Anand Bhushans line Broken will give you a glimpse into what lies beneath those shining faces, as this perspicacious youngster is ready for a dare
By Asmita Aggarwal
Sitting on a loom and weaving insightful wonders is not something that would excite the restless spirit in Anand Bhushan; rather his calling is more raw in its invocation—-welding, glass cutting, sawing and crafting dresses out of the most outré materials. So industrial mediums ranging from plastic, steel, aluminum, plastic, leather and copper make his heterogeneous line considerably unbridled.
I come from a family of lawyers so design was nowhere on the horizon, but seeing my creative aptitude, I applied for NIFT (Delhi) and then NID (Ahmedabad). Somewhere I knew I had to reject tradition and break free from an unreasonably traditional thought process which kind of has stunted the design world, he says.
Maybe thats why the Made in India tag is not quite apparent in his lines, whether it was a commendation to Lego (building blocks) or Superman, but what has remained constant is Anands delving into his own mind spaces where a happy childhood resides, making collections out of memories. The younger generation of designers is somehow not tickled by this whole marriage jamboree, or lehenga-cholis thats why heavy metal is what electrifies my mind, he adds.
Creating surfaces out of industrial substances, Anand calls his brand brave and brave it is, as not many Indian women who love their not-so-courageous silhouettes would like something that has a vehement framework. According to Anands understanding of human engineering, ergonomics is not crucial, making a statement certainly is. Just like his autumn-winter 2014 line which has been aptly titled Broken; literal translation is basic atoms, chromosomes and DNA translated into shapes, motifs and silhouettes; the metaphysical one which is that we all put up this happy, shining face, but what lies beneath is never avowed.
So the skin cracked surfaces you see are his interpretation of this metaphysical concept in a line divided into three parts, ending with crude surfaces on evening gowns, which is quite the oxymoron. Leather, plastic and crude is generally no sagacious womans idea of evening splendor, but I have added layering and sheer two big motivations for me this season to make it aberrantly sexy, he smiles.
Fashion is also a form of protest for this greenhorn, who is unafraid of being an atheist, hates the concept of Delhis growing brigade of lunching ladies, the institution of marriage and will tell you with a grin, I would be lying if I would say that sales dont matter to me. They do, but runway is my canvas, a sublime fantasy; I love excess, so I need to control myself, people tell me to calm down design-wise, and I must, he concludes.