understand that previous gener-
Photo: ProQuest Historical Newspapers

ations were swayed by the twin legacies of colonialism

Zinnia kumar and skin bleach ads for over 70 years. My grandmother
Growing up, I was obsessed with birds and David At- was married off the youngest because she was the dark-
tenborough; I was all of five when I knew I wanted to est, whereas her lighter-skinned sisters had the privi-
work in conservation and ecology. I didn’t have many lege of waiting until their early twenties. Understanda-
friends, so I spent most of my childhood immersed in bly, it led her to equate lighter skin with freedom, which
nature, planting seeds, watching them germinate, she wanted me to have. The only way she could verbal-
drawing animal landscapes and training my mini tribe ise that desire was by issuing strict instructions to me to
of rescued battery hens to do tricks. avoid the sun and to use bleaching creams.
125

SKIN BLEACH ADS

FOR PEOPLE OF COLOUR FROM 1934 AND 1946,
BOTH SEEN IN THE TIMES OF INDIA

vogue india, january 2022

126 VOGUE Wellness & Beauty

Photo: ProQuest Historical Newspapers

FROM LEFT: A SKIN BLEACH AD FOR PEOPLE OF COLOUR (1934)

AND A TREND PIECE IDEALISING TANNED SKIN FOR WHITE WOMEN (1927),
BOTH SEEN IN THE TIMES OF INDIA

vogue india, january 2022

127 “Each generation before ours
I think our generation has the best tools to facili-
was a victim too, with far more severe
tate intergenerational healing by educating and showing
elders how the world has changed—with racially diverse
consequences. The pain of both
women like Kamala Harris now in positions of power— colourism and racism
while making them see that cross-generational solidarity
will eventually help dismantle colourism. is intergenerational”
ss
You’ve spoken about how skin bleaching prod-
ucts were shipped off to non-white populations
when tanned skin became a beauty ideal for
American and European women in the mid-1920s.
Last year, India’s multibillion-dollar skin lighten-
ing industry came under fire for misleading con-
sumers, but statistics prove that a certain fairness
cream is still one of the highest-selling beauty ans globally. Today, mixed-race white Indians receive five
products in the country. What are your thoughts international magazine covers for every cover earned by
on tackling the systemic issue of colourism their monoracial counterparts. Despite constituting a fifth
beyond legislation? of the world’s population, we have a lot more ground to
cover in terms of glass ceilings, colourism and inclusivity.
zk
During colonial rule, brands sold the illusion that Indi- ss
ans could access white European social privileges by al- You’ve been an advocate for widening the lens of
tering their skin colour, spawning a race-based pigmen- representation in fashion beyond the runway,
tocracy, a direct by-product of white supremacy evident even leading by example through your very first
in the colour-based profiling of Indians under the British high-fashion gig for Off-White. How important is it
Raj. Even though India achieved independence in 1947, for creatives of colour to support each other in an
ads promoting skin whitening became progressively industry that has predominantly been steeped in
worse and segregative, creating a new beauty standard whiteness?
that fed off social ostracism and insecurity that has now
been passed down over generations of women. zk
Despite word replacements, the visual valorisation When I was rejected by every agency in Australia for being
of light skin and homogenous Eurocentricity in advertis- Indian, I felt like I didn’t belong in fashion. However, it was
ing hasn’t changed (and arguably won’t). Statistics don’t creatives of colour who kept advocating for me even when
lie: the global skin-bleaching market is set to climb from the mainstream industry did not accept me. Virgil Abloh
US$8.6 billion to US$13.7 billion by 2025. As long as skin was one of them. If visionaries like him hadn’t taken a
bleaches are sold in any form, capitalistic colourism will chance on me when I was starting out, I would not be
exist. Conglomerates will continue to adapt through the where I am today. Now that I have a platform and a grow-
exploitation of legal and social loopholes, regurgitating ing position of power, it’s only right that I return the favour
colourism, class and colour privilege for profit. and advocate for POCs in every way I can. I’m actioning
this through the creation of a diverse support network for
ss underrepresented racial minorities that is free of con-
When it comes to Indian representation in inter- tempt. This not only involves highlighting creatives on In-
national media and film, it’s clear that women stagram, but actually supporting and creating long-term
with Eurocentric ancestry and features such as careers, mentoring them, and fighting for them in the face
light skin and long locks have a higher chance of of racism and other sociocultural barriers. I have invested
succeeding in their careers than those with tradi- my own funds into nurturing models like Anjali Torvi, Elle
tional South Asian lineaments. What do you have Ngo and Tulsi Prasad in order to obliterate as many glass
to say about this phenomenon of skin tone bias ceilings as possible and improve access for the next gen-
within the same ethnic group? eration. I recently did a job where I asked the client to el-
evate six models of colour from underrepresented minori-
zk ties in lieu of my fee and the result was beautiful. I think
Bollywood has always championed mixed-race Indians, these are the ways in which we need to show up for our
like Helen, and continues to do so even today. Just look people to truly make a difference.
at the proliferation of biracial actors such as Alia Bhatt,
Katrina Kaif, Dia Mirza, Lisa Haydon and Lara Dutta.
While their burgeoning celebrity is a great tool for creat-
ing global reach, it has achieved little in terms of Indian
representation, social belonging and visibility. Instead, it
has further exalted the kind of features that reject and re-
place the beauty of an entire nation.
When we don’t use Indian models and talent in In-
dia, it leads international brands to believe we don’t find
Indian talent desirable, thus they feel no need to use Indi-
vogue india, january 2022
 BODYSUIT, TROUSERS;
BOTH SUPRIYA LELE
 British-Indian designer Supriya Lele inhabits
the space between her familial roots in Jabalpur and her life
growing up in the UK’s West Midlands.
And in her clothes, she fashions this push and pull
that lives within her. As a result,

THIS
what is born is
not a dissonance
but a delicate
view
of a new India,
finds Akanksha Kamath

TIME
IS
OURS
PHOTOGRAPHED BY DAN JACKSON
STYLED BY KATE PHELAN
HAIR: SHIORI TAKAHASHI/STREETERS. MAKEUP: HIROMI UEDA/ART + COMMERCE
ASSISTANT STYLIST: CHARLOTTE RUTTER. PHOTOGRAPHER’S AGENCY: ART + COMMERCE. PHOTOGRAPHER’S ASSISTANTS: JJAY JOHNSON, JORDAN LEE
HAIR ASSISTANT: SAYA HASHIMOTO. MAKEUP ASSISTANT: PIA GARTNER. NAILS: CHISATO/CAREN AGENCY. PHOTOGRAPHER’S PRODUCER: REBEKAH MIKALE
LOCAL PRODUCER: KARAN MAKOL. RETOUCHING: GLOSS. DIGITAL TECHNICIAN: KEIR LAIRD
PRODUCTION: NORTH SIX. VISUALS EDITOR: JAY MODI. ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR: MEGHA MEHTA
 BODYSUIT, SKIRT; BOTH SUPRIYA LELE. SHOES, NEOUS
OPPOSITE PAGE: TOP, TROUSERS; BOTH SUPRIYA LELE
TOP, SHORTS, COVER UP; ALL SUPRIYA LELE.
SHOES, NEOUS
133
Far from the maximalist, Lele’s affinity for this land called ‘home’ sees her return-
ing to it twice each year, after her four-woman team has
magpie India we have wrapped up work on the latest collections. She lifts the
clothes out of London and puts them into focus in a differ-
often seen represented ent context within India—on the banks of the Narmada or,
more recently, in Goa. Working with new creatives each
in fashion rhetoric, time, she tells me why India will always have her heart.

