Using her experience at DKNY, Medha Khosla of Anomaly is crafting a bright future for designer pret
By Asmita Aggarwal
Not everyone gets the one in a million chance to see the great Donna Karan at work, which Medha Khosla did while she honed her skills with the famed label in New York. It kind of laid the foundation of the work that she would do ten years later when she returned to India, and launched her label Anomaly in December 2015. Medha, a Pratt, New York graduate in fashion design has had an extensive experience working with Bergdorf Goodman, and Joe Fresh among others, and her love for textiles only grew and it finally took shape and form in Anomaly.
When I came back nobody was doing affordable separates (everything is below Rs 6,500 in her range) which were high quality and not the usual Made in India which is considered cheap. We wanted to bridge the gap between a Zara and designer prêt, with approachable clothes which you can wear daily, she adds.
Anomaly is steeped in handlooms, so everything that is you see is sourced from weavers and executed in earthy tones, but what makes it unique is the details.
You will see stitching contrasts, piping and innovative bindings that makes an ordinary jacket look artisanal. We use premium quality cotton, no embellishments or embroidery and add some colour to create the mood, she admits.
And SS 17 is just that, feminine shapes, pleating, understated silhouettes with clean lines. The key for me is functionality but the sensibility remains constant throughout the line, she says.
Medha was just 17 when she left for Pratt and with a doctor mom and an IT consultant as a dad, no one in the family has ever worked in the field she selected. My interest in arts was spurred after I attended an arts class in high school which led me to Pratt. Working in Manhattan kind of structures your thinking when you see so much fashion around you, she says.
Coming back to the capital, she is slowly adapting to the way things work here, which is quite different from the extreme professionalism in NY. To survive we need capital and right now my brand is young, it will grow in years to come with the correct direction and effective investors, she concludes.