Abraham and Thakore 'Time Travel' Collection© Abraham and Thakore

Abraham & Thakore Are Highlighting Sustainability At LFW Mumbai

Salva Mubarak
Senior Features Writer

Designers David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore want us to travel through time with them. The past, the present, and the future of their couture collections will be presented at their upcoming Lakmé Fashion Week showcase. According to the designers, it’s all about exploring the fascinating concept of timelessness. “Timeless in fashion is clothing that has nothing to do with short-term trends and is always stylish whenever you wear it. It is clothing that is mindfully crafted to last long and of classic design. It is also about sustainability and diminishing the desire to indulge in fast fashion,” says Thakore.

David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore with Dia Mirza©Getty Images

The ‘Time Travel’ collection features a mix of the designers’ newest and oldest pieces. “We are presenting a collection that combines ensembles from the current AW22 line with a sneak peek of the SS23 collection and we also have some of our most iconic archival pieces peppered through the show. This will take you through our time-travel collection of the past, present, and future – literally and metaphorically.”

David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore©Getty Images

With decades of experience under their belt, the designer duo is more than qualified to explore the concept of timelessness through their own archive. Three Abraham & Thakore outfits are housed in the V&A Museum in London, effectively embedding them in the history of global fashion.

With their upcoming showcase, the designers are planning to explore, in their own words, a softer side of masculinity. “Menswear has come a long way. Western and Indian attire were both too staid and limited for men, lacking in variety and creativity,” says Abraham, “Men have been pushing back the falsely-created ideologies of fashion and styling being too feminine or frivolous, and have realised that they love to express themselves through attire. We have come a long way from men being labelled as metrosexuals or derogatory terms if they cared too much about their appearance. Societies, globally, seem to finally be embracing the need for men to express their, not just softer sides, but also more playful sides.”

This trend-agnostic approach is also a nod to their core philosophy of sustainability and slow fashion. When asked to share a few guidelines of adopting the philosophy in our everyday style choices, Thakore says, “Buy mindfully. Look for quality fabrics, knowledgeable tailoring, and classic styling that does not pander to fleeting trends. Inexpensive, synthetic, fast-fashion is non-sustainable and therefore, best avoided. In India look for homegrown craftsmanship, that is anyway some of the most skilled in the world. Sustainability for us must also include supporting Indian artisans and heritage skills.”