what Supriya Lele serves up “What’s happening in India right now is so exciting.
There are creatives and artists breaking rules and doing
is a rethought and remixed incredible things that aren’t on the global map just yet,”
she says, having wrapped up a collaboration with Delhi-
version of our country. It is a based photographer Sohrab Hura for her spring/summer
2022 campaign. “I am hoping that, over time, by making
vision that is curated from connections and shining a light on those individuals, this
will change.”
a place that is familiar Subversion is second nature to Lele, who, growing up

yet far removed in Meriden, referenced the UK’s skater culture, Helmut
Lang, and the freedom and creative expression of the Y2K
era. “I always loved that anti-attitude. To be against the
grain and always a bit rebellious,” she confesses. It’s an an-
ti-establishment look that she wears on her sleeve even to-
day, in black hoodies, Nikes and baggy bottoms borrowed
from her boyfriend.
Naturally, her proclivity for contrasts finds its way into
her collections, where, beyond the curtain-raising sheer
pieces, you’ll find well-cut trousers, shaped with machine-
like precision, or a jacket that hangs close to the body with
slivers of string peeking from under. “The number of
friends and women I know who have trouble finding the
perfect pair of trousers…it is key that we get the cut of the
trouser good. When you have pieces that are more sheer,
you need to contrast them with elements that are consid-
ered,” she explains. I ask her if she will ever segue into
menswear? The answer is a welcome surprise. “Yes,” she
Supriya LeLe’S SinuouS sheer pieceS that wrap across says. She has given it some serious thought.
the body, revealing hip, bone, curve and crevice, are a While Lele’s cultural identity is a conversation starter, it
measure in contrast. It’s the kind of clothing that can reveal is her deliberate work on building a modern wardrobe root-
too much yet too little all at once. When Lele and I connect ed in luxury that makes her a cultural and design phenom-
over Zoom, it is a week after her first Vogue India cover enon. “I think individuality is really important. That’s what
shoot, where photographer Dan Jackson, stylist Kate people want from young designers, a new perspective.”
Phelan and model-activist Zinnia Kumar uncover new per-
spectives in the designer’s colour-coded clothes.
Today, five years after starting her label in London,
what stands out about the Royal College of Art alumna and
her oeuvre of whisper-thin organza pieces is the focused
female gaze she brings to the industry. Case in point: the
slinkiest pieces from her spring/summer 2022 collection
which she has handpicked for this cover shoot she co-cre-
ated. “Sexy…” she says, letting the word linger, before con-
tinuing, “is so subjective. Confidence is sexy. Attitude, vibe
and spirit can all be sexy.” It is serendipitous then, that the
subject for her brave clothing is modern multi-hyphenate
and fellow South Asian Zinnia Kumar.
“I think Zinnia embodies the essence of what I am try-
ing to say with my brand,” explains Lele. It’s also an infer-
ence I made after watching her show in London in Septem-
ber last year. Far from the maximalist, magpie India we
have often seen represented in fashion rhetoric, what the
LVMH prize winner serves up is a rethought and remixed
version of our country. Celebration is seen in bold strokes
of colour. The sari’s asymmetrical drape is found in the
twisted tissue-like wrap of a dress. It’s a vision that is cu-
rated from a place that is familiar yet far removed. “A ges-
ture, not an appropriation,” she explains.
vogue india, january 2022
 DRESS, SUPRIYA LELE. EARRINGS,
BRACELETS; ALL CARTIER.
OPPOSITE PAGE: DRESS, SUPRIYA LELE. RING, CARTIER
TOP, SKIRT; BOTH SUPRIYA LELE. SHOES, NEOUS
OPPOSITE PAGE: BODYSUIT, SKIRT;
BOTH SUPRIYA LELE
138 VOGUE

A WORLD
OF OUR OWN

ACROSS THE GLOBE, A

NEW GENERATION OF
INDEPENDENT
DESIGNERS ARE
WORKING TO BRING
FASHION AND
SUSTAINABILITY
TOGETHER
PHOTOGRAPHED BY EDDIE WREY
STYLED BY POPPY KAIN
139 APPLIQUÉD COTTON JACKET, CHANDERI TOP,
MATCHING SKIRT, APPLIQUÉD COTTON SARI; ALL KA-SHA.
VINTAGE BELTS, THE ARC LONDON. CORSAGES, RIBBON (IN HAIR);
BOTH VV ROULEAUX. EARRINGS, AL ARABIA, AT CROWNE PLAZA JORDAN.
SUEDE BOOTS, MANOLO BLAHNIK

Ka-Sha, IndIa: “Change by design” is a kind of mantra for Karishma Shahani-Khan and her label, Ka-Sha, based in Maharashtra.
The artisans she works with across the country are as central to Ka-Sha’s story as are its natural, hand-dyed fabrics and
zero-waste design methods. “We use clothing To celebrate handcraft and artisanal techniques, new and old,” Shahani-
Khan explains. The label’s capsule project, Heart To Haat, is produced entirely from leftover textiles and garments destined
for landfills, inspired by the indigenous ideology of reusing, repurposing and reclaiming.” Emily Farra
vogue india, january 2022
140 ALPACA SHAWL, ALPACA JACKET WITH CROCHET TRIM,
COTTON TROUSERS; ALL MOZH MOZH. VINTAGE BELT,
THE ARC LONDON. CORSAGES, VV ROULEAUX. EARRINGS, AL ARABIA,
AT CROWNE PLAZA JORDAN

Mozh Mozh, Peru: Mozhdeh Matin launched her label in 2015, she explains, to “work with local artisans and preserve their tech-
niques”. She was motivated by the concept of a circular economy, and indeed, relying on home-grown weaving traditions,
her colourful separates, dresses and accessories—made from alpaca, cotton and wool yarns also native to Peru—have put
that wheel in motion. “All artists take inspiration from their surroundings,” she says, “and the climate crisis is pushing a lot
of us to create inventive ways to become more sustainable.” Marley Marius

vogue india, january 2022

141 SPANDEX TOP, CONNER IVES.
GOLD-PLATED EARRINGS, GOLD-PLATED RING
(ON RING FINGER); BOTH ALIGHIERI.
GOLD RING (ON INDEX FINGER), EMEFA COLE

conner ives, Britain: At least 75 per cent of this Central Saint Martins graduate’s designs are made from vintage, dead stock or
sustainable materials. It’s always about finding new materials to use and new processes to develop,” says Ives. “It’s a con-
stant and hungry evolution.” The designer, who hails from Bedford, New York, says living in England has influenced the
way he sources and implements second-hand materials. “When I first got to London, I spent most of my time with friends
going to charity shops,” says Ives. “I so enjoy the hunt.” Christian Allaire

vogue india, january 2022

142 VINTAGE DIOR BY JOHN GALLIANO JACKET, FISHNET TROUSERS,
COMPENDIUM 01: PAZZESCA, BOTH AT MORPHINE.ONLINE. CORSAGE,
VV ROULEAUX. EARRINGS, AL ARABIA, AT CROWNE PLAZA JORDAN.
RING, STYLIST’S OWN.

MORPHINE, Italy: Morphine is an innovative brand-slash-retailer based in Reggio Emilia, Italy, selling vintage designer items—
think ’90s Comme des Garçons and early-Noughties McQueen—and upcycled pieces of its own through its line,
Compendium 01: Pazzesca. “Our process lies in reawakening and giving life to products that this industry has produced
and forgotten,” says Morphine’s project manager Sasha Payton. “We produce one-of-a-kind items by customising and
reassembling clothing, fabrics and yarns from dead stock and leftovers from across the Italian supply chain.” CA

vogue india, january 2022

143 JACQUARD DRESS, VITELLI. EARRINGS, AL ARABIA, AT CROWNE PLAZA JORDAN.
EMBELLISHED SATIN MULES, MANOLO BLAHNIK

vitelli, italy: Vitelli’s production is entirely made of knitwear-industry waste, much of it otherwise headed to landfills, which is
then used to create the label’s proprietary felted material—dubbed Doomboh—which is turned into crafty, tactile pieces.
“The atelier inside my studio is called Organic Knitting Theatre,” says Mauro Simionato, Vitelli’s founder and creative direc-
tor. “Every day, we gather and create.” His main source of inspiration? The “music-driven, post-hippie” Italian countercul-
ture movement that grew up around the Cosmic club on the Adriatic Riviera in the late ’70s and early ’80s. Vitelli’s taken this
scene “as a model of how to participate in—and possibly inspire—the current global cosmic scene”. Laird Borrelli-Persson
vogue india, january 2022
144 DRESS, SKIRT WITH MACRAMÉ SILK FRINGING, BOTH JUAN DE LA PAZ. GOLD,
QUARTZ, AMETHYST AND MULTICOLOURED SAPPHIRE EARRINGS,
GOLD, DIAMOND, AMETHYST, CRYSTAL AND QUARTZ NECKLACE;
BOTH NOOR FARES

