It was back when her mother used to own a boutique of saris that Anaka Narayanan discovered her love for texture. But it was only when she returned from the US after her degree in Economics in 2006 that she decided to follow up on her passion for forward silhouettes for women like her.
Setting out to create a label that went against what fashion was at that time – bling; she wanted to make meaningful clothes for the progressive urban Indian woman and that is how Brass Tacks was born. Founded in 2007, Anaka’s brainchild aims to create quality products for daily wear made out of handloom cotton and linen. “Although I had no background in fashion, I set out to find my voice and create clothes that enhance what a woman feels.”
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While experimentation with fabrics like khadi is nothing new to designers like Anaka, she takes the help of various textile designers for the process. “The aim is to bring out high quality material that fits everyone. I want to take my collection to the Fashion Week and show people that it can be both comfortable and stylish at the same time.”
With a lovely warm persona, she’s a perfectionist that believes in positively impacting the lives of her customers and getting to know them so that the clothes she creates have more meaning.
Au contraire to the belief, it’s very hard to manage a store and keep designing at the same time. Anaka tries to strike a balance by keeping her creative persona in the store and the business one for the accounts. “It’s not easy to cut out ideas and become a big name. Damage to creativity is damage to the brand.”
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With a strong dislike for flat fabric and having access to a wealth of textiles to utilise in a country like India, Anaka chose khadi and natural dyes as the base of her summer collection. “Khadi is very close to my heart. It also softens after every wash. To guarantee my customers have the same soft fabric and zero shrinkage, we do an in-house wash. Summer is all about cotton rather than silk,” she explains.
Her collection is inspired by the idea of easy silhouettes, for a woman to feel confident and comfortable at the same time. “They are shapely but also give off a relaxed feel. The fabric is from Andhra and Telangana and a lot of work goes into each piece. I’ve chosen a minimal colour palate with various pieces such as dresses, tunics and slacks and played around with buttons and pockets to bring in new looks,” she hints, giving a sneak peek at the minimalistic collection.
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Unlike her previous collections, this one involves slow fashion and fabric that promises to last long. “Ladies will not be giving away these clothes because the cloth is torn or falling apart. They’ll give it away because it looks old. Hand-woven fabric takes a lot of time and effort to make but I’m sure that by taking from the world, I also give back. Sustainability is major factor in the entire process,” she affirms.
Braving changes and keeping her head high, opening her store in Bengaluru after tasting success in Chennai has been instrumental in Anaka’s growth as a designer. “I don’t believe that one thing fits the whole world. I’m on the path to design silhouettes that Indian women like and I’m raring to go touch the sky and reach people.”
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The collection is priced at ₹1,500 to ₹5,000.
The Brass Tacks Summer Collection Preview party with a pop-up of The Postbox, takes place on May 18 from 4 to 8 pm at the store in Indiranagar and continues till May 29. Call 40958201
