\When you speak to fashion designer Javed Khan, the famous axiom by Coco Chanel comes to mind. “Fashion is not something that exists in dresses only. Fashion is in the sky, in the street, fashion has to do with ideas, the way we live, what is happening.” A graduate of the National Institute of Fashion Technology, emerging designer Mohammed Javed Khan, will showcase his collection “Surreal” at the Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/ Resort 2013 to be held this month.
Delving into the nitty-gritties of “Surreal”, the 28-year-old Bangalore based designer explains, “My collection explores new territories of the mind, body and soul along with our universe, while navigating through patterns and stains formed with time. The look of the collection is futuristic, yet flowing with a static frame of mind. It is easy to wear and easy to look at.” His is a rather philosophical approach towards design. Javed explains: “Life moves so fast virtually and digitally that it’s hard for us to accept how incredible it is when we are in the moment. We are too busy curating it. In the bigger picture, things are not changing that fast yet. Life feels like it is moving rapidly due to an overload of information and a fishbowl perspective. Mountains are formed over a long period of time, galaxies change their shapes gradually and we age slowly. We need to reconnect with nature and the universe - as the moon rules the tides, so it rules us. We need to rediscover our innate ebb and flow.”
“Surreal” comprises about 15 garments that can be worn by men and women. According to the designer, “There aren’t any dresses or blouses per se but women who like wearing men’s clothing can always wear something from this line. There are washed shirts, trousers, and blazers among other items. The emphasis is on the surface of these clothes.” As someone who is completely against the use of polyester, Javed says: “I’ve used natural fabrics, untreated ones and handmade textiles. There’s a lot of cotton and linen but the treatment I’ve given is very different from what you would otherwise see.”
His creations are cut to fit a certain mood — collective and diverse, modern and rooted in a stance. Simple, artistic, soft, washed, vintage and muted are some of the words that best describe his line. Cuts are ‘East’ inspired, elongated, simple and practical. With regard to the colour palette, Javed says: “The whole point was for the collection to have that used and recycled feel hence I’ve used sepia tones and earth colours. But to make it eye-catching, there’s also a hint of pop that you would find in nature too. However, overall, the colour tones are muted.” Since this is a Summer/Resort collection, the embellishment has been kept to a bare minimum. However, the designer has used a lot of patchwork and techniques that involve acid washing to give the clothes an old feel.
About what inspires him to design, Javed states: “While I draw a lot of inspiration from nature, random conversations with random people also provide me material for my creative process.” He has no qualms admitting, “I am inspired by the clichéd definition of beautiful. I like the moon, its quiet glow; roses, especially the white ones. I am also intrigued by the concept of age and time.” Khan who has also been a menswear designer for Louis Philippe for over five years, designs shoes and bags to complete the look of his collection and intends to design them on a larger scale in the near future. “Since I fashion wardrobes, I’m the only one who would know what accessories would look best with my clothes to complete the look,” he wraps up.