Juan de La Paz, BoLivia: Juan de La Paz was founded in 2009 by designers Juan Carlos Pereira and Andrés Jordan, who collaborate
with artisans in Bolivia and Peru to create their vibrant designs. “We learn from the ancestral knowledge of these communi-
ties to take care of Mother Earth when making fashion,” says Pereira. The clothes, most of which feature the label’s signature
fringing, are handmade using recycled textiles (the line is also made-to-order and practises zero waste). Being Bolivian,
both designers say, makes sustainability essential and obvious. “Contemporary Latin American design upcycles, looks for
alternative materials, collaborates with indigenous communities and values artisan craftsmanship,” says Jordan. CA
vogue india, january 2022
145 ROBE, BIKINI TOP,TROUSERS; ALL RAVE REVIEW.
GOLD-PLATED EARRINGS, GOLD-PLATED RING; BOTH ALIGHIERI

Rave Review, Sweden: For Rave Review’s Josephine Bergqvist and Livia Schück, the way to a responsible future is through
the past. From the start, the pair have worked only with existing materials, which they puzzle together into unique pieces.
“These fabrics are so nice to work with—and in a way it feels more ‘new’ to work this way rather than to redesign existing
fashions,” Bergqvist asserts. The designers often say that, because their fabrics have previous existences, their work is nos-
talgic by default—but it’s how these Swedes filter their work through their own childhood memories and contemporary
obsessions that is drawing rave reviews. LB-P
vogue india, january 2022
146 BROCADE AND SATIN GOWN, MAISON ARTC. GOLD-PLATED EARRINGS,
CAROLINA DE BARROS. BEADED NECKLACE, AL ARABIA, AT CROWNE PLAZA JORDAN.
LAPIS AND GOLD-PLATED COLLAR, AND SILVER, PYRITE AND GOLD
LEAF RING; BOTH EMEFA COLE. GOLD-PLATED RING, ALIGHIERI.
EMBELLISHED SUEDE SANDALS, MANOLO BLAHNIK

Maison aRTC, MoRoCCo: Maison Artc is the five-year-old brainchild of Israeli-Moroccan designer Artsi Ifrach, who works as
sustainably as he can from his Marrakesh atelier, morphing together his vast collection of antique clothing with local tex-
tiles such as handwoven blankets from the Atlas Mountains. The “as he can” is crucial here: “Sustainability and industry,
production, fast fashion—none of these are sustainable, unless you do haute couture,” Ifrach says. His solution is collecta-
ble one-off pieces designed to keep the past alive in the present. Mark Holgate

vogue india, january 2022

147 SILK DRESS, CATSUIT; BOTH MARINE SERRE.
EARRINGS, AL ARABIA,
AT CROWNE PLAZA JORDAN

Marine Serre, France: “The regenerating process is complex, unique and meticulous,” says Marine Serre, whose brand hinges
on repurposing vintage fabrics into new garments. Serre constructed the dress seen here from scarves found in French
markets to create a classic silhouette from unexpected materials. Using the old to make new isn’t easy—especially when
producing on her scale. “We had to rework the whole chain of production,” she says. “Eco-futurism is about a way to live,
a way to act, and a way to get inspired. We want things to make sense.” Steff Yotka

vogue india, january 2022

148 BELTED FLOCKED TAFFETA DRESS, JERSEY TURTLENECK;
BOTH CHOPOVA LOWENA. JACQUARD LEATHER BOOTS, GUI ROSA.
GOLD-PLATED EARRINGS, CAROLINA DE BARROS

Chopova Lowena, Britain: Working between Bulgaria and Britain gives Emma Chopova and Laura Lowena an advantage. Dur-
ing lockdowns, the pair found vintage tablecloths and tartan taffetas in both countries, using them as a base for their eclec-
tic dresses and skirts. “This look is made from dead stock taffeta, which is then printed and flocked by us,” Chopova says.
Working sustainably is a “huge drive” for the designers. “We collect certain textiles,” Chopova says, “and then make limit-
ed-edition pieces when they fit into the themes of the season—or when we figure out how to best show them off.” SY

vogue india, january 2022

149 LACE TOP, LACE AND LINEN SCARVES, LINEN TROUSERS; ALL YUIMA NAKAZATO.
CORSAGE, VV ROULEAUX. EARRINGS, AL ARABIA,
AT CROWNE PLAZA JORDAN

YUIMA NAKAZATO, JApAN: At the Tokyo atelier of couturier Yuima Nakazato, responsibly sourced fabrics are as much a part of the
design story as silhouettes. In autumn 2021, Nakazato marked the 10th anniversary of his label with a collection that
included pieces made from upcycled leather, organic cotton, lace and linen hand-dyed with natural Japanese indigo (a
process called aizome), along with others that combined nishijin-ori (a traditional kimono textile) with a plant-based syn-
thetic inspired by spider silk. Nakazato’s raison d’être: “to make this world a better place through garments”. MM

vogue india, january 2022

150
WOOL JACKET, WOOL TROUSERS; BOTH BODE.
VINTAGE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN TOP, VINTAGE BELT;
BOTH THE ARC LONDON. CORSAGES, RIBBONS (IN HAIR); ALL VV ROULEAUX.
EARRINGS, AL ARABIA, AT CROWNE PLAZA JORDAN.
JEWELLED SATIN MULES, MANOLO BLAHNIK

Bode, AmericA: When Emily Adams Bode burst on to the menswear scene in 2017 with her upcycled quilted jackets, the boyish
shape and the nod to craft resonated instantly, but her reverence for the objects and stories of the past also carried through
with quilts, clothes, linens, tablecloths and blankets. She’s since introduced a tailoring shop next door to her Hester Street
flagship in New York, where customers can bring items to be repaired, or “preserved”, as Bode tells it. “We’re teaching
our community how clothing can last for generations.” EF

vogue india, january 2022

151 KNIT TOP, LAGOS SPACE PROGRAMME.
VINTAGE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN WAISTCOAT, THE ARC
LONDON. FEATHER HEADBAND (WORN AS COLLAR),
WILLIAM CHAMBERS MILLINERY. EARRINGS, AL ARABIA,
AT CROWNE PLAZA JORDAN

Lagos space programme, Nigeria: Adeju Thompson’s work for Lagos Space Programme rockets between past and present,
and crucially, it is mission-based: fashion is the vehicle through which the designer, who studied in Wales and England,
explores both their non-binary identity and Yoruba heritage. “We are aware of our responsibility as inhabitants of the
planet,” notes Thompson, who often works with precolonial silhouettes and collaborates with skilled artisans employing
indigenous craft techniques, such as natural indigo dyeing. “My ancestors left so much behind,” they say. “I believe they
expected us to continue telling these stories and building up on what they left.” LB-P
vogue india, january 2022
152 CHAIN-MAIL SWAROVSKI CRYSTAL TOP, DURAN LANTINK.
VINTAGE ALEXANDER MCQUEEN SKIRT, THE ARC LONDON.
EARRINGS, AL ARABIA, AT CROWNE PLAZA JORDAN

Duran Lantink, netherLanDs: Some designers have mood boards for inspiration. Duran Lantink, based in Amsterdam, instead
creates some of his designs after trawling the city during the Tuesday night ritual when its residents leave things out on the
street for others to take. “I never understood using new materials when there are so many beautiful things around me,” says
Lantink, who started designing as a teenager, cutting up the Gaultier and Margiela his mother no longer wore. More
recently, he has utilised a vintage Balmain dress, a ’60s fur coat and a regiment’s worth of army sweaters for his label. “You
get a pile of clothes and start digging in,” Lantink says, laughing. MH
vogue india, january 2022
 153 HAND-EMBROIDERED SILK COAT, HAND-EMBROIDERED SILK GILET; BOTH BY
WALID. VINTAGE GIVENCHY HAUTE COUTURE DRESS, VINTAGE BELT;
BOTH THE ARC LONDON. CORSAGE, RIBBONS (IN HAIR); ALL VV ROULEAUX.
EARRINGS, AL ARABIA, AT CROWNE PLAZA JORDAN.
SATIN MULES, MANOLO BLAHNIK
Social distancing rules were followed throughout this photo shoot

HAIR: SHIORI TAKAHASHI.

