Inca

Inca

Amit Hansraj, the founder of the up-and-coming label Inca, never officially studied design. His education is a culmination of the fifteen years of experience he has gained in the industry, working in various departments, ranging from merchandising to marketing.

Conceived during the lockdown, Amit calls Inca his ‘lockdown baby’. Born from the need to keep himself occupied during the grim initial months of the pandemic, the label was a means to keep busy when everything had come to a standstill. He adds, ‘This period gave all of us an opportunity to notice things that we never really bothered to notice. For me, it was staring at the floor. The terrazzo floor gave me comfort in an odd way. It’s the pattern I have grown up with. Although starting the brand was not the first thing that came to mind — I just wanted to explore the different floors/marble surfaces in my house and possibly get new curtains made out of the prints.’ 

Inca

The quirky name, Inca, which is short for incarnation, represents the multitasking spirit of its founder. The conceptualisation of the label foresees Inca as a community with design at the centre. He wishes to see it as a collaborative space for like-minded artists and designers, with a medium that remains in flux. Inspired by meeting people and listening to their stories from across the world, Amit is someone who prefers the spirit of the community. He explains, ‘I can’t work in isolation. I feed off energy. I also don’t have a ‘studied’ approach to fashion/creative process.’ 

With a minimalist aesthetic, Inca’s marble prints and polka dots reflect on the kind of woman who is comfortable in her own skin and isn’t afraid of her imperfections. Our contemporary reality can be perceived as being uncomfortable for the status quo of the industry as a narrow-minded line of business. With younger voices and narratives taking precedence there is an earnest attempt to change the way one looks at fashion. As more and more labels rally to incorporate sustainability in their blueprint, change seems to be in motion, even if at a slow pace. 

Inca

Adding on the topic, Amit elucidates, ‘For me fashion has been on a ‘Pause’ for many years now. Almost like a lull before the storm. I can feel the old guard changing. There’s a lot of fresh talent around and now they’ll get an opportunity to create new narratives. Also, we need to stop compartmentalising fashion into ‘couture’, ‘sustainable’, ‘ethnic’ et cetera. It stops the natural evolution of a designer when/if they start taking these boxes/titles too seriously.’ He believes the term sustainability itself is highly misunderstood in the discourse. For him, everything should begin with the semantic understanding of how sustainability relates to a way of life rather than being a mere aesthetic or marketing gimmick. ‘It is about how you live and how you conduct your business. A ‘Couture’ brand can be more sustainable than a brand that uses handloom fabrics,’ he says.

As a new label just finding its feet in the market, they are excited about a pop-up space that Amit is currently working on, in a bid to showcase the work of creatives with a similar outlook. Just like him, the label vows to not work in isolation. With such a positive perspective, the future looks nothing but bright for this endeavour. 
 

Text Unnati Saini

Inca