Raymond Linen collection by Suket Dhir
NIFT (New Delhi) happened to me at my most desperate moment. I had tried my hand at many things without any of them really speaking to me. My parents had been supportive but their patience was wearing thin and being directionless takes a toll on one’s self-esteem. Plus, there’s peer pressure. Watching friends move on in their lives – going to university, moving abroad, getting jobs at big companies – made me question what I was doing with mine. Throughout my years at NIFT, I wasn’t focused on grades. Instead, my innate perfectionism and obsession with quality led me to submit countless incomplete assignments – which obviously elicited mixed responses from my faculty. Upon graduating, I worked for a few years in design at Vanity Fair Corporation in Bangalore, until I realized that I had to do something on my own. I thought a lot about whether to study and train further in fashion, but instead two years later, in 2010, I decided to launch my own brand. I had very few contacts and resources in the design industry but I did have a clear idea about what I wanted to design. A line of natural eco-friendly fashionable product. I knew that my design identity was something that had to organically evolve. My intention from day one has been to deliver a very high quality product, and ultimately be a complete menswear solution. From clothing, grooming, travel accessories to a salon: a one-stop shop for all menswear lifestyle needs.
Good Earth Good Earth was our first client. While I was making my first collection, it wasn’t a client that I had in mind, but the product that I wanted to make for myself. Our aesthetic was in sync with Good Earth’s and was appreciated as is. It took a while to finalise production and technical aspects and in October 2010, we began retailing. Mrs. Lal, the owner and creative director of Good Earth helped me stay true to my preference for all things natural and gave me a beautiful platform to launch. Everything for Good Earth has been done in-house in my studio. They were very supportive by shared their vendor base and resources. We found a good block printer, for example, and even though our quantities were small vendors listened to them.
shirt detail: Suket Dhir
Design philosophy Natural fibers that age beautifully and have a life of their own. Things that are more beautiful today than two years ago. That’s the experience I want to create: garments that look sharp and crisp on one day, but that you can wear in another context when they become washed out. That’s the story. Adherence to the ‘Less is More’ philosophy lends our garments a classic air, which is further highlighted through subtle detailing and a hint of quirk. Old school tailoring and finishing processes add to the level of luxury we strive to achieve. Each garment is crafted from exclusive natural, eco-friendly fabrics like cotton, linen, bamboo, fine muslin (mulmul), silk and wool. For us it’s the wearer that makes the clothes look the way they do and not the other way around.
The social statement I would like my clothes to make is of slow fashion – things that do not go out of vogue at a moment’s notice and thus reduce our carbon footprint.
Quirk I draw most of my inspiration from nostalgia. I pull from my childhood; parrots motifs are from trips to mango orchards visited with my grandfather. Our house had guava trees, and where there are gauva and mango trees, there are parrots! My grandfather was a dapper dresser, more so than my parents whose sensibilities got lost in the 80’s, an era of mass production. He used to wear felt berets, tailored jackets and carry an umbrella. The umbrella motif we launched in Monsoon last year referenced his style. I’m particular that unless I have a good concept I don’t do prints. Up until the end of last year we were struggling with resources, and though I wanted to do more prints and product it was difficult. Now we have more support and resources to hire designers and freelancers.
Creating a legacy drives me to do better. I look to deliver quality consistently with simplicity in design. There is a lot of intricacy and details inside the garments. We like to keep our consumer blissfully unaware of the complexities involved in our garments. I draw that from nature: a leaf appears simple but when you look closer both sides of the middle vein are very different. How nature evolves is extremely complex, and this has affected me more and more over time.
Suket Dhir Studio – New Delhi
Influences Two brands that I respect in terms of their philosophy are Apple and Hermes. There are similarities between the two; both are motivated by timeless and boundless quality, and marry heritage with modern day technology. A lot of my referenceces come from ‘Malgudi Days’, a comic series by RK Narayan. It reminds me of my grandfather and childhood. Even my Woolmark sketch was influenced by a Malgudi Days character.
above: Malgudi Days
above: Woolmark sketch
The Ideal Wardrobe I design clothes that I would like to wear myself. Quite a few things that I make are easily translatable into womenswear. I’m a big connoisseur of old-school dressing and deeply inspired by the 50s, 60s and everything traditionally Indian. I think a balanced approach (between western and Indian) is what I’m trying to achieve with my collections right now. Like a kurta with a classic two button blazer or a classic collar shirt with a Nehru jacket. True indian dressing is a mix between Oriental, Imperial, Mughal and traditional Indian. The drapes and construction is largely Mughal; pyjamas and the bandhgala is imperial; chinese collar is oriental. Menswear in India is the most unexplored category and we see a huge potential there.
People Prof. Asha Baxi who taught me at NIFT and has been my friend, philosopher and guide. Mrs. Anita Lal (Founder, Good Earth) who has been perhaps the biggest supporter of my design sensibility and vision. My business partner and wife Svetlana. The success of this label so far is owed to my sister who is a chartered accountant and Svetlana who is a great planner. Our collective energy is great, it feels like home even at the office. The birth of my son Zoraveur made me realize that there is no ‘right time’ for anything. Every moment is the right one to start whatever we’ve set out to do. Goals and destinations are relative and keep changing during the course of our journey.
Work History Suket Dhir : Founder and Designer, New Delhi. October 2010 – present Vanity Fair Corporation: Men and Womenswear Designer, Bangalore. May 2005 – September 2007
Contact Suket Dhir
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It is great to read this article, people forget the ones that brought them to this level and it seems Suket is knows that people behind him matter…
I wish him all the success….
when are these wonderful jackets coming to europe