Festive chocolates, décor, precious jewellery (in the future), to designing lights, Kunal Rawal is a lot more than his first love — menswear and of course Bollywood sizzler Ranbir Kapoor his show stealer at the ICW 2023.
By Asmita Aggarwal
He admits he has been berated, told to shut shop every year for the last 17 years since he began, and fashion was not taken seriously, most parents believed it is something you do before you know what you want to do.
Kunal Rawal the poster boy of menswear, has carved a rather large space for himself in this part of the style hemisphere, and has been reiterating for many years now —this segment requires singular attention and focus. If international movement is anything to go by, the biggest shows are in this category—with Pharrell Williams taking over Louis Vuittons creatives.
Kunal is of the belief, couture is truly unisex, and Sonam Kapoor wore a menswear piece with dhoti pants, blurring the often-demarcated lines. Young India is so progressive, there is an undying confidence, and clarity of thought, he adds.
Thus, the couturier never offers mannequin looks, the process is more need-based, and the product itself a motivator. The country is so diverse and design celebrates every aspect of itstyle, drape, embroideries catering to clients across the world. From traditional weddings in Raipur, Hyderabad, or Mumbai, comfort, mobility, versatility is the key.
To understand changing tastes, Kunal would often observe clients on shop floors, there is the modern consumer, who knows what he wants and then the one who wants guidance. Earlier he would often be left puzzled that out of the 30 looks showcased at ICW, only a few would get attention, slowly he made peace with it and jumped off the going viral craze.
He calls himself an eternal optimist and an extremist, so when he is working on anything, it gets his entire attention. And he is not averse of self-learning, bettering processes, surface texturing as well as mastering structure. He understands climate change will alter the way we dress, thus the concept of hybrid minds, which offers transitional clothing, anti-trend, and seasonless, keeping the colour palette perennial. Immersive couture is the future, a more tactile version, and I absorb customer experience, says Kunal.
Young designers are combining innovation and crafts, constantly evolving in the process, creating wardrobes for different personalities —real and fictitious (play acting how they would dress). Bollywood will impact the way India dresses, as films are a potent medium, and my second love after design. Movies are also changing, there is an exciting thought process, and us all 90s kids have a strong sense of nostalgia, he adds.
The ICW 2023-line plays with vintage occasion wear, imagine a Mithun Chakraborty, retro jacket or the way yesteryear heartthrob Vinod Khanna used to wear his shirts, he is presenting a tongue-in-cheek take on it. Though Kunal never compromises on the comfort angle linings are made sweat-absorbent, cotton is extensively used to make each piece skin-friendly, pockets added for functionality, and most ensembles come with adjustable waist bands, undoubtedly the kurtas feel like butter.
All this comes from attention to pattern making, adding panels for ease, adhering to cleaner, sharper tailoring rather than embellishment, adding vents and holes in cuts along with hidden plackets making pockets easier to reach, they certainly do not bulk up. Most cuts are inspired from architectural shapes, making garments easier to move around in. Add to this layering, texture-on-texture, cutting the weight of the garment substantially, men love comfort, he exclaims, thus the option of buttoning up and keeping jackets open is offered.
3D embroideries help you look different and, in the end, everything is worthwhile if you enjoy wearing the clothes. Women use clothing to express how they feel, men have just started to do this, there is a definitive reset, he confirms.
Couture is a personalised arena, the way the kamarbund is worn or a safa is tied, men do not go with photos to tailors, and ask them to copy, they come to couturiers with trust. This year has many firsts for Kunal —doing his own wedding décor, also at his stores, dabbling in festive chocolates and now at ICW, he has designed lights.
I tied up with architect Rooshad Shroff, designing hand carved lights in marble and glass with my signature motifs and textures, he explains. But that is not all—-in the future plans are in the offing to design precious jewellery, a more gender fluid line.