Gaurav Jagtiani’s Line Tribe gives you a mix of streetwear with Ikkats in the flavour of the decade—androgyny.
By Asmitaa Aggarwal
He has a label that he shut down in 2014 by the name Gaurav and Ritika, but the boy who studied from Wigan and Leigh college, knew there is a lot more to do in fashion than just his label. So, he moved to the other side—worked as a consultant with Urvashi Kaur to Amazon, tried his hand at styling, e-commerce to social media, a much-needed break from running his business, as things move at a breakneck speed in fashion!
This shift meant a major line of transition, utilizing his other skills, but his heart was still somewhere in designing-so 2020 Covid brought back his unadulterated love for fashion. “I had a lot of time to think, reflect, and solitude made me take the leap, with Line Tribe, my label,” says Gaurav Jagtiani. Line is a significant motif—is a word, you can write it or draw, sketching is fundamental, especially a line when you begin, it is a primary building block.
Tribe signifies his community “plus it had a nice ring, was available on Instagram, I didn’t overthink like I always do, feels good, and looks good, I made the logo myself,” he reiterates.
Western wear is what he thinks is really moving fast, there is great receptivity to it, though he is part of the FDCI menswear show, he believes men now don’t look at mall labels, nor sherwanis and bandhgalas, but want clever tailoring. Mostly androgynous, genderless, streetwear elements, play of proportions, is his offering. “Oversized, a mix of structure and shape, nipped waists, hand done ombre, ruching, looks futuristic,” he admits.
He has always been a minimalist, prefers colour detailing and the space age feeling garments have recently acquired—double vest pant suits, massive pockets, in a palette of grey, black, and cobalt blue with nifty hints of neon, and metallic accents, offer restraint, but fun. “Mostly I’ve worked with pinstripe suiting material, gingham, and some wool, but the showpiece is ikat,” he confirms. Ikat is very graphic and almost resembles a computer code, so modern, “works for my design language,” even though he is not a textile revivalist.
“I’ve seen huge menswear change, from zero design inputs, very wedding market oriented to now smart cuts, new colours and carefree abandon. In the Insta era you need clothes, when your girlfriend is dressed up and taking a pic, you must look great too. There is greater attention to clothing, almost a cultural shift, look at the booming social scene, brands are a status thing now, fashion really is a social differentiator,” he says adding men, have woken up from just watches and cars to looking swell!