Cruise To SUCCESS
Two designers with on-the-go lives discuss their personal and travel styles
ARJUN KHANNA
Arjun Khanna established his label in 1990 in Mumbai— his collections today include both men’s and women’s ranges, under the label Arjun Khanna. Comprising of classic silhouettes with subtle embroidery and textured fabrics, Khanna combines a hint of vintage with a clean, contemporary aesthetic.“The final garment must be beautiful, classic, and wearable,” says Khanna of his designs. “They should flatter the wearer, and further add to the personality and not detract from it.” Retailing out of his studio in Mumbai, the designer has also created the Indian cricket team’s official blazers.
ON PERSONAL STYLE
Khanna says his look is very eclectic, individualistic, and a one-off. “I cannot bear monotony. And if somebody is wearing something, no way will I wear the same thing. It has to be a one-off, whether it’s my shades, or my accessories—it’s all either vintage, or it’s my own stuff.” He says it takes several different elements to “put together the Arjun Khanna look. One’s style must be comfortable, yet finished with finesse. A combination of these ensures the look is not mundane. I’ll always push the envelope that much more, innovate constantly.”
HOW HE WORKS IT
Khanna lives very close to the studio so he doesn’t normally use a car to travel to work. “The drive is a way of relaxing for me.” Unlike other designers on-the-go, he doesn’t use his ride as his workspace. “I can’t read or write in a moving car. I suffer from motion sickness, so I can’t do anything visual in a moving vehicle. For me, driving is all about leisure, and for that, the car must have sex appeal. Then I’ll take off and go on a long-distance drive.” His must-haves in a car? Superb sound, a fabulous cooling system, a fridge, and a sunroof. But most important is the upholstery. “It has to be leather all the way. Pure, not mock.”
SPRUCE UP YOUR RIDE
“A personalised paint job for sure, and I’d love my logo on my car.”
CAR, A STYLE STATEMENT
“Everything is an extension of your personality. From the clothes you wear and the accessories you use, to the bike you ride—it’s all about personal style. Every item you choose, the way you style things—whether it’s your workspace, studio, or interiors—are a reflection of you. But a car most certainly is one of your first extensions of style.”
MANOVIRAJ KHOSLA
The Bengaluru-based designer studied fashion at the American College of Applied Arts in London, and went on to start a menswear range in the 1990s. Subsequently, he incorporated womenswear into his repertoire, and today Khosla’s collections include formals, casuals, partywear, bespoke designs, and wedding couture under his eponymous label. Khosla has also designed the uniforms for corporate houses, most notably the Kingfisher Airline uniforms. “My signature style is trendy and hip. I combine an Indian touch in a western silhouette,” says Khosla. “We do a lot of surface ornamentation on the fabric without necessarily doing embroidery, and thus create different textures on our pieces.” His collections are available at boutiques such as Samsaara, in Mumbai, Delhi, Bengaluru; Aza in Mumbai and Delhi; Rudraksh and Store One in Pune; Vachi in Kolkata; and Personna in Hyderabad.
ON PERSONAL STYLE
Personal style for Khosla is reflected in every aspect of one’s life—from your home, to the hotels you choose to stay in, and the way you travel. For him, quality matters, and that gets translated into his personal and work space. Often found running around for meetings, the designer dresses for the job at hand—his typical work-day outfit would be jeans and aT-shirt with a linen jacket thrown over. Dressy casuals is how he describes his wardrobe. He likes to keep things simple, workable, and versatile, so that it can take him through the day. And jeans don’t necessarily mean blue— they could be red, green, purple, or yellow, to add diversity to a look. “If you like certain design elements, it reflects in certain aspects of your life. So my style is not only reflected in my collections, but how I do things. It’s trendy and young at heart, colourful, smart, chic, and sexy.”
HOW HE WORKS IT
“My car translates into a work space through the day quite often. I spend about two and half hours in the car on an average. I have a driver most of the time so I can be more productive and conduct all my work calls, messages, and e-mails from the car. If I am travelling with my team, we conduct work meetings in the car. To relax, I listen to the radio a lot—the radio in Bengaluru has fantastic English music; I prefer the radio to playing my own playlist, because this way you listen to new music all the time. I never sleep in the car. I do, however, keep a cooler with beer for the evening. I also keep a deodorant, moisturiser, and cologne, handy.”
SPRUCE UP YOUR RIDE
“I would put a boom box in it, or something which is completely over the top. Or Mac wheels, maybe change the fender a little—basically do something a little more out there, in your face.”
TO INNOVATE
“If you are a guy, changing in a car isn’t difficult. If you’re in the backseat, you want to change your pants and your shirt, you can be ready in five minutes. But there’s no way a woman could do that. I think it’d be a fantastic feature if a woman could actually get dressed in the car.”