Menswear fashion has long been confined to a stereotypical structure, characterized by straight suits and pants or traditional Indian wear with occasional embellishments. However, Rohitash Notani's brand, Rosani, aims to disrupt this conventional narrative and usher in a new era of menswear fashion. As Rosani prepares to showcase their collection at the Lakmē Fashion Week in collaboration with FDCI, where they will be featured as one of the INIFD Presents GenNext winners, we talk to Rohitash about Rosani’s journey, influences, and vision for the future of menswear fashion.
ROMANCE WITH FASHION
Fashion and I have been in a lifelong romance. I always gravitated towards it. I don’t think it was marked by a singular moment but by a continuous evolution of my relationship with aesthetics. I was drawn to people and spaces with an innate desire to bring harmony and beauty to them. As I grew older, it only strengthened more, developed more and I realized how happy it made me. Gradually, it was less about realising and more about living my truth. I am thankful to INIFD and Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI for giving me this platform to share my knack of fashion with the world.
CHANGING THE NARRATIVE FOR MENSWEAR
We only ever occupy spaces that society permits us. The fashion landscape has traditionally offered limited narratives for menswear, often leaning towards the con- ventional—think classic cuts, understated elegance, and a palette that seldom strays from the ‘safe’. I believe this stems from a deep-seated cultural narrative that has confined ‘masculinity’ to a narrow alley of expression.
Thankfully, the idea of what it means to be a man and therefore to dress like one is finally evolving. One which is departing from the ego fest and traditional braun towards a more courageous, individualistic, inclusive, charged presence where we can let each be and let each other shine. That’s the design ethos of Rosani. Our mission is to redefine menswear as a medium of personal expression that surpasses traditional boundaries. We’re not just designing clothes; we’re crafting statements that encourage men to embrace their individuality boldly and unapologetically.
FASHION INFLUENCED BY ARCHITECTURE
I feel like fashion dresses people the same way buildings dress a city. In Milan, the romance of the Renaissance; in Berlin, the starkness of understated mixed modernity. That’s a runway in itself. My walks through these cities feel like pilgrimages, where the coming together of past and present, form and function, the ornate and the minimalist, the old and the new are all right there, seamlessly mixing, creating a colour of their own. It’s humbling and heartening all at once. It is this enmeshing of architectural contrasts that deeply influences my work. It encourages me to explore the balance between strength and grace, tradition, and innovation. I feel like my creations echo the silent stories of the cities they were inspired by.
Rohitash Notani
ITALIAN SENSIBILITIES
Italy, with its storied tradition of craftsmanship and an innate sense of style, was my crucible. I didn’t just grow up there in the most pivotal years of my life, I found myself in Italy. Its unapologetic celebration of art, life, and love, and is like my heartbeat. I live today between Berlin and Bombay, but Italy is where I find my creative community. And I hope to always keep that door open in my work and my heart.
‘ANIMA & ANIMUS’
With ‘Anima & Animus,’ Rosani is setting the stage for a reimagined narrative in menswear—one that makes space for the pluralistic nature of our identities and is rooted influidity and challenging stereotypes. It’s a testament to the idea that creativity knows no labels, no limits and that fashion should be a vehicle for expressing the multifaceted nature of the human spirit.
In our new collection that will be showcased to audiences at Lakmē Fashion Week X FDCI, the lines between the masculine and the feminine are not just blurred but beautifully intertwined. With ‘Anima and Animus’, I wanted to reflect on the duality within us and express it in design that marries the robust with the tender, the boxy volumes with floral motifs. This collection is our attempt to reassert the essence of human existence, always a little bit of both the feminine and the masculine and confined to neither — beauty that is boundless.
Words Paridhi Badgotri
Date 15.03.2024