OhKu Studio
OHKU STUDIO
Photographer Prerna Nainwal hails from the rugged landscapes of Uttarakhand and it was back in 2020 during the pandemic that the creative found her way back to Nainital, her hometown which eventually led to her knit-wear label OhKu Studio. Going through a period of transformation, Prerna along with her mother Geeta found herself immersed in the world of knitting and sewing, a world her mother was already familiar with, owing to her social initiative that works to empower the women of their region. “At the heart of our endeavour lies the ethos of “localism”—a celebration of the wealth of resources and indigenous knowledge that our region possesses.”, says Nainwal. OhKu Studio exists today as an embodiment of their shared vision that strives to uplift women financially and create their own source of income.
BYFETUS
Envisioned by four independent creatives, Pranjal Kaila, Pradhyumn Kag, Aravind Narayanan and Vivek Mishra, ByFetus stands at the intersection of fashion and technology. A futuristic pursuit, the founders recognise that their label would exist within a niche. A take on creating their very own immersive experience, what exists today is a character who is an extension of their true selves. With the help of Fetus, they strongly believe they’ve managed to create “tangible relics of mythology,” and hence the wearer engaging with the garments can create space for themselves in this narrative. When it comes to their design language, the team consciously chose to stay away from the norm in an attempt to not blend with the mainstream. They came up with their manifesto, “Birth of New Aesthetics” that helps keep them grounded but also stay on track with their goal of being able to embrace their own idiosyncratic idea of individuality and aesthetics.
TOÌ„PA
Founded by Nikita Deuja in 2022, ToÌ„pa produces street-wear from deadstock fabrics. Growing up in Nepal, Nikita was especially close to her mother, who was a tailor, “she repaired torn clothes and stitched traditional garments like kurta to support our family”, Nikita tells us. Inspired by her mother, she gradually began making clothes for her dolls using scrap fabrics from her mother’s tailor shop, and that is when her romance with sewing and design began. In our conversation with her, she tells us about the origins of the brand: “I wanted to have my own brand pro- moting sustainability values because the fashion industry is the number one polluter of the Earth and that’s when I visualized ToÌ„pa. I knew deadstock fabric were dumped in Nepal and I wanted to make good use of it.”
Thaely (left) | Topa (right)
THAELY
Founded by Ashay Bhave, Thaely is a homegrown sneaker label that makes use of recycled waste materials to produce their beloved kicks. As someone who has always been passionate about fashion, Ashay found himself gravitating towards sneakers all his life. So, it was only natural for him to eventually pursue a degree in design from the Fashion Institute of Technology in New York. The label was then created in a bid to find a viable solution for the plastic problem plaguing our society as it is responsible for the heavy depletion of marine life. The initial process involved about two years of research to perfect a prototype fabric that would imitate a traditional leather sneaker.
Words Platform Desk
Date 29.12.2023