10 April,2011 07:36 AM IST | | Dhamini Ratnam
The new menswear collection of The Bungalow, a fashion line run by French designer Mathieu G and Bungalow 8 owner Maithili Ahluwalia, draws inspiration from the Mumbaikar on the street. Next week, you'll get to see how "ridiculously chic" fishermen and post-ironically cool Bandra hipsters have influenced high fashion
Bandra resident and French fashion designer Mathieu Gugumus Leguillon may have worked at high-end fashion houses Yves Saint Laurent and Lanvin, but his mantra is clearu00a0-- it must not frighten people, and comfort trumps all else.
Elton Fernandez is a 29 year-old make-up artist. "This Bandra hipster is
a clever guy who put things together without spending too much. He has
a strong sense of style," believes Ahluwalia.
And for his new menswear collection, he turned to Mumbai's streets for inspiration. "Whether Indian men style themselves in front of the mirror or not, their clothes are unique for the way they wear them, the fabrics, and the colours," says Mathieu.
The new menswear collection in a fashion line brought out by Mathieu G and Maithili Ahluwalia, proprietor of Bungalow 8, which will be unveiled on April 15, will unique for another reason.
The duo has roped in streetwear blogger Manou (https://wearabout.wordpress.com) to photograph men who displayed a sense of individuality through their clothes, on the streets.
"We wanted to capture people who had an effortless style not usually associated with fashion. We wanted to draw inspiration from men across class, caste and profession. We found that the lower you are in the food chain, the more non-conformist your style is," shares Ahluwalia.
The result was a huge collection of photographs that threw up quirky stylesu00a0-- from a fisherman to a gallery owner, a Bandra hipster to a khadi-clad preservationist. The photographs will accompany the clothes, and stand pretty on the boutique's walls.
Ahluwalia is keen to compile the snaps into a book.u00a0 More, even women, will be added, says Ahluwalia.
For Mathieu, inspiration also came from his own experience back in France. "I would never get home from work before my evening plans, so I would have to wear clothes that could be worn to work and a social do. Those were the sort of clothes I wanted to create."
Detailing forms an important part of his new collection. Mathieu has tried to recreate individuality that's intrinsic to street style by adding unusual details on the 150 new garments that make up his collectionu00a0-- making jackets out of khadi cotton, cutting up a vintage sari to craft a shirt, giving the ubiquitous kurta geometrical cuts, and stitching mismatched prints on the insides of shirt sleeves that are revealed when rolled up.
"There is no point doing garments that look great on the mannequins," says Mathieu. "The person who wears them matters more."
Prices are steepu00a0-- ties start at Rs 1,200 and shirts range from Rs 3,500 to Rs 5,000. Jackets are Rs 11,000 onwardsu00a0-- not the sort that the fisherman from Versova village might be able to afford. But he probably doesn't need it anyway. As Ahluwalia puts it, his lungi and khadi shirt combination is "ridiculously chic".
The inspiration
Street photographer and blogger Manou took this photo of 65 year-old Balachandra Ratne, a fisherman in Versova village, for Mathieu G and Maithili Ahluwalia's new collection inspired by streetwear.
Sneak preview of the result
"The touch and feel of the fabric matters to me," says designer Mathieu G, who designed and cut this black and white striped shirt from a vintage sari (Rs 7,950). The woven ikkat shorts cost Rs 4,900 and the mulmul undershirt costs Rs 3,500.
