Classic and modern. Traditional yet contemporary. Overall, smart and sharp. The Kunal Rawal X Ekaya Banaras collaboration. The colours are ivory, beige, dark wine, blush pink and cobalt blue and we absolutely love the jackets, kurtas, kurta shirts, dhotis. Palak Shah, CEO, Ekaya Banaras, and Kunal Rawal joined The Telegraph for a chat on how the collaboration came about and more.
(L-R) Kunal Rawal; Palak Shah, CEO, Ekaya Banaras
The collaboration looks stunning! Palak, this is Ekaya’s first menswear, right?
Palak: It’s my first menswear and we have been toying with the idea for a while and the only person we’ve had on our radar and wish list was Kunal because he brings in such a beautiful spin to menswear and the way he sort of looks at textiles and garments. I picked up the phone and called him about two years ago and we jump-started it asap.
Kunal, we are sure you were excited at the very proposal...
Kunal: Absolutely. This has been something I have been wanting to do for a while. We as a label have been celebrating diversity. I have also had my point of view on a lot of things. Brocade for men was bastardised, for me in a way. There was so much brocade that’s for womenswear that was used for men. In the last 15 years of the label, I have stayed away from a few things which I have had an aversion to. Brocade was one of them. I am so glad Palak called and I knew this is something that has to be addressed at a textile level. Ekaya believes in modern India and a tweak and evolution of aesthetics.
And that matches yours too...
Kunal: Absolutely. We are such suckers for tradition but the key is to make it relevant for the market we are catering to, the young India, the new aesthetic, the new guard. I feel the industry needed this evolution of aesthetics....
What was the starting point?
Kunal: The inspiration for us when we started this collection was this new aesthetic, the modern India, the young India. The market we are catering to today and the aesthetic people have been looking for, the kind of experimentation that is going on, that is something we were keen to target, in the occasion-wear space. I strongly believe that this collection caters to events as diverse as deep-rooted traditional events like weddings and modern luxury also. The idea was to have people multitask with it and have fun with it and not put out top-to-bottom mannequin looks.
Occasion wear for men for a long time has been extremely left or right. There is a uber maximalist or completely plain, not even minimal. This addresses the most important segment of occasion wear, which is the middle. Today everyone wants a beautifully detailed product but also a bang for their buck. They are looking at multiple ways of wearing it... in the social media world too where you don’t want to repeat too often. I think that versatility and functionality we’ve been able to offer in this collection. This is a stylist’s dream.
We have our washouts and signature frays. So much mazaa in the detailing... not only on the outside but on the inside too.
Palak: I also feel anyone who has done menswear with weaving has simply used the existing brocade and tried to fit in, like Kunal said, womenswear into menswear.... We wanted to show that weaving in all its glory can actually fit into menswear seamlessly in a stylish yet masculine way. We also wanted it to be a bit genderless.
Kunal: The entire collection is a neutral collection.
Palak, what would you totally wear?
Palak: I would wear everything and hopefully you’ll see me super soon in something from this collection and something that Kunal is designing for me for my wedding. Everything is my style. Just to wear a beautiful sherwani with the kind of hats that he has designed is so stunning.
Palak, how did you approach menswear?
Palak: I trust Kunal in the aesthetics that he has. It’s India cool, but not overly experimental. It’s got that classy and statement-y look, which is what even Ekaya is all about. We focus a lot on techniques, keeping the tradition intact and experimenting and pushing the boundary in whatever way we can. We trusted each other in matters of which both of us are experts in.
What did you learn about menswear from Kunal?
Palak: Everything! He has been my guiding person! We have got a fabulous response.
Kunal: Aare Palak doesn’t need to be taught but we’ve had some fun styling sessions. Palak on one of the occasions was my model... we have worn multiple hats in this collab.... Our concepts when it comes to fashion are aligned. With me, I have been a textile person because my family has been into textiles and it’s not just about one aspect of fashion. You have to go to the grassroots, which is textiles and which makes such a big difference in how a garment falls, fits and moves. We believed the product is king and were clear about what we both are bringing to the table.
Palak: The way we look at our brands and the kind of vision we have and how involved we are and how we look at life in general is similar, which makes it seamless. There wasn’t too much back and forth.
Kunal, what are your favourites?
Kunal: The beauty of this collection is I have different favourites for different things. I wore one of our looks for my mehndi, one for the after-party... sample pieces. I have about eight favourites. I have a date-night favourite which I used a few days back.
Since we are at the end of 2022, how did the year pan out?
Palak: I feel it’s been an exciting year. I feel we’ve done a lot of interesting things and finally I feel happy to be back and feel the world’s your oyster. The market is up and running, people are buying, creativity is happening and that’s why we also thought of launching this collection now as opposed to doing it before. I have been very happy with the year... except the fact that Kunal and I are juggling too many things at the same time... personal and professional.... (Laughs)
Kunal: It’s a joke between Palak and me that when we started talking, we were both single. Halfway through the collab, I am married, she is single. By next season, both of us are going to be married. We have done this in a hectic but a super memorable phase of our life and that makes it even more special.
This year has been amazing. During Covid, that time with myself has done good to me that I cannot fully fathom yet. You reset. I have been prioritising things, getting married... it’s been an amazing year. The work we are doing as a label... finally it’s taken 15 years for people to accept the label. I am most definitely prioritising even when it comes to work, doing lesser but far more meaningful things.... As a label, we are just about getting started. We have not even scratched the surface when it comes to our aesthetic or our world. The market is at a great place. I am a big believer in the thought that young India is far more progressive than the youth of the strongest first world nations.
2023 will belong to...
Palak: To us, hopefully! (Laughs)
Kunal: Us! We have taken our time and worked on our foundation and this is the year we’ll get to have a bit more fun.