Soothing pastels and easy silhouettes make up Ode by Oindrila and Arka’s spring summer ’22 line Memoir. NIFT alumni Oindrila Choudhury and Arka Kundu tell The Telegraph what to expect from the sustainable label’s latest edit.
The way you have shot the collection has a sense of fond longing. What was the idea?
The idea for the collection was to showcase the nuances of a personal diary, relish the moments and dive in the memory. We wanted to portray the innocence, carefree, playful mood through our pictures.
The mood has a certain romance to it. Tell us about the name…
‘Memoir’ is an inspiration from a personal diary and is an ode to the good old days. A collection that sets a mood, tells a story and talks about an emotion. A delicate and graceful collection is displayed through the use of colours, meticulous but minimal embroideries and tender silhouettes.
The silhouettes are signature Ode. So cool and comfortable. What have you played around with in this collection?
This collection is an ode to the good old memories that we have treasured long in the pages of our personal diary. Here, we have played with handwoven stripes with muted colours. You can see adjustable sleeves, waist, neckline… very comfortable silhouettes. We have incorporated little details like pages of diary, doodles and writings, using hand-embroidery.
It seems there is a bit of playful childhood in the pictures. Were you trying to capture your lost childhood?
During the lockdown, when the world was standing still, we got ample time to relive our childhood memories. Writing diaries and going through the old ones were our favourite pastime. So many stories, so much of memories flashed. From the childhood mischief to the first love letter, everything was kept with utmost care.
What are your favourite childhood memories?
Oindrila: I used to gather flowers and stick on papers and created a book where I used to give names to the flowers!
Arka: I used to go for a walk with my father early morning and used to collect stones of various shapes from the riverbank.
What are you longing for the most this summer?
Travel, explore, meeting family and friends.
