From healing crystals, to dressing body types and not genders, raw wool to unconventional shapes, Akshat Bansal is thinking out-of-the-box!
By Asmita Aggarwal
Small town boys have this innate desire to succeed, quite different from Metro cities, maybe it has to do with fewer opportunities, and exposure back home. Akshat Bansal of the label Bloni is interesting, from Hisar, went to Central Saint Martins, decided not to do bridal lehengas, but took the rather tough path of understanding science in fashion.
Think reflective materials, colour sensitive fabrics, hemp, econyl regenerated, nylon flooring, industrial waste, and fabric scraps to craft ensembles. In 2022, he made his Paris Fashion Week debut, engagingly mixing rubber with tie and dye to crochet, hues which change along with body heat.
In his line, the jacket can sometimes become a leotard, then a jumpsuit too, but here the dichotomy is lines like ‘Seher’ beautifully shot capturing small-town aesthetics and its austere life. He attempts to build a bridge between the past and future, and his experiments with felt are ingenious, so is his usage of 100 percent wool, raw in its form (heavily non-processed).
‘Passages’ his line for the Chivas X FDCI is where different dimensions align, fully couture, in its appeal. He uses gemstones, crystals, deconstruction of what earth holds, digging for that era gone by. “From the earth for the universe”, where you have no mechanisms, natural dyes used, mostly tie and dye, vegan rubber, futuristic in its look. “Crystals when they are not polished, but left as they were found, is what we use, it’s a different perception of beauty that many may find ‘dirty’. Just like hemp, it has in-built anti-bacterial properties, found in abundance,” says Akshat.
This co-exists with manmade stainless steel, he believes it is impossible to go zero plastic, as there will always be silicon, plus Woolmark does merge Merino wool with polyester for elasticity. His denims are hand woven, by artisans, “I’m wearing CK jeans but I’m missing the comfort of my own creations,” he smiles.
His fervent desire to take the road less travelled got him an invitation from Nature Morte gallery, where Peter Nagy termed his creations more “art than fashion”—you can buy it, wear it, or simply display it. A bit like what Natasha Poonawalla wore—a teardrop, it can be a lamp or just a pot too. 3D modelling, traditional hand hammering was employed from Moradabad artisans, to add to this chrome electroplating finish!
Another such is a piece Sudha Murthy wore ‘Breathing Cocoon’ biomorphic wearable piece made of metal, wool, agate, and gemstones, which Akshat thinks could also be an artefact placed in a drawing room, breaking rules of what is traditionally considered art. “Why do we always talk of preserving art, but it is living, you can evolve it, isn’t it?” he asks.
Crystals, he believes have healing powers, calming effects, remembering amethyst trees back home, protection from negative energy! “I did a Ted talk where I spoke about innovation over decoration, why did we wear jewellery? In history if you see silver releases electromagnetic waves, it isn’t about beauty but energy,” he explains. Cotton is the same wavelength as humans, linen more spiritual he believes, there is a hidden meaning to everything, he calls himself future friendly, not futuristic, but the quest is to find true purpose.
His Paris experience was interesting, as looking at his offerings he was often asked, “where did you grow up”? Instead it should be where were you born? His lines are always fluid, and gender for him is nothing but ‘body’. “So many clients who do not fit into womenswear prefer the pieces I make for men. I think it is a body type not a gender we dress. I wonder who set those boundaries? Named these pieces? Why this segregation?”
The search is to make a classic, which is named by him-as he asks why can’t pants have a train channelising a non-conformist approach to what is conventionally considered silhouettes, as he completes seven years in business, turned a wise 34 years!