Converting waste into textural garments with a strong sense of identity, Ankur Verma of Til tells us, 3 months to craft one cape, several artisans create magic with just the power of discarded fabrics.
By Asmita Aggarwal
If experience counts for anything in life, Ankur Verma of Til would be the flagbearer. From Bottega Veneta to Armani, Sabyasachi Mukherjee to Varun Bahl, Ankur Verma has been there! Sometimes a “pause” in life helps you rethink, and re-access, thus his line “Breathe”, though he is gearing up for the Fashion Trust Arabia, representing India in Doha.
“Til” the moniker for his label, or body textures— wrinkles, freckles has been his muse, though vibrancy is in his DNA, this time he channeled a softer palette—ivory, blacks, beige, combined this with patchwork, upcycling and created something new from something old. If you look closely, there are artistic traits in him that he employs to make things other than fashion—like the Doll house, completely made from waste—including cushions to sofas, furniture. It started as an idea for his six-year-old daughter, ignited the desire to take it forward by making dolls, charms, jewellery, even brooches.
Intermingling organza and sheer, an easy line, with textural layering, experimental and innovative. This is despite the fact he admits “capital backing is not strong for young designers, this kind of work needs a lot of investment. It is entirely done by hand, one installation took three months to craft as it is laborious. “We used zardosi technique and the most expensive item I have in my collection is almost Rs 125000, a fully worked on jacket. Believe me when we started it was tough to sell something completely done by hand for Rs 22,000! Now there is a sea change in customer understanding,” he admits.
From the pintuck kurta he wore, to creating garments entirely out of waste, it is free size, like the cape shawl. You can throw it on anything—jackets, sari, and even roomy pants.
Nexa is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and they have selected three past winners Naushad Ali, Ankur Verma and SWGT. “Fashion is not just about lehenga-cholis, this doesn’t represent our culture. Look at how streetwear is burgeoning, hoodies to track suits, who would have thought this would ever happen?” he asks.
People in India go after tags, “Made in Italy”, “Made in France”, what about Made in India? Isn’t there pride in this? he questions. “I’m old school, I do not browse through shows sitting on my couch. I believe in personal touch, you cannot see detailing online, even if you zoom in. I do not want to spend on photoshoots to serenade my buyers,” he says.
Men, he believes are experimental, most of his women’s wear is being adopted by men, a corporate honcho inquired if Ankur could add collars on a woman’s jacket so that he could wear it! “My Afghani hoodie kurta is unisex, much loved,” he adds. One of the few who believes celeb showstoppers add nothing to the show, that’s why he convinced his 72-year-old father to walk the ramp again, both age inclusive and breaking boundaries of the “ideal face”.