MAKEUP: LYNSEY ALEXANDER. PRODUCTION: SHADES OF GREY PRODUCTIONS. DIGITAL
ARTWORK: ART POST. MODELS: HE CONG, IMAAN HAMMAM

By Walid, Britain: Walid al Damirji structured his brand By Walid around a single principle: no waste. “It would be disrespectful
otherwise,” the designer says of the antique textiles, like curtains, vintage clothing and tapestries, that he transforms into
romantic blouses, jackets, and even homeware such as pillows and quilts. When it comes to finding these materials, al
Damirji says, “I leave no stone unturned—auctions, vintage fairs, car boot sales—you name it!” His deep care made him
one of the first in the luxury fashion industry to take upcycling and sustainability seriously. SY

vogue india, january 2022

154 VOGUE
THE RISE OF RESALE
The best pre-loved fashion is no longer discovered
only in IRL. Today’s savviest fans are finding everything
from vintage Alaïa to Zara in all corners of the digital
shopping space, writes Ellie Pithers

AS SECOND-HAND, THRIFTING AND RESALE SEE A RISE,

EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN
Justin Polkey
155
The besT adverTising campaigns make you want to be ever going to actually wear those Dior boots again? You go
the woman on the billboard. In 2013, I wanted to be Daria online, and as long as you’ve taken care of them, they’ve held
Werbowy in a pink, roll-top bath, naked save for a rhine- their value. It’s a win-win – you have the financial reward,
stone-studded collar necklace and bracelets, in Céline’s the feel-good factor of participating in circular economy.
spring campaign. Then, you might buy something else, and it feels guilt-free.”
I dreamt about that sparkling choker, specifically, for Resale is big business. The second-hand market is pro-
months, though it was wildly unaffordable—upwards of jected to double over the next five years, growing 11 times
£2,000 (over ₹2,00,000)—on my peanut salary as a fashion faster than the broader retail clothing sector to reach $88.80
reporter. Years later, when its creator Phoebe Philo an- billion by 2025, according to a report by GlobalData and
nounced she was leaving the brand in 2017, I thought of the ThredUp. Why the boom? It must be said that women have
necklace again. Curious to see if I could track one down, I been buying pre-loved fashion for decades; as far back as
hit Google. Fifteen minutes later, I had unearthed a Ger- 1928, for instance, British Vogue was advertising 22 second-
man seller on the French resale website Vestiaire Collec- hand clothing dealers who could be trusted to discreetly dis-
tive, who was willing to part with theirs for £481.37 pose of last season’s Chanel suit. But the keyword there is
(₹48,650), complete with its dust bag and original box. ‘discreet’.
Reader, I bought it. And then I bragged about it. “It’s spring/ Generation Z, who are primarily fuelling the growth in
summer 2013,” I told admirers who enquired as to the thrifting, are more likely to boast about their finds on social
necklace’s origin at a Vogue party. media than keep said item’s second-hand status under
Time was when past-season designer wares would be wraps. “From the research that we did in collaboration
pushed to the back of the wardrobe or donated to willing with Depop, if you analyse the youngest generation, they
recipients after their moment in the spotlight. Now, pre- don’t have that stigma anymore,” says Claudia D’Arpizio,
loved, pre-worn, used, thrifted and resale clothes and ac- luxury goods guru at management consulting firm Bain &
cessories could not be more desirable. ‘Vintage’ is the term Company. “It’s clear they are also buying a lot of ‘first-hand’
that covers all bases, though it makes the sticklers shudder: products. But I think the stigma was more attached to pre-
technically, it should only be applied to clothes made be- vious generations.”
tween the past 20 and 99 years. In any case, the second- After all, eschewing the brand-new is cheaper and less
hand market today is distinctly evolved from the two cate- intimidating (in the case of luxury items) than hitting Lon-
gories that ‘vintage’ used to denote: an acid-free, don’s Bond Street or NYC’s Madison Avenue, and more
tissue-wrapped couture dress acquired at an auction house sustainable: according to a Farfetch report, purchasing a
on the one hand, or a moth-ball-scented slip dress un- pre-owned item on average saves a kilo of waste, 3,040 li-
earthed at a flea market stall on the other. tres of water and 22kg of CO2, compared with a new item.
For one thing, the pre-loved items that today’s savviest Then, there’s the thrill of the chase. As Camille Char-
shoppers are hunting down are often not that old. And the rière, journalist and influencer with an Instagram follow-
hunt isn’t taking place in cavernous warehouses or auction ing of more than 1.2 million, and who regularly shops resale
houses, but online. Today’s well-dressed fashion fans score platforms for past-season pieces, puts it: “I get a lot of kicks
gently used Alaïa dresses on The RealReal, worn-once Bot- from wearing things that no one else has got.” Her most
tega Veneta Cassette bags on Vestiaire Collective, vintage highly prized trophy is a one-of-a-kind John Galliano for
Chanel bouclé jackets on Hewi, and pre-owned Hermès Dior dress from the Noughties, a gift for a recent birthday.
Birkins on Collector Square. They snap up sold-out BNWT She relishes the time spent acquiring one-off pieces. “You
(“bought new with tags”, in internet speak) Zara leggings on don’t need to buy the latest thing that’s just come out to be
Depop and second-hand Jean Paul Gaultier Cyber Dots able to be well-dressed,” she says.
mesh tops on eBay. They go to StockX for like-new Dior Air The pandemic has changed our world in myriad ways,
Jordans and to Chrono24 for lived-in Cartier Tanks, making but perhaps its biggest legacy for fashion will be the shift in
a brief detour to Dotte for Mini Rodini cast-offs for their kids. mindset towards pre-loved products. Farfetch, for in-
They sell, too. After all, their original Dior Saddle bag stance, has been selling pre-loved clothing alongside
from spring/summer 2000 is worth a pretty penny since brand-new luxury stock since 2010, but 2020 was a clear
Maria Grazia Chiuri reissued it in 2018, making it far too turning point: pre-owned views increased 151 per cent
lucrative to pass on to a daughter. year-on-year, with notable growth from March 2020 on-
“People’s sense of ownership has changed,” says Rachel wards, when the pandemic took hold. Moreover, it noted a
Reavley, a former Vogue staffer and board member at Hewi, a 506 per cent increase in sales of pre-owned items valued at
family-run, UK-based resale site with particularly affluent more than $10,000 (over seven lakh rupees) from Q1 to Q4 of
clientele. (Hewi is short for Hardly Ever Worn It; more than 2020. As Tom Berry, Farfetch’s global director of sustaina-
30 per cent of stock on the site has never been worn.) “When ble business, notes: “Our pre-loved curation isn’t necessar-
you’ve experienced shopping in a luxury re-commerce ily targeted at a low-price offer. For us, people come for
space, it really opens up your customer expectation. Then unique items, for great fashion, and it makes them feel bet-
you start to look at things in your wardrobe, thinking, am I ter because it’s sustainable.” Customers have also been

The pandemic has changed our world in myriad ways,

but perhaps its biggest legacy for fashion will be the shift in mindset
towards pre-loved products
vogue india, january 2022
156
“The future could be bringing back the past into
the present. It’s kind of reassuring with all that we are going
through right now...” — Olivier Rousteing, Balmain

