L.Murali Krishnan, MD of Kalyani Associates, turns up in a striped brown tee and a pair of camel leather denims. The denim he wears look absolutely fancy, with an unmistakable panel of camel leather on the front and patches of candle wax smeared at the rear side. Greasy laces hang around from the pockets and he carries off the denim effortlessly, bringing in the feel of a rugged working class man. “I have a collection of 100-odd denims, ranging from Rs.5,000 to Rs.18,000. Of all the kinds including work wear, casual jeans and neat-finish denims I have, about 25 pairs are exclusive editions,” says Murali. “The camel leather denim was rolled out by Levi Strauss as a special edition. There were only 50 pairs released in India and I bought it at the flagship store in Bangalore.” “Even after seven years, the denim is in excellent condition and gives utmost comfort apart from being a heard-turner.”
“Like how women are crazy about jewellery and saris, I am crazy about jeans,” says Murali, who has a separate wardrobe for his collection of denims. “Some of the pairs are decades-old. I have given away few pairs to friends. But some are special and close to heart.” Taking a 501 biker denim, he flips the ankles to reveal a radium lining along the stitches. “The uniqueness of the biker denim is that it glows in the dark while you are riding a bike. It can also be used a party wear as it glows in dim lighting. I liked the functionality aspect of the jeans apart from the style and picked it for Rs.6,000 few years ago.”
For Murali, the denim he wears defines his personality. “Denim is my comfort clothing and it gives me the feel of a rebel. It makes me stand out and I enjoy the macho cool look it lends.” “I am so much in love with torn jeans that I have so many varieties in the style. Some of the denims in my collection are rare and exclusive that knockoffs of these styles are not possible.” Another highlight of Murali’s collection is the spray-painted jeans, with streaks of sparkling paint on the denim. Engineered denim is another pair in which the finish is asymmetric with hemlines that criss-cross and ends in a bell bottom. “It gives a baggy look and adds volume. It’s a stunner when you team it with a body-hugging shirt,” says Murali. “I also have a denim that costs Rs.13,000. To wear it the right way, one has to put it on and get into a hot water tub for 15 minutes. The denim shrinks to a certain extent and that’s the right fit for the wearer. The jewel of my collection is the ‘Alive to dead’ denim, rolled out by Levis. A dead man wearing a pair of denims was buried and when the body was exhumed nearly two decades later, the denim was found to be partly torn and tattered. A limited collection resembling that exact pair of exhumed denims was rolled out by Levis at Rs.10,000.”
Murali is known to be a stylish fashionista among his friends. “Many of my friends in Madurai appreciate my spirit to dress up. Denims are versatile and can stay for decades. Even if it fades or tears off, you can still wear it, unlike an expensive formal pant. Denim is all about being carefree and even suit formal occasions. At business meetings, my friends ask me to walk the ramp along with the models. I owe it all to my collection of exclusive denims.”
(My Collection is a fortnightly column. We invite readers to tell us about their personal and rare collectables. E-mail metroyourweekend@gmail.com)
