When the maker of a clothing brand tells you, "We don't need more clothes," you sit up and listen. To the masses, Anand S Ahuja is well, actor Sonam Kapoor's husband. But to the fashion forward, he's the founder of Bhaane. The brand is entirely everyday wear and focussed on the personality of the wearer, rather than the occasion it will work for or the specific body type it will service. It caught the attention of stylish young Indians way back in 2012 when it ditched studios for streets to shoot the collection, and organised curated events under the Bhanelive umbrella that allowed people to come together over everything from coffee to video games. Self expression continues to be the goal of Ahuja's brand, and with a just-launched collection, it's even more apparent that he puts people before clothes.

What started as a clothing line conceived by Ahuja, then 26, and two designers backed by his family apparel business, Shahi Exports, is now a brand that he hopes will represent India—"a mix of what India has been historically and what it is today; about wisdom but also about confusion," he says. Designer Nimish Shah joined Ahuja last September as creative director, and the Cruise 2020 ready-to-wear collection bears his stamp. Available on the brand's e-shop site, it's alt-thinking and pooh-poohs conservative ideas of seasonal and gender classifications.