availing themselves of the “Second Life” service, where clothes and accessories down it, and charged her models
they can resell luxury bags in return for Farfetch credit. with giving their best Claudia Schiffer impression. From
Net-a-Porter has been taking notes. Last October, it an- the Chanel-branded white swimwear (a nod to Karl Lager-
nounced a resale pilot with Reflaunt, the tech company be- feld’s underwear looks from spring 1993) to the pastel min-
hind H&M’s Rewear programme, offering customers the iskirt suits (spring ’94) and the sequins-and-cycling-shorts
chance to sell well-preserved designer items in their ward- combos (remember Linda Evangelista with the surfboard
robes in exchange for store credit. And at Printemps in for spring ’91?) it was a typically shrewd bid to capture the
Paris, a new 140,000sqft floor entirely dedicated to vintage attention of 1990s-obsessed Gen-Zers without alienating
and thrifted clothing, as well as a new buy-back scheme those who remember the hits from the first time around.
opened in October, reportedly the biggest-ever space dedi- Pierpaolo Piccioli went one step further at Valentino,
cated to second-hand fashion in a department store. Marie issuing faithful reproductions of pieces from archive col-
Blanchet’s Mon Vintage, a high-end vintage service, is the lections alongside new-season spring/summer 2022 crea-
star attraction, with its racks boasting original Versace tions. Look one, a flower-embroidered blouse and skirt,
bondage suits, Yves Saint Laurent safari dresses, and even was a skimpier update on a look from Valentino Garavani’s
the Jean Paul Gaultier cameo necklace from his spring/ legendary White Collection for his spring haute couture
summer 1998 Hommage à Frida Kahlo collection, once collection in 1968, worn by Marisa Berenson for the Henry
worn by Madonna in the music video for 1998’s ‘Frozen’. Clarke-lensed campaign shot in Cy Twombly’s Rome
“What we curate looks like it could be on the runway right apartment. Look 16, a tiger-print maxi coat, was a recrea-
now,” says Blanchet. She believes the pandemic has funda- tion of one from the 1967 collection, worn by Veruschka for
mentally shifted the way we feel about new clothes. “Now, a photograph taken in a Roman back street by Franco Ru-
it’s all about meaningful purchases. Vintage, in this sense, is bartelli for Vogue. “This is how I used to relate to Valentino
a sustainable signifier. You are buying into a story, feeling when I was a kid myself…I dreamed about it through seeing
unique and wearing pieces that were made to last—the fashion photographs, never the clothes or the shows them-
quality of fabrics on the whole is incredible.” selves,” Piccioli told Vogue last October.
Gucci wants in. Hot on the horsebit-adorned heels of Olivier Rousteing didn’t plunge quite as far back as the
Ridley Scott’s House Of Gucci—which stars Lady Gaga and is 1960s for his spring/summer 2022 collection at Balmain,
stuffed with throwback Gucci looks sourced from the but he did mark his 10-year anniversary at the French
house’s vast archive in Florence, as well as vintage dealers, house with a re-edition of 17 of his favourite looks from his
eBay and Etsy—in September 2021 it launched Vault. Billed tenure; from the heavily embroidered Fabergé-inspired
as an online concept store, it is partly stocked with vintage lampshade minidresses from the autumn/winter 2012 col-
items acquired from Italian grannies and auction houses lection to the liquid-gold chain-mail dress from his spring/
alike, reconditioned by in-house artisans, and in some cas- summer 2017 offering, worn by Kim Kardashian at the
es customised by creative director Alessandro Michele. show’s after-party. He did it partly out of pride, he explains
Vault is a no-brainer for the vintage-obsessed Michele: over WhatsApp voice notes, to celebrate his greatest hits,
the pre-loved pieces reinforce the seasonless codes on and partly to show off the house’s savoir faire. But he also
which he has built his Gucci reboot. As he put it in an inter- wanted to make the styles available to a new generation of
view at Vault’s launch: “Gucci turns one hundred this year, the Balmain Army who perhaps couldn’t afford them when
and it’s the time to show everybody how beautiful it would they were debuted. “My Balmain customer has a great ap-
be to give a second, a third life and more to old things that preciation of my archive,” he says. He wouldn’t rule out
are the most beautiful.” Having successfully reissued the launching a vintage Balmain hub. “The future could be
archival Jackie, Horsebit 1955 and bamboo-handled Diana bringing back the past into the present. It’s kind of reassur-
bags in recent years to monster sales figures, as well as re- ing with all that we are going through right now to buy
visited 1990s hits from Tom Ford-era Gucci for its cente- something that you know will never die. It’s more than a
nary Aria collection, stepping into resale won’t feel like trend—it’s an iconic, timeless piece.” Even if an item was
much of a stretch for Michele and CEO Marco Bizzarri. Af- created within living memory, heritage is hot.
ter all, it won’t have escaped them that Prada’s recent deci- It’s also lucrative. With so many brands reissuing archi-
sion to reissue its signature nylon handbags from the 1990s val styles, it’s only a matter of time before they are control-
and 2000s has resulted in the originals increasing in value ling the resale of the originals, too. “Luxury brands were
by about 174 per cent, according to Rebag. more sceptical before, but now they are embracing the op-
Reissued and archive-inspired looks, incidentally, portunity,” says D’Arpizio. “They see resale as a strong hook
were all over the spring/summer 2022 catwalks. Guests to really connect with this younger generation and also to
leaving the Chanel show could be heard joking that the lat- create a larger community of passionate people around the
est collection resembled their watch lists on various resale brand that gives it a longer life.” Execs only need look to
websites: creative director Virginie Viard had brought outdoor clothing brand Patagonia for encouragement.
back a raised 1980s catwalk, sent a bevy of 1990s-inspired Worn Wear, its resale programme, invites customers to
vogue india, january 2022
157
trade in old products for credit, get them repaired, share their success for a luxury brand. Louis Vuitton’s Nicolas Ghes-
stories and photographs of their long-loved items, and pur- quière admitted as much at a New York Times talk in Septem-
chase second-hand and upcycled pieces on its microsite. ber: “As an artistic director, my mission is to do ‘new’… And
It predicts that by 2023, Worn Wear will account for a the challenge is really inspiring and I enjoy doing it, but of
double-digit percentage of Patagonia’s overall revenue. course, like every artistic director, my real dream is to have
Does D’Arpizio think that brands that don’t engage with the timeless pieces that last more than a season and that people
resale opportunity are missing out? “I think so. In reality, will wear forever.”
luxury products such as cars, jewellery and watches have al- Referencing the surge in interest from Gen-Z collectors
ways had a secondary market. It’s embedded in products in his early collections for Balenciaga, over which he presid-
that are durable, and luxury by definition is something that ed for 15 years as creative director, Ghesquière continued: “I
should have a long life.” am lucky enough and old enough now to have the experi-
It helps that new-gen tastemakers from Rihanna to Bella ence of collections I did more than 20 years ago and that,
Hadid have made vintage and past-season pieces key facets of because of the resale market, have become collectable and
their looks. Cherie Balch of US-based vintage website appreciated by young people—have become ‘trendy’ again.”
Shrimpton Couture, who supplies Rihanna with her 1980s The good news for those who missed out on Ghesquière’s
Halston and ’90s Yves Saint Laurent, even managed to per- enduringly cool spring/summer 2008 neoprene florals?
suade Katy Perry to don 1978 Pierre Cardin couture for a re- They’re just a few clicks away. But be warned—the search
cent UNICEF gala in Capri, Italy. “She never wears vintage, so can become addictive. Michelle Elie, a Haitian-American de-
having her wear it was a strong message to her fans and follow- signer and a fanatical Comme des Garçons collector, has
ers,” Balch says. Pop star Olivia Rodrigo, who chose a pink and spent years truffling out pieces from past Rei Kawakubo col-
black tweed spring 1995 Chanel suit for a visit to the White lections that she rues not purchasing at the time. She de-
House in July 2021, needed less encouragement. Like most of scribes this needle-in-a-haystack process as “torture”. On
her Gen-Z fan base, Rodrigo buys and sells her clothes on De- occasion, though, she strikes gold on the second-hand mar-
pop, where 90 per cent of its active users are aged below 26. ket. “Driving to Paris to pick this new baby up this weekend,”
Millennials are at it, too: Lily Allen’s worn Gucci mules are list- she emails, enclosing several photographs of a Comme des
ed on Depop alongside her gently bashed about Céline Cabas Garçons gingham tube dress from the much-referenced
tote (asking price: £110, “used condition as shown in photos, spring/summer 1997 ‘lumps and bumps’ collection, which
but plenty more life in it,” reads the accompanying caption). she has just won at auction. “So excited! Rare, rare treasure.”
No surprises there: more than 36 million of us became first-
time sellers on the second-hand clothing market in 2020.
“When faced with many uncertainties, not just on the health
side but also the financial side, sellers have thought about ways
to monetise their wardrobes,” says Fanny Moizant, co-founder
of Vestiaire Collective, the Paris-based resale platform with 11
million active members and more than 20,000 items listed per
week. “They realised how much money lies in their closets.”
Perhaps the price a fashion item can command on the
resale market will come to be seen as the ultimate mark of

WHAT’S BETTER THAN GUCCI? OLD GUCCI. A LOOK INSIDE

GUCCI VAULT, AN ONLINE CONCEPT STORE THAT STOCKS
VINTAGE GUCCI FROM AS FAR BACK AS THE TOM FORD ERA OF THE BRAND

vogue india, january 2022

 KINGDOM COME
The serenity
of ancient wisdom
guides
those who follow.
Leaning into
rituals of grace,
there is divinity
in prayer.
Here, hope floats
where
the river flows …
PHOTOGRAPHED BY RID BURMAN
STYLING AND CREATIVE DIRECTION BY
KSHITIJ KANKARIA

