Have you ever been in the women’s section of a clothing outlet and felt that nothing flatters your body type? Or, while browsing shirts and tees in the men’s section, did you wish for a wider spectrum of neon colours, crop tops and funky prints? The restrictive notions that guide the fashion industry and production patterns are perhaps realised in these big small moments. 

One of the new emergent platforms that are challenging these gendered ideas of fashion is Balav. The streetwear company from Kandivali was founded when Vaishnavi Bala was tired of garments that seemed to be deciding how her body should look on her behalf. “I couldn’t wrap my head around how women’s pants are always made in a way for their backside to pop out. T-shirts don’t compliment women with broad shoulders, a heavy chest or a wide hip area. I used to ask myself if these clothes were being made for a certain body type,” Bala says, adding that such constructs push many women to believe that there’s something wrong with their build. Her label was founded based on similar personal and shared experiences.