Until last year, Aseem Kapoor was a ‘young talent’ exhibiting his collection at the Lakme Fashion Week’s GenNext section, a platform for new talent. This year, Kapoor launched his latest collection, ‘Beyond Ken’, at LFW, striking out on his own with a modern twist to traditional Indian silhouettes. Kapoor, an NIFT alumni, has worked with veteran designer Tarun Tahiliani for over 15 years.
He left to pursue his dream of starting his own label. His ethnic-inspired ensembles are rich with layered textures while rendering a bohemian maximalist vibe. He offers clothes that transcend seasons and are timeless in their devotion to technique and craft.
He also delves into contemporary Indian style, and, through design, pays homage to the country’s newfound confidence in its sartorial heritage and expressions. The collection shows that the quirks of life are beyond one’s ken and tries to send out a message that instead of untangling the mysteries of life, one must focus on and prioritise oneself. He draws inspiration from the life and artwork of Austrian artist Adolf Wolfli. His use of brightly coloured abstract illustrations inspired the brand’s exploration of Indian dulljewel tones.
Excerpts from a conversation:
First thoughts about being able to showcase your latest collection at LFW. The experience is always fantastic when you get to showcase your collection in the way you have envisioned it. It’s, as if, the clothes come to life at the show. ‘Beyond Ken’ is inspired by a state of mind. It’s about exploring the human psyche and embracing the delicious ambiguity that comes with it. We mix and match different elements to bring life to our moodboards. So there’s a lot of controlled chaos and a beautiful poetic balance.
What are the signatures in ‘Beyond Ken’ and what is the place of embroidery in your work? Both print and embroidery are an integral part of the collection because these are surfaces. The crafts used, decorations, the surfaces—everything is important. Working with natural fibres and fabrics, the brand brings together the most luxurious elements of India’s sartorial traditions. It reinterprets them into designs with symmetry and layering. Every stitch of ours can be traced to the community that makes them.
You were Tarun Tahiliani’s head of design. What did you learn from him? Everything that I know now, I attribute to my seniors. I began as a junior mentor designer to become a senior mentor designer and eventually led the entire design team at Tarun’s. I learned a lot from him, especially that fashion is like entrepreneurship and that art is a crucial aspect but it’s not only about art. One should be able to produce the work at the right cost, pay wages to your people on time and market the product well. He made me understand how the industry works. I would say that the biggest learning was understanding consumers’ needs, building on that, keeping your aesthetics intact with the help of best business practices and Design SOPs.
India today has many designers. How does one stand out? Look inwards. The moment you do that, your choices become very clear. It’s the combination of right and wrong that make a piece look creative and aesthetic. So, the more I look inwards, the more unique the brand is going to be.
Your label, The Aseem Kapoor, reimagines natural textures and tribal motifs for modern cityscapes. How did the idea of creating your label come together? Most of us in the industry come from humble backgrounds. The idea was always there, but I was also looking for the right opportunity. The idea of having my own label has been brewing since I graduated from NIFT. I was always looking for my peculiar voice and unique story. This dream became a reality when I met my partner and the label’s co-founder, Pooja Haldar, who helped it come together. Both of us used to brainstorm and discuss endlessly whenever we had a strong point of view. Pooja brings in modernity to the brand and I bring in the surfaces and textures. She has a deep understanding of the human body, seminal to the creation of the brand’s signature silhouettes. Hence, the label Aseem Kapoor was born in late 2020. I always wanted to express my own voice in design without being an oversell.
Your debut collection is called ‘Sleti’. Tell us about the traditional techniques that are employed in it? I launched ‘Sleti’ for autumn/ winter in 2020, which blended fusion wear silhouettes with rich hues and heritage embellishments. Sleti is the root word for ‘slate’, a sedimentary rock made of prehistoric sand. It is the slate on which schoolchildren used to write, until the late 1970s. For me, Sleti brings back childhood memories—of listening to my grandparents’ stories that evoke nostalgia of simpler times. This collection captures that small, daily joy, and all these meanings of ‘Sleti’ come alive in the collection. It features a warm colour palette of ochre, rust, magenta, and pistachio green. Fusion-style embellished blazers are paired with maxi-skirts. Shawls, tunics, and fluid kaftans add a relaxed sensibility to detailed patterns and textures. And ombre-dyed textiles are a resort- wear touch.
What’s next for the label? Where do you go from here? There will be collaborations with artists and different brands. The brand plans to expand into menswear, home, bridal and yoga lines, in the near future.