HAIR: JUSTINE RAE MELLOCASTRO. MAKEUP: ESHWAR LOG/EFICIENTE ARTIST

ASSISTANT STYLIST: KESHVI KAMDAR. HAIR AND MAKEUP
ASSISTANTS: SUSHMITA SAGHALE; ARLEEN GONSALVES; OMISHA C; SUCHARITA DAS
MODELS: AISHWARYA B/NINJAS MODELS; ROSELYNN RAJ/FEAT. ARTISTS;
SANNA BALSARI-PALSULE; KIRAN VARGHESE/FAZE MANAGEMENT
PRODUCTION: IMRAN KHATRI PRODUCTIONS. VISUALS EDITOR: JAY MODI
ENTERTAINMENT DIRECTOR: MEGHA MEHTA
DRESS, ITUVANA.
EARRINGS, PANCONESI
TOP, DRESS; BOTH MIU NIKU. EARRINGS, PANCONESI.
OPPOSITE PAGE: BLAZER, SKIRT; BOTH MIU NIKU
TOP, DRESS; BOTH GUCCI.
OPPOSITE PAGE: DRESSES, ITOH
 JACKET, GUCCI. EARRINGS, PANCONESI.
OPPOSITE PAGE: SARI, TARUN TAHILIANI
DRESS, DIOR. OPPOSITE PAGE: EARRINGS,
SCARF; BOTH LOUIS VUITTON
168 VOGUE Voyage
INTO THE VALLEY
Nestled between India and China, the tiny Himalayan
country of Bhutan unfolds a journey that is
transformative, both physically and spiritually.
Kirstie Clements travels across Aman Resorts’ circuit of five
beautiful but understated lodges to encounter a remote
region with the best-preserved traditions that
are defiantly analogue, pristinely natural and dazzlingly majestic

FROM LEFT: AMANKORA THIMPU LODGE; A MONK OUTSIDE THE

PUNAKHA DZONG. OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM TOP: TIGER’S NEST MONASTERY;
THE AMANKORA LODGE IN PARO
169
When We dream of countries pure and unspoiled,
Bhutan may just be the world’s best contender. As the
last surviving Buddhist kingdom, Bhutan’s very
prescient ‘High Value, Low Impact’ visa policy has kept
tourism extremely limited. (Depending on the season,
Indians can bypass the daily $200 to $250 per person
fee and gain entry upon showing their passport, but
will still have to pay a Sustainable Development Fee of
₹1,200.) In fact, this captivating destination remains
largely untouched by development up to this day.
There are no traffic lights, malls, hotel chains, fast food
outlets or high-rises: the pretty, handpainted wooden
dwellings spread across the kingdom are all construct-
ed in the traditional style, by royal decree, featuring
small, arched windows and tiled roofs, delivering a
charming, old-world uniformity.
It is the time-stood-still ambience of Bhutan that
hits every sense almost immediately: the incense-
scented whiff of spicy juniper, the taste of chilli, the
brightly ornate and unforgettable interiors of the
dzongs (monasteries), the murmur of prayer and the
innate elegance of its people. place of myth, legends and spirits. And, given the coun-
Situated in the Himalayas between India, China and try has a Gross National Happiness Index, much joy.
the Tibetan plateau, a vast 71 per cent of Bhutan remains One of the most stylish ways to experience Bhutan is
fragrant forest—the ground cushioned with pine nee- to stay at Amankora, a series of five superb luxury lodges
dles, the air crisp, the rivers clear. There are yaks in the sprinkled across the kingdom. Aman drivers transport
fields, golden langurs in the trees on its vertiginous hills, guests between the quintet of resorts, expertly steering
rare black-necked cranes gliding over the valleys from their vans along the precipitous mountain routes, acting
Tibet, the fabled snow leopard moving in the night. It is a as easy-going tour guides who soon feel like friends.

vogue india, january 2022

170

vogue india, january 2022

171
There are yaks in the fields, golden STYLE FILES
Fashion essentials that will take you from brisk
langurs in the trees on its morning treks to bonfire nights

vertiginous hills, rare blacknecked

cranes gliding overthe valleys
from Tibet. The fabled snow
leopard moving in the night.
[Bhutan] is a place of myth,
legends and spirits 2

1
3

Designed by the late Australian architect Kerry Hill,

each lodge is strikingly different in its own way—in
Thimphu, tall and modernist, surrounded by whisper-
ing pines; in Punakha, a traditional 17th-century inn on
the edge of the Mo Chhu river, accessible only by sus-
pension bridge; in Gangtey Valley, a glass-and-wood
ski lodge with views across the fields to the jagged 4
snow-capped mountains. To complete the circuitous
journey, you have the 24-suite rammed-earth dwellings
in the picturesque valley town of Paro as well as the
more distant Amankora Bumthang.
Every stay comes with individually curated local
adventures—a dance performance, a leisurely BBQ
1. HAUT À COURROIES BAG, HERMÈS, PRICE ON REQUEST
lunch by the river, spectacular temples and dzong visits, 2. ‘TERRA’ NECKLACE, TOHUM, ₹ 41,000 3. FRINGED WRAP PONCHO,
an outdoor dinner in a stone courtyard beside a crack- FENDI, ₹ 2,10,400 4. ‘TERRITORY FLAT RANGER’ BOOTS,
LOUIS VUITTON, PRICE ON REQUEST
ling open fire or in a cosy potato shed lit with candles, OPPOSITE PAGE: A MONK WALKING ON THE BRIDGE
where you can feast on steaming yak stew, ema datshi THAT CONNECTS TO THE PUNAKHA DZONG
(chilli cheese, Bhutan’s national dish) and handmade
momos all washed down with a cold Indian chenin
blanc. Each night at turndown, thoughtful gifts such as
prayer wheels, flags and books of local folklore are left
in your room alongside a hot-water bottle between the
sheets, with pots of ginger tea and too-good-to-resist
cookies beside the bed.
In Gangtey, our group was treated to a musical
performance of nuns and monks, chasing away hungry
ghosts by chanting and producing otherworldly sounds
with Nga drums and Kangling horns (said to be made
from human thigh bones), an eerie ritual that added
more mystery to an already magical kingdom. Bhutan
teems with colour and decoration: painted motifs and
symbols, often phallic, are on walls, ceilings and prayer
bells; plaited silks and brocades drape doorways and
shrines. Clothing plays an important role in the preser-
vation of Bhutanese culture, even the tiny children
walking the dusty roads to school with their mothers
will all have a hot pink backpack or a deep maroon
sweater or hat. It is lovely to see men wearing the tradi-
vogue india, january 2022
172

tional knee-length wrap robe (called a gho) with long A trip to Bhutan is by its very nature a trip to
black socks, often adorned with a brooch featuring a wellness, both physically and spiritually. Every Aman
portrait of the handsome king, Jigme Khesar Namgyel lodge offers spa treatments—the adventurous should
Wangchuck, while women are in woven ankle-length try the intense Hot Stone bath that offers a dip in flam-
straight skirts or dresses (called kira). Bright deep ing hot water infused with a heady mix of local khampa
pinks and dark berry reds and purples are everywhere, leaves, poppy seeds and warming nutmeg, while
contrasted with glimmering shades of saffron, gold or leisure seekers should indulge in yoga classes, a lovely
lime green, accessorised with turquoise and coral jew- way to ease into the day before the guides whisk you off
ellery. It’s the most wonderful daily parade of colour to a challenging high-altitude outdoor hike. This disci-
and tradition. pline may make the pilgrimage to the must-see Tiger’s
The weather is changeable in Bhutan and can move Nest (the fabled monastery which clings to a cliff at a
from sleet to rain to bright sun and biting cold in one daunting 10,000 feet above sea level) just that little bit
day. So, for visitors, layers of thin sweaters, down jack- easier. The tranquil Amankora lodge in Paro is close to
ets and T-shirts are recommended, while a soft back- Tiger’s Nest (built in 1692, a sacred cave where the Guru
pack or cross-body bag would be useful for longer Rinpoche first meditated, an event that introduced
treks. Just make sure your hiking boots are road-tested Buddhism into Bhutan). The path to Tiger’s Nest is
for maximum comfort and performance before you set steep and challenging, taking between three to five
off. Once in the lodge, dressing gets a bit more glam— hours, but it is a small price to pay for the exhilaration
so pack soft velvet slippers, cosy cashmere separates you will feel upon reaching the famous cave and its
and statement jewellery for stylish fireside drinks. mystical golden door. Gross happiness indeed.
vogue india, january 2022
173 Bhutan teems with colour and
decoration: painted motifs
and symbols, often phallic, are on walls,
ceilings and prayer bells; plaited
silks and brocades drape
doorways and shrines

