After doing the Calcutta rounds with pop-ups and stocking at multi-designer stores, Delhi-based luxury menswear label Khanijo by Gaurav Khanijo opens its first store in Calcutta on Sarat Bose Road. Its arrival in the city brings great news for the menfolk who love experimenting and want to stand out with the edgy, smart and chic sartorial aesthetics that Khanijo brings to the table. Here’s a quick chat with Gaurav, who modelled his clothes for us to showcase what’s in store.
How does it feel to finally have a brick-and-mortar store in Calcutta?
Khanijo’s forte is using handwoven textiles and giving them a quirky modern twist, as seen in this popular piece from the Cirque du Soleil collection
I started my Calcutta journey from Sweta’s (Tantia) multi-designer store (Kalon) and with India Story some four-five years ago and that’s when I realised that there is great potential in Calcutta and then it started building up for me. Calcutta has great taste in fashion; men know how to dress up here and of course, Calcutta has always been welcoming to me.
The store is quite spacious and has been done up really well with textured walls...
The store is about 700sq ft. This was an old house and had an old-world charm and we have tried to maintain that. We are also doing this beautiful installation work by an artist with cane on the ceiling. We opened up the skylight for some natural lighting. We do both pret and cocktail and traditional clothing, so we have two sections in the store. So one can find a lot of style in one spot.
Your clothes are quite contemporary and youthful. Do you think Calcutta is receptive to that?
This look is created with an interesting mix of textures from embroidery to pintucks, done on a hybridcut suit in cotton-linen
To my surprise, yes. Men here know what they are picking up; they are smart with the textiles they wear. They know that they are investing in a product which is more meaningful. Things have changed over the last decade for men in fashion. My clothes are not simple yet we try to do a little more out of the box and edgy. We do Indian wear also but still make it youthful.
With this store what’s your overall count in India?
This is our third store. We have a store in Delhi, Gurgaon and now in Calcutta. I have plans of opening stores in Mumbai and Hyderabad.
The ensembles that we shot today are mostly black. Is black your favourite colour?
I don’t have a specific tone and I like to explore with colours a lot. You will certainly see a lot of colours in the store.
Are you modelling for the first time?
Yes, this is the first time. I am not a very camera-friendly guy but I am ok when I am in my zone. Now I am all out.