Central Saint Martins alumnus Akshat Bansals label Bloni gives women the freedom to choose shapes that are non-conformist, from over-sized to anti-fit
By Asmita Aggarwal
Your label is called Bloni, which does that exemplify, when did you launch it?
Bloni is ‘Bansal Loni’ where Loni is my nickname and Bansal is my surname, it derives to B-Loni, abbreviating “Be like Loni”.
Who influenced you while growing up to get into fashion?
My dad is my biggest influencer and mentor, he is an epitome of fashion and textile knowledge and experience.
What did Central Saint Martins teach you in terms of how fashion is moving forward? How was London as a young man for you …. sights and sounds?
CSM was an awakening, non-conformist, iconoclastic and unconventional platform, it helped me broaden my perspective and horizon. London exposed me to be who I am today.
Tell us a bit about your LMIFW line? What inspires you as a designer? What kind of fabrics and colour story do you think works?
We need designers for the harsh tomorrow and I like operating in a new space, inspired by unconventional visions and I aim to manifest my perspective with Bloni.
MY LMIFW line is titled Ambush #social media anxiety. Familiarity breeds commonalities and the cycle becomes never-ending. Each new artist has something different to say and each individual wishes to be the new artist.
The unusual was never mundane but it is now sought after more than ever. A growing need to secure your identity and make a mark in this fickle world has convinced a generation that they must be different, that they must translate their regularity into eccentricity, tying them invariably to those who have set the trend.
Reflective and holographic fabrics to show real is unreal, illusions and filter effects of the virtual world and regenerated nylon mesh and Econyl (marine plastic waste).
You made a line with marine plastic waste. Tell us what else are you working on to tow the line of sustainability?
Oceans have been a core of our ecosystem for centuries, its the time to balance the situation, working with marine plastic waste has become a brand ethos. I am working on re-designed clothes as my next sustainable practice.
You wanted to be an architect but you mentioned your dyslexia came in the way. How do you use the power of forms into your silhouettes?
Architecture and fashion are very closely interlinked. Both require immense amount of knowledge in terms of colour, form, technique, proportions and shape. Both are forms of art and thats where I derived my love for form and factor to dress the human body. I still take a lot of pleasure and love towards doing up spaces. It all coincides together from the start process to the end. Cutting patterns and precisions and working around a colour and texture story brings all of it together.
What were the lessons you learnt at Savile Row?
Working at Savile Row has taught me lot in terms of being highly skilled and aware. Everything we did was immaculately perfected in terms of sewing seams by hand, cutting our own patterns, tailoring to multiple fittings. The whole process helps one develop so much discipline and love for the craft. All you strive for is perfection and thats exactly I have carried forwarded with my brand. I try extremely hard to pay attention to the smallest details of the craft.
What do your parents do professionally and did they encourage you?
My parents come from a multi-faceted background specially my father, my mother is a homemaker. My father always pushed me to get into clothing as a part of the family business as it is the same field. But I always wanted to get out and make a name for myself, delve into my creative forces and see where I can take it to. I have an older brother and sister and my family has always been highly supportive of what I wanted to do. My sister being an avid fan of the brand, shes our favourite customer and woman to dress.
What do you think needs to change in Indian fashion and as a young designer what are the challenges you have faced?
The acceptability to fashion which is not traditional is what needs to change. As a young fashion designer the market heavily revolves around fashion that is true to Indian sensibilities. People push towards consuming fast fashion, but for more elaborate festive or occasional instances they rely on designers, which needs to change. India shouldnt only be known for majority designers producing traditional Indian clothing. Thats the exact problem I have always faced as a designer to push the brand into contemporary fashion, but also rely on Indian clothes to sustain.
Tell us a bit about your personal style and how do you think fashion is the most potent form of communication?
I personally love blending hand crafts which we have grown up around with the silhouettes and shapes of now, making it contemporary. I love monochromatic palettes, artisanal fabrics and anti-fits and I love mixing all those together.
I derive a lot of inspiration from the underground style of London, shapes, silhouettes and patterns from Japanese design and skill and finesse I learnt at Savile Row and mix it with Indian hand techniques and fabrics. Fashion is all about your inner voice and individualistic approach. You know about a person from the way they dress. You know what they like or what they are about by a persons fashion. I personally feel it speaks volumes about how their mind works or they are tuned.
What do you think is the future of a label and how do you balance creativity with commerce?
The future of the label is an ever growing process, you evolve as a designer the creative processes take an ever evolving shape. What the brand is now keeps moving forward where we build the brand USP and what we are known for and keep striving to get better at it and move forward with it.
There is a very fine line between being creative and being commercially viable. But that shouldnt stop a brand from getting the creative juices flowing and produce something new, never seen or consumed. Staying commercially accepted is very important for a brand to sustain, but it shouldnt block the brand and its growth creatively. We strive to maintain a balance between the two by not hindering what we could creatively produce and also make it acceptable to sell and be worn by the customers.
What are your views of gender fluidity and do you think it is just a trend or is it here to stay?
Gender fluidity is very important and its not just a trend. As a brand we are glad that its being accepted with open arms. Inclusivity of all genders is a benchmark in the fashion industry. Shapes and silhouettes accepted over various genders breaks the societal norms of what is normal and not and we want that to stay and grow with it.
What do women want today in terms of dressing? And what kind of woman would you say can wear Bloni?
Women dont dress to be accepted by the society. Gone are the days, women these days want to feel good in what they wear, be it form fitting or over-sized. Individual approach to fashion is very important. How you buy a piece and make it your own. Women are experimenting with fashion and that as a whole is a very big move in the fashion industry, there is a market for everything out there.
Bloni feels the need of giving its women customers that confidence and individual approach of standing out, but still blending in. The luxe approach to the way we craft our garments offer that sense of sexy without going that extra mile. Bloni woman is bold, individualistic, fashion forward and knows what she wants and doesnt shy away from going for it.