FROM TOP: STAIRS LEADING TO THE RECEPTION OF AMANKORA THIMPU LODGE;

AMANKORA PUNAKHA LODGE. OPPOSITE PAGE, FROM LEFT: WALKING ACROSS THE MO CHHU
RIVER LODGE SUSPENSION BRIDGE IS THE ONLY WAY TO ACCESS AMANKORA PUNAKHA;
THE RIVERSIDE BBQ LUNCH EXPERIENCE AT AMANKORA PUNAKHA

vogue india, january 2022

174 VOGUE Horoscope
JANUARY

PCapriCorn Every outward journey is an

inward journey, and all doors are leading you
towards yourself. This is your month. Think of
Photo: Rid Burman. Text: Zohra Shakti

this time as a silent rebellion, one that will

ultimately set you on the path to true freedom.
power Crystal Amethyst, to hear your
inner voice loud and clear
R E A D E R S’ T R AV E L AWA R D S 2 0 2 1 W I N N E R S I N S I D E

THE LAST WORD IN TRAVEL

NOV-DEC-JAN 2021-22 | 200

100
AMAZING PEOPLE
ON WHY THEIR
HOME COUNTRY
SHOULD BE
YOUR NEXT
DESTINATION

Bengaluru-based
poet and writer
Joshua Muyiwa
at the Malleswaram
flower market

REIMAGINING IBIZA + GOA, BUT DIFFERENT + SKIING IN FRANCE + NEW IN THE MALDIVES

R E A D E R S ’ T R AV E L AWA R D S 2 0 2 1 W I N N E R S I N S I D E

THE LAST WORD IN TRAVEL

NOV DEC JAN 2021 22 200

100
AMAZING PEOPLE
ON WHY THEIR
HOME COUNTRY
SHOULD BE
YOUR NEXT
DESTINATION

REIMAGINING IBIZA + GOA BUT DIFFERENT + SKIING IN FRANCE + NEW IN THE MALDIVES

100
176 VOGUE Horoscope
7 ^
AquArius leo
It’s been a roller-coaster ride and you’re grateful for Every experience is potent with possibilities and holds
every bit of it. It is the challenges that have rendered you within it the key to transformation. Harness your power
with strength and wisdom. What you’re making space wisely. Start by renouncing your idea of ‘good’ and ‘bad’
for this month is the delectable fruits of your efforts, so and accept the many shades that make up the human
savour them. experience.
Power crystAl Green aventurine, to activate the Power crystAl Lapis lazuli will help you tap into
portal of good luck the wisdom of the ancients

9 )
Pisces VirGo
You have to lose your way to find your way. Let go of the In Native American culture, vision quests are considered
idea of who you are in order to make your way back to rites of passage. One goes into solitude, preferably in the
yourself again. Let your childlike wonder guide you wild after certain preparatory rituals, in order to connect
through the complexities of this phase. with guardian spirits and gain insights on their purpose.
Power crystAl Moss agate, to tap into nature’s This month, you’re encouraged to embark upon a journey
wisdom with the inner, knowing that the disillusionment is
leading you in a brand new direction.
Power crystAl Black tourmaline for protection
~ against lower energies
Aries
Sometimes we delude ourselves into believing that we’ll
never do better and that our share of blessings will be
1
handed over to someone more deserving. But this is far librA
from the truth. Move on from the outmoded to make Only your inner clock can propel you towards growth by
space for more. telling you when it’s time to move and to move on. Don’t
Power crystAl Snowflake obsidian, for your be afraid to let go of the old, for what awaits you on the
transmutation rituals other side of this threshold will awaken that latent song
in your soul.
Power crystAl Lepidolite, to ease the transition
#
tAurus
Sometimes the grief leaves us all at once. At other times,
+
it reveals itself layer by layer. There are some more tears scorPio
to cry and some more truths to discover about yourself. The hard work is paying off and you’re making your way
So sit with the discomfort and hold space for this deeply to the top. ‘World dominance’ is a big theme for you this
cathartic process. month. For the greater good, actively think of ways to
Power crystAl Moonstone, to tide over the ebb support those who are walking the same path as you.
and flow of the emotional realm Power crystAl Pyrite or ‘fool’s gold’ is known to be
an abundance magnet
&
Gemini
3
We find it easier to make someone else the villain in our sAGittArius
story: the lover who left us bereft of hope, or the parent This month, instead of giving into the escapist fantasy,
who put their own needs before ours. But this is your stay where you are, confront your circumstances with
story and you must take charge of it. Clean up the mess bravery and follow the path of least resistance. A
before it’s too late. pessimistic approach will only take you further from the
Power crystAl Smoky quartz will be your faithful manifestation of your goals.
ally in your journey to the underworld Power crystAl Citrine, for that boost of optimism

!
cAncer
An opportunity like this doesn’t come by every day. It
promises to transform both you and the world you’ve
been born into. Watch your fears and release them one
by one—you’re being called to rediscover your magic
and realign with truth.
Power crystAl Let the iridescent hues of labradorite
help you embrace all that is glorious within and without
vogue india, january 2022
 13TH MOTY
ANNIVERSARY
SPECIAL

` 150
MEN OF THE
YEAR AWARDS

YEAR OF THE

VICKY KAUSHAL

LEADING
MAN

13TH MOTY
ANNIVERSARY
SPECIAL
150

MEN OF THE
YEAR AWARDS

YEAR OF THE

VICKY KAUSHAL

LEADING
MAN

VICKY KAUSHAL

LEADING
MAN
 AN ODE TO BREAKING
CONVENTIONS
BREATHE THE GOODNESS Panerai writes its next chapter by offering a brand new Luminor Due in
OF NATURE a manifestly feminine execution. Drenched in elegance and radiance,
A beauty novice to a skincare expert—the perfect way to kick off a the new Panerai Piccolo Due Madreperla is a versatile expression
timeline as such is with a brand you can trust. Enter, Brillare! Meet of Italian taste, balancing advanced materials with sophisticated
the 100% natural, real face washes from Brillare. These powder face aesthetic features, enhanced by iridescent mother-of-pearl. With a
washes are made with all-natural ingredients with zero added water, large palette of alternative straps in a multitude of colours, textures,
zero chemicals and zero preservatives, to deliver a safer, healthier and materials and stitches, the Panerai Piccolo Due Madreperla is a
effective cleansing experience—with no sneaky chemicals! sophisticated accessory for any occasion.
For more information, visit Brillare.co.in For more information, visit Panerai.com

VOGUE

WHERE ETERNITY
DIARY
This January, we bring you the best in luxury and fashion

MEETS MODERNITY
With strength, bravery, and originality meeting beauty, allure, and
magnificence, Rado celebrates women and femininity in its myriad
forms. Rado has chosen to underline those timeless values alongside
Marina Hoermanseder, in a statement of great uniqueness and joyful
celebration with a timepiece that showcases the brand’s own long-
term watchmaking artfulness, with exquisite details. Delivered with
three watch straps for additional preferences, the watch is stylish and
exquisite, with just the right amount of bling.
For more information, visit Rado.com/en_in/ or follow
@rado on Instagram

