A clothing label that celebrates blacks? Sure. A label that sells only black? We did a double check. Was that possible, to bring out all-black collections and not tire of it? The team at Turn Black, a new fashion label, loves black so much that they are working with a variety of fabrics, all in black. Head-quartered in Delhi, Turn Black (turnblack.in) is an online retail label that went live a month ago.
The company is the brainchild of The Dot Studios. Its core team members Nutan Dayal, Robin Chanda and Amit Singh Chauhan share a strong passion for black. “We want to break the stereotypes and myths surrounding this colour. We’ve heard countless things such as black representing evil, death, witchcraft and a notion that married women shouldn’t wear black,” says Nutan Dayal, the company’s fashion director. She observes that though the fashion industry and consumers love the colour for its versatility and timelessness, the stigma continues to stay.
On Turn Black’s website, you will find tops, shirts, skirts, kurtas, dresses, slim and flared pants, jackets... just about everything in black. The first collection is in stark black, in the sense that there are no mix and max of colours or the oft-used black, white and grey monochromes. On its blog, Turn Black puts forth a strong case for the colour, arguing that while it can make you feel powerful and stand out from the crowd, it can also make you blend in on days you don’t want to draw attention.
This is Nutan’s first fashion venture. A post-graduate from Lady Shri Ram College, New Delhi, she intends to make a mark experimenting with ideas and trends. “For me, it’s about style coupled with comfort and elegance,” she asserts.
The team is working on its summer collection called Enigma. Summer and an all-black collection may seem like strange bedfellows, but Nutan is confident of the outcome. Gossamer fabrics such as organza, Chanderi silks, linens, cotton and cotton-linen blends will be used. “Flowy tops and loose dresses are perfect for summer. The colour may be dark, but the fabric plays a more important role for the weather,” says Nutan.
The label will also come up with line for men. Kantha embroidery finds a presence in the first women’s collection and in the next few collections, the label will use other indigenous embroideries.
The design philosophy builds on classic styles and not fickle, changing trends. Nutan describes the style as “easy going, hobo-chic, lazy-lousy. We want to make our customers look like they have spent a lot of time in dressing up, effortlessly. The everyday staples should make the wearer go through the day, from desk to dinner, comfortably,” she signs off.
