Salva Mubarak Senior Features Writer

Staged at the Palazzo Clerici in Milan, Dhruv Kapoor’s sophomore showcase at the Milan Fashion Week presented a collection filled with nostalgic and kitschy prints and silhouettes that will be populating the wardrobes of most of your favourite fashion influencers in the months to come.

The collection, titled ‘The Embracer’, features a special collaboration with Japanese production house Toho’s Godzilla. Kapoor, whose creations are unencumbered by borders of gender or geography, takes forward the revived Y2K aesthetic with slouchy silhouettes and graphic prints.

With this collection, Kapoor is also exploring the concept of alter egos and duality, evident in the presence of one of pop culture’s most iconic monsters in the collection.

“Duality always comes with negative connotations attached to it,” says Kapoor, on why he was attracted to the concept for the collection, “It was our aim to take a positive spin around the concept and educate our audiences on self-acceptance. Our collaboration with Godzilla also catered to the powerful monsters as versions of our own ego.”

The designer, who was the first Indian designer to showcase a menswear collection at Milan Fashion Week last season, says that the most prestigious fashion event of the year feels like home to him now. “Over time we have developed a network of skilled mindsets that assist us with the pre-management of the shows remotely. The first ones were an adventure- we had to figure it all out, try different vendors and suppliers, work with new professionals and manage our way around. But now it is way more planned and easy to navigate,” he says.

Another cool thing about the collection is the fact that nearly 60% of the fabrics used have either been upcycled or recycled. “Each season we start by exploring different options of discarded textiles and balance it with new recycled materials sourced from around the world,” says Kapoor, “It is an effortless process as the number of options are unlimited. We aim to maintain a circular system within our daily workings of the brand. We enjoy exchanging ideas with the artisans and learning from each other and by training them with updated techniques and material usage to obtain contemporary results.”

Over the years, Kapoor has managed to carve a niche for himself in the Indian fashion scene as one of the coolest designers around. But what does cool mean to him? “Cool for me is an unspoken language that connects us all together. Exchange of ideas and aesthetics that talk of our individual personalities. When multiple individuals opt for similar aesthetics to convey their opinion through fashion it is mostly declared as cool or a trend.”

While Kapoor is fast becoming a name to look out for in the global fashion industry, he is optimistic that the country is bubbling with talent that’s just waiting to be discovered. “ I am fascinated with the young ideologies that are cropping up around the country. It is exciting to see them blossom. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to interact with some of them and understand their thought process. We have lots of talent brewing in our country, waiting to be discovered.”

The designer laughs when asked about the milestones that he wishes to achieve in the future, claiming there’s plenty left to be achieved. “We keep adding more milestones as we evolve and explore the world around us. I feel that list is a never-ending one.”

Well, more power to him!