EAT HEALTHY—
BY CHOICE
Crafted with love, passion, and THE MAGNIFICENCE OF TIMELESS
sustainability, Green Proteins is TRADITIONALITY
a movement to promote plant- Indian heritage is a thing of beauty and splendour, and deserves to
based alternatives in the quest for be celebrated. Driven by a relentless pursuit for high quality and
nutrition. The brand ensures that the authenticity, Weaverstory has been working closely with artisans to
protein you consume becomes easily create unique and timeless heritage pieces. Weaverstory’s heirloom
accessible, more fun, and increasingly Banarasi in bottle green with glistening gold zari is a heritage piece
tasty. Accounting for busy schedules, changing lifestyles, and picky fit for royalty. Radiating in glistening gold zari on a bottle green saree,
tastes, Green Proteins makes healthy eating seem like a cool choice it embodies a continuous zari jaal in a flowing soft handwoven Katan
and not a dreary compulsion. A healthy alternative that’s easy on the Silk. Paired with a hot pink Banarasi blouse and bold kadhas, style this
pockets—getting fit has never been this yummy. saree in an effortless way and embody the enchanting grandeur of
Available on www.greenprotein.co.in, Amazon and Indian heritage and tradition.
Wellness Forever Stores across Mumbai For more information, visit Weaverstory.com
 VOGUE PROMOTION

HEAVEN ON EARTH
Revealing understated luxury, Lodha Park in Mumbai is the perfect embodiment
of opulence and fine living. Its new Jewel Clubhouse is a state-of-the-art
clubhouse that offers a plethora of leisure and wellness activities, inspired by a
crystal with its diamond-like facets—a testament to fine engineering and design,
and nothing short of excellence. Spearheaded by the celebrated Patricia Urquiola,
the clubhouse has been designed with precision. With designs exclusive to each
space and a fine curation of comfort foods from around the world to dine on in its
world-class restaurant, Lodha ensures a statement of uniqueness and grandeur.
For more information, visit Lodhagroup.in
A NEW HEIGHT OF
GLAMOUR
AN OOMPH OF The perfect bridal makeup artist knows how to make you
LUXURY AND STYLE look your best, so that you feel your best—and Samaira
Audemars Piguet’s artistry and craftsmanship Sandhu is excellent at it. Working as a freelance artist
are unparalleled, and their two new Royal Oak since 2016, the brand Samira Sandhu Makeup Artist
Selfwinding models are a testament to this. is the answer you’ll hear to who is the best at the job.
Crafted in white or pink gold and meticulously When it comes to bridal makeup, trends hardly matter,
set in diamonds and colourful gemstones with and Samaira knows how to accentuate your features
a satin-finish calfskin leather strap, the watch the best. From feminine to empowering, traditional to
harbours elegance and aesthetics never seen contemporary, and minimal to bold—look the way you
before. With individually cut and polished stones deserve to on your special day.
set by hand, the watches are resolutely feminine, For more information, visit Samairasandhu.com or
designed to seamlessly sit on the slenderest of follow @samairasandhu on Instagram
wrists, it’s design paying a tribute to the infinite
palette of coloured gemstones.
For more information, QUINTESSENTIALLY
visit Audemarspiguet.com
COLOURFUL
Crafted keeping in mind the premium and elegant side
of living, House of Roca gives you a myriad of reasons
THE STORYTELLER’S ABODE to opt only for the best. If you’re seeking to add a splash
With an aim to connect with its guests, the Shantanu and Nikhil store follows of luxury and grandeur to your lifestyle, House of Roca
a narrative that puts the story at its epicentre—the story of an artist returning is your stop destination. Keeping to its belief in supreme
home to his hometown, right in the heart of history, and bringing his friends to luxury and finesse, Roca is introducing its Everlux
see his work. The venue aims to reflect the artist’s choicest works with a warm and Collection—complete with one-of-its-kind curations
welcoming ambience and gently waits for the art to be enjoyed and brought home fused with a scintillating finish and a bouquet of hues.
by patrons of the brand. For more information, visit Roca.in
For more information, email [email protected]
or call 8800404970
180 VOGUE Shoplist
The merchandise featured editorially JEWELLERY & WATCHES

has been ordered at the following Bulgari (www.bulgari.com)

stores. Some shops may carry a Cartier (www.cartier.com)
Rolex (www.rolex.com)
selection only. Prices and availability Tiffany & Co. (www.tiffany.co.in)
were checked at the time of going to WELLNESS & BEAUTY
press. But we cannot guarantee that
prices will not change or that specific Augustinus Bader (www.augustinusbader.com)
Avni (www.myavni.com)
items will be in stock when the Azah (www.azah.in)
Bare Necessities (www.barenecessities.in)
magazine is published. We suggest Bobbi Brown (www.nykaa.com)
that before visiting a shop you call to Carmesi (www.mycarmesi.com)
Chanel DLF Promenade, New Delhi 7428581152
make sure they have your size. Dyson (www.dyson.in)
Estée Lauder (www.nykaa.com)
Fable & Mane (www.fableandmane.com)
STYLE Forest Essentials (www.forestessentialsindia.com)
Heyday (www.heydaycare.com)
Akaaro (www.akaaro.com) Hiccup (www.myhiccup.in)
Balenciaga (www.balenciaga.com) Kérastase (www.nykaa.com)
Balmain (www.balmain.com) M.A.C Cosmetics (www.maccosmetics.in)
Bobo Calcutta (www.ensembleindia.com) Mason Pearson (www.fwrd.com)
Bottega Veneta (www.bottegaveneta.com) Mauli Rituals (www.maulirituals.com)
Chanel (www.chanel.com) Melanie Grant (www.skincareedit.com)
Chloé (www.chloe.com) Moroccanoil (www.sephora.nnow.com)
Christopher Esber (www.mytheresa.com) Olaplex (www.sephora.nnow.com)
Conner Ives (www.connerives.com) Plush (www.plushforher.com)
Dior (www.dior.com) Sahajan Skincare (www.sahajan.com)
Etro (www.etro.com) Sebastian Professional (www.nykaa.com)
Gianvitto Rossi (www.gianvitorossi.com) Sirona (www.thesirona.com)
Gucci (www.gucci.com) Soch Green (www.sochgreen.com)
Hermès (www.hermes.com) Taza Ayurveda (www.tazaayurveda.com)
Injiri (www.injiri.co.in) Too Faced (www.nykaa.com)
Isabel Marant (www.isabelmarant.com) UMA Oils (www.umaoils.com)
Itoh (www.itoh.in) Wella Professionals (www.luxury.tatacliq.com)
Ituvana (www.ensembleindia.com)
JW Anderson (www.mytheresa.com) VIEW & VOYAGE
Ka-sha (www.ka-sha.com)
Khaite (www.khaite.com) Aman Resorts, Hotels and Residences (www.aman.com)
Last Frame (www.farfetch.com) Aramness (www.aramness.com)
Linda Farrow (www.lindafarrow.com) Cane Concept 9612334444
Louis Vuitton (www.louisvuitton.com) Ekaa (www.ekaamumbai.com)
Manish Malhotra (www.manishmalhotra.in) Fourth St. (www.fourth-st.com)
Manolo Blahnik (www.manoloblahnik.com) Jaipur Literature Festival (www.jaipurliteraturefestival.org)
Marine Serre (www.marineserre.com) Ōtanē (www.instagram.com/otane.in)
Mark Cross (www.mytheresa.com) Scarlet Splendour (www.scarletsplendour.com)
Marni (www.marni.com)
Melissa (www.shopmelissa.com)
Miu Niku (www.miuniku.com)
Mozh Mozh (www.mozhmozh.com)
Naushad Ali (www.naushadali.com)
Neous (www.neous.co.uk)
Péro (www.ensembleindia.com)
Savio Jon (www.saviojon.com)
Story MFG (www.storymfg.com)
Supriya Lele (www.supriyalele.com)
Timeless Pearly (www.timelesspearly.com)
Zara (www.zara.com)
Naveli Choyal
182 VOGUE In List

MONOCHROME MUSE
The perennial polka dot finds a fresh
look on a black and white
handbag built to last

LOUIS VUITTON CAPUCINES, PRICE ON REQUEST

an ode to a pattern that tends to elicit a smile, Louis

Vuitton pastes penny-sized polka dots onto its Capu-
cines bag. Named after Rue Neuve-des-Capucines in
Paris, think of it as a full-circle nod to where it all began
for the French maison in 1854. In supple Tourillon
leather and fixed with the time-adored LV monogram,
it’s a bag that belongs in the precincts of the French
Riviera as much as it does placed purposefully in the
corner office. Whether carried in the crook of the arm,
swung by its top handles or strapped on like a seat belt,
this is a bag of many tricks.
Hyderabad - H.No.8-2-682/B/6/A, Road No.12, Banjara Hills 500034 - Tel. No. +91-40-29557145