Designer Urvashi Kaur is rejecting ‘throwaway culture’ by creating season-less silhouettes

Ahead of the launch of her first flagship store in Gurugram, the designer gets candid about her creative process into building a space as an extension of her eponymous clothing label

Designer Urvashi Kaur has been teasing her followers about her flagship store on Instagram for a month now, giving us a sneak peek of what she has been working on this season. “A space that is an extension of us, built on elements of collaboration, balance and mindfulness,” reads one of the captions, introducing her very first store at The Galleries at The 32nd Avenue in Gurugram. The few pictures and videos that feature on the brand’s Instagram feed show a play of texture in a neutral colour palette, both of which Kaur is known for when it comes to her clothing, which itself is trans-seasonal, adaptable and gender-inclusive. We caught up with the designer to let us in on her ideas of sustainability, her love for textures and the process of building a store as an extension of her clothing brand.

How has it been for you to see your store come to reality from the ground up?

It’s been a dream come true–to call a space our own, a place to house our brand, its creation and vision. I've found the process to be cathartic, as well as energising and highly creative. Having only conceptualised clothes and products, it has been magical to conceptualise a space and reflect on what emotions it should evoke for those who experience it. It has been extremely rewarding to get the response we were hoping for.

How have you brought in your ideology of conscious living into the interiors of your store?

Encapsulating the brand's ethos of slow design, the store’s concept is rooted in simplicity. The space allows for ease and flow of movement. In this visually overstimulated world, we have attempted to create a living respite that restores a sense of balance and gives one a deeper sense of the present. With its emphasis on textural details, this space is a tactile translation of my minimalist, contemporary design. Just like my garments, the subtle intricacies in the store engage the customer to consider a broader story.

Redefining craft through design has always been at the forefront of my brand's narrative. For our flagship store, we are bringing together the crafts community, artists and consumers, with the idea of fostering deeper relationships among them. In support of artisanal communities, I have commissioned unique craft-works, sculptural forms, figurines, and artifacts that embody and reinforce our ‘glocal’ ideology. I truly believe collaboration, and visibility is crucial for the artisan communities to thrive.

With slow fashion being the ethos of your label, what does ‘sustainability’ mean to you?

Sustainability, for me, is going back to our roots. If you look at the earlier generations, of our parents and grandparents and so on, you'll find very wise buying patterns and a definite emphasis on longevity and quality. Being a land of handicraft and artisanal practices, we’ve historically placed the greatest importance on value. It is only in our recent past that we've shifted focus towards accumulation and wasteful consumption. Whilst there is already a movement in place that questions these harmful trends, the COVID-19 pandemic has definitely brought these factors into focus, compelling everyone to ask tough questions and think deeply about the way forward.

How do you incorporate sustainability in your design and creative process?

My design philosophy is based on the fundamental belief that luxury and fashion can co-exist with ethical ideologies. We create timeless designs focused on quality, versatility and longevity of the garment. Rejecting 'throwaway culture' by incorporating season-less silhouettes, we are able to promote our products around the year, avoiding excessive production and promoting conscious consumption. Additionally, we create free-sizing or anti-fit, fluid clothing that is not restricted by size or gender.

Upcycling leftover fabrics into unique designs is also a huge aspect of the brand's zero-waste policy. We have been innovative in our use of different restorative and mending techniques like patchwork and 'rafu' with intricate kantha, stitch line, dimensional thread-work techniques into our design language. Last year, we created a completely upcycled festive collection by repurposing and recycling heirloom textiles. Since then, we have been looking into a deeper social responsibility by offering our clients the opportunity to bring in their heirloom textiles and have them uniquely upcycled, eventually reducing waste and making our creations more circular.

Your collections feature a lot of play with textures, fabrics and, of course, micro-pleating that you are synonymous with. Can you share your thought process behind working with interesting forms of textiles?

In my quest to define my aesthetic, I developed a style devoid of clutter, crafted by stripping my art down to its purest, most organic form. Clean, minimal and without fuss or frills. My silhouettes are layered, contextual and dimensional. Depth is a constant in my work; it’s how I texture my clothes. I translated this intriguing facet in my design journey by meticulously observing people.. It’s these characteristics that I saw in people and their layers that I reflected in my textures. When you wear my clothes and look closely, you'll find fine hand-pleating, myriad tie-dye textures in muted colours, natural earthy shades and hundreds and thousands of stitches running through. These textures add a whole new dimension to my pieces, and there is a lot of pattern-play that makes them more interesting.

When it comes to your designs, how do you think you’ve evolved over the years?

Over the years I have learned to edit better. Following the mantra ‘less is more’ and having more clarity in who I am and what my products need, I can strip them down to their true essence. Through the years, the partnership with craftspeople has given me immense knowledge. I'm now able to pay it forward by reinventing the textures, weaves and textile designs of the artisans with whom I work. With this knowledge, the brand has been able to explore and intervene with design development and collaborations in a much more meaningful way. Apart from that, I have developed a deep understanding of our brand's classics and silhouettes that appeal to our customers. This has helped me develop newer and crisper capsule lines, explore anti-fits, and evolve menswear designs. The biggest evolution has been in terms of how we are creating even more ungendered clothing through innovative forms, silhouettes and textural treatments.

What’s next for you?

I’ve been working on the brand’s e-commerce platform so the next step would be to further embrace the digital platform to achieve a global presence. Apart from that, as a craft-led small business, we have been devising internal policies to support long-term sustainability and have come a long way in our journey to be more circular and transparent, consciously adopting practices that further lower our carbon impact. For that, we are working on eco-friendly packaging and a complete transition to natural dyes.

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