A shirtless bloke in Hawaii jumps off a cliff into the raging sea, diving deep down with the sharks. Despite his well sculpted body, serving as a distraction, you can’t help but notice he’s in a pair of jeans as he effortlessly swims underwater.
“That’s part of our testing to see how comfortable our jeans are. As you can see, the adventure enthusiast is pleased with it,” smiles Mridulika Menon, founder of Shrik Jeans, a Chennai-based label launched in April this year.
Menon says she came up with this brand because she noticed her husband was looking for a comfortable pair of jeans for his long-haul flights. There were very few options. “After looking for two years I finally found a boutique in Indonesia that makes jeans in small quantities and procures materials from different parts of the world,” says Menon.
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The thread for Shrik is procured from the United Kingdom. Materials come from Indonesia and Japan. The rivets are from Japan and leather patches come from Argentina and Brazil. “Our jeans are made of cotton and have 2% elastane so it gives stretch and takes the shape of your body,” Menon says adding, “during the testing phase we got a lot of CEOs, doctors and sports people to try out the jeans. Cricketer Dean Jones is one of our clients and he wanted us to create a relaxed pair of jeans so we came up with Orkhon Light for him.”
Since the jeans are primarily targeted at denim enthusiasts with a passion for travel, they are also named after places. They’ve got names such as Blue Mountain, Komodo, and Orkhon. “For example Orkhon is named after the valley in Mongolia and is inspired by the different shades of blue in the clouds, mountains and rivers,” she says .
Shrik is also big on customisation. After buying their jeans, clients can choose from a variety of finishes. There’s rust and grease (as the name suggests it adds patches of rust and grease to the pants and surprisingly there are takers), burnt-distressed, paint splashed, bleached out shapes, ripped and sashiko...
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“The price of customisation depends on what the client wants. Sashiko, a form of traditional Japanese embroidery, takes a week to 10 days to get done and costs around ₹3,000 to ₹5,000,” says Menon. While the jeans are only for men now, they have got a range of unisex indigo-dyed batik T-shirts, shirts and multi-pocketed denim jackets which are a modern spin on the 1950s safari jacket and is inspired by the Maasai Mara.
Menon says caring for these jeans is important. It’s how you would take care of your saris, she says. Washing machines take the life out of jeans, she believes. “The best way to break into our jeans is to wear them in the shower for the first time. Or soak in a tub of hot water, wearing them. Or even better just take a dip in the ocean. Dry them inside out under the sun, after the first dip or shower.”
The label will soon include colourful chinos in shades of forest green, royal blue and mustard. Plans are also on to introduce slim fit, super fine corduroy pants, a far cry from what we’re used to seeing typical Indian grandfathers wear. “Our clients are aged between 25 to 70, and it’s good to see senior citizens enjoying wearing jeans again,” smiles Menon.
Shrik Jeans are available at Chamiers and online on shrikjeans.com