Fashion designer Ujjawal Dubey is all set to travel down memory lane with Restore Love, an initiative by his label Antar-Agni, that is looking for old pieces by the brand which need a bit of reinstatement or remodelling. The Telegraph caught up with Ujjawal for more.

Great initiative! You did mention that you had it in your mind for a while, but was the lockdown a trigger?

Yes, definitely. It’s been there for a long time on our minds. I think this kind of a situation has definitely pushed it and made it happen. We needed this kind of a step ahead which can be a game changer of any sort, on a small level also. And this is not only for the fashion industry, but for every other industry. Everyone is taking some step or another to make the situation better for the people, the consumers and their own employees.

There is also a big psychological shift as we speak. That huge shift has happened in the last three months and in our own minds too. If you see from a customer point of view, money is not a concern now, the experience is. They want to know where the money is going... the genuineness and so many other factors. We have been conscious from the beginning.

What kind of a response have you got?
We just launched it a couple of days back. We are hoping for better things to happen and we have enquiries, which is what we are liking. I think it should work.

Siddhant Chaturvedi Telegraph picture

This is going to be a nostalgic trip for you as you’ll get to revisit your old designs...
Hundred per cent. It is also a good feedback and a learning experience in understanding the psychology of the people who wear, carry and possess it and how the mind changes with time. Antar-Agni is about human behaviour in the true sense. This is a bonus for us if we get to know how the mind works. Earlier probably the mindset used to change with the generation, if you talk about the ’70s and ’80s. Then it started changing every 10 years probably. Now the mindset changes every three-four years or even shorter... six months. We want to study that shift in psychology and it is interesting to know how we act or behave to certain things and maybe, we can amalgamate it.

Tell us about your jacket that’s been there with you for so many years...
I have had it since the inception of the brand, six-and-half years back. If you see, wherever I have been, whether at award functions or events, it’s been the same jacket more or less. I want to wear it because of the comfort and confidence. It is a no-brainier for me. I am like that as a personality.

So, clothes are all about familiarity and a sense of belonging for you...
Not from the legacy point of view but it is the idea of a connect that you build with something that you possess. I am a slow buyer myself. It’s been two-three years that I have bought anything new. It’s funny but I use my college T-shirts till date. I wear it at home. I like it as it brings back a lot of memories, but I am both connected as well as disconnected to it.

How?
It is a core philosophy when I work too. It is my signature. We don’t get too connected to anything so that it moves us too much or get so disconnected that we cannot work on it. We are neutral. The love and affection we have towards things is immense, but the inner self is not much shaken by it.

Vicky Kaushal Telegraph picture

Are you a hoarder like a lot of us?
No, no, it’s not that. I am just lazy, not a hoarder (laughs). Not too fond of shopping!

The label has always been about slow fashion, but what do you think will change forever for you because of what we are going through?

There are certain thoughts in everybody’s mind but I don’t think we should take a sudden step. The kind of people we are, we will go back to our lifestyles unless this prolongs for a decade or something. This will pass. Our needs, expectations and greed will not go away so soon. It might get delayed by a couple of years, but that is not going to stop you.

What can happen is, for many people, their main work might not remain their main work. They might pick up new things and indulge in new things. This situation has triggered a lot of thoughts. The thinkers have become reactors and that slot of thinkers is khali. So, new people are actually coming in as thinkers. Everybody is thinking more about conscious experiences. That segment of thinkers has grown 10 times more. We thought people will come together, the world has become such. We are fighters. We have to be in it together. Going by the hashtags, some people are following it too. There is the other side of the story too. People are so scared that they are running towards reserve making, the concept of mine and ‘I won’t give it away’. So, hoarding has begun gradually. This is not wrong for people who’ve had a difficult time during this period.

Antar-Agni’s spring-summer 2020 line is all about soothing pastels, asymmetry and cool layering Telegraph picture

Have you put designing on hold?

Nothing on hold. My collections sometimes happen in 10-15 minutes after a build-up of thoughts. We start working whenever something strikes us.

We are working with 20 per cent strength now. It is obviously not as great as it was, but it is moving. This was also not expected, but great. We are working towards online sales.

How did you spend these four months? What books did you read? What movies did you watch?

I stopped reading. Don’t feel like reading for sometime. I watched a lot of films like those of Akira Kurosawa’s.

We have also started a few initiatives. I am working with my friend Karishma (Shahani-Khan of Ka-Sha). We got a call one day from a friend who is a chef. He sought our help for masks. They were in Bombay and the closest was Pune. So, we asked Karishma to help us out. She suggested we make a collective out of it and involve people who are in dire need of work. So, we started this initiative called Together Ek Saath. We are currently working in seven regions... a lot of women workers in Calcutta, Barabanki, Lucknow, Indore, Bangalore.... A lot of people have donated too. We have produced more than 5,000 masks till now. We are also collaborating with organisations who are distributing ration.