No Grey Area is the metamorphosis of the modern Indian identity
No Grey Area is a modern-day casual wear brand that modernises traditional silhouettes while keeping the art of Indian craftsmanship intact. The label is an ongoing creative journey through time, delving back into history and exploring the mysticism of ancient India. It is a heartfelt tribute to authenticity in cultural representation. Founder Arnav Malhotra speaks to Fibre2Fashion about Indian dressing, the brand’s success story, and more.
How has Indian dressing been influenced by external cultures and historical events, and what are some examples of these influences?
One of the biggest influences on Indian dressing has been colonisation and the affect it has had on the everyday Indian wardrobe.
Pre-colonial Indian silhouettes were intrinsically non-gendered, and this remains at the core of No Grey Area’s (NGA’s) design commitment to creating cutting-edge urban and contemporary design for all people while being rooted in cultural representations.
If you look at traditional Indian garments worn at modern Indian weddings today you see prints, colours, draped fabrics and skirt like silhouettes such as lungis and dhotis worn by all genders. However, when people go back to their everyday wardrobes, they adhere to stereotypical gendered clothing. It is ironic that traditional Indian garments are more progressive with gender norms that contemporary everyday clothing. At NGA we are trying to blur the lines between these two.
In recent years, we have seen a fusion of Indian and Western fashion trends. Can you discuss some popular examples of this fusion and how they have been received by the Indian population?
Indian couture houses have incorporated suiting details from Saville row to better construct and finish their occasion-wear garments, resulting in clothes being more versatile and reusable with the western wardrobe.
How is the growing awareness of sustainability and environmental consciousness impacting the Indian fashion industry, particularly in relation to traditional dressing styles?
I think the biggest change to traditional dressing is conscious consumerism. While people want to look their best for every wedding or traditional occasion they attend, they are starting to buy clothes that can be reused or mixed in with their western wardrobe. People are sick of buying clothes that have no utility beyond traditional occasion wear which can only be worn once or twice after which it just gathers dust in their closets.
What was the inspiration behind starting No Grey Area, and how did the idea come to fruition?
The brand was born with the thought that Indian garments are often represented through couture, ethnic, occasion wear, but lack daily functionality and reusability. Indian workmanship and hand embroideries have been represented on the global stage by European brands, but never by an Indian brand.
The name ‘No Grey Area’ is quite unique; can you tell us the story behind the name and its significance for your brand?
No Grey Area is the metamorphosis of the modern Indian identity. As the brand has evolved, the meaning of ‘No Grey Area’ has evolved with the brand. NGA is rooted in exploring the grey areas and dissecting the interlinks between ancient Indian heritage and the modern Indian everyday urban cultures.
How would you describe the core mission and values of NGA, and what sets it apart from other companies in the industry?
NGA has taken an approach to design that combines heritage Indian craftsmanship with contemporary functionality of streetwear. It is an exploration of a multicultural young Indian generation with gender-fluid sartorial identities. NGA sparks a cultural conversation that explores ‘grey areas’, challenging Indian social constructs.
NGA consciously breaks away from the exoticised Indian dressing traditions that are portrayed in stereotypes/pop culture in the West. We draw inspiration from different periods in Indian history and mythology and look for concepts that are still of value in modern day India. For example, our latest collection ‘Pravah’ contemporises Indian concepts that do not traditionally exist in the global lens but exist as part of everyday life in India. ‘Kolam’ (a daily practice in South Indian households to ward off bad energy) is expressed as a print on everyday silhouettes in my collection. We construct these garments with modern functional trims and pockets, embellished with traditional craft hand embroideries and use a combination of Indian and western fabrics to embrace a modern everyday experience.
How do you ensure that your products and services are environmentally friendly and sustainable?
NGA looks back to ancient Indian garments and their particular geometric ‘zero waste’ patterns and creates contemporary interpretations of these traditional silhouettes eliminating textile waste at the design stage. We adapt ancient Indian silhouettes of the saree, kalidar kurta and dhoti for today’s market and modern lifestyle, retaining their traditional zero-waste patterns – single pieces of fabric stitched in a way which allows them to take the shape of the wearer, increasing wearability and longevity. We also believe sustainable practice is in supporting and contemporising local traditional manufacturing and craft communities with technology, which can foster innovation and evolution of their craft.
Which of your products has the most significant impact on your customers and why?
Our new collection ‘Pravah’ launches a lot of silhouettes which have not been seen or experienced by Indian consumers.
But my favourite piece from this collection is the kurta wrap jacket. We are doing one version in a traditional Indian silk with all over hand embroidery and another version in an Italian wool suiting fabric. The garment is zero waste (which means no piece of the fabric was wasted while cutting and sewing the garment). The garment is also gender inclusive and can be styled or worn in different ways. The piece is a hybrid between the ancient kalidar kurta and a western wrap jacket. This piece embodies everything I want the brand to be.
What are some of the challenges you faced, and how did you overcome them?
One of the biggest challenges we have had with the brand is understanding how to combine modernity and traditional culture/heritage. Combining Indian silhouettes with western archetypes to create something new and unique means there are no rules to break. We make the rules. These challenges are what makes the work exciting. It is like creating your own new language while blending the semantics, syntax, and morphology of what came before. NGA breaks free from what is stereotypically Indian or Western to establish its own fine balance.
Can you share a memorable experience or success story from No Grey Area’s journey so far?
This year we showcased our first two international collections (SS23 & AW23) in Paris. This represents a significant milestone in our effort to shift the perception of Indian attire in the Western world, as we strive to incorporate traditional Indian clothing into everyday fashion.
How do you see your brand evolving in the next 5-10 years, and what are your plans for expanding its reach and impact?
I would like the world to celebrate the fluidity of Indian design, perceiving them as functional, sustainable garments that have their place in contemporary urban cities. We hope for the No Grey Area to be globally present, with the continued evolution of our garments exploring ancient India through a contemporary lens.
Finally, what advice would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs looking to create a business with a strong social and environmental impact?
Find a unique and authentic point of view that sets you apart from other brands and build everything around those values from your products to the way you operate. Everyone in the business should live and breathe these values to create a singular impactful story.
Interviewer: Shilpi Panjabi
Published on: 03/05/2023
DISCLAIMER: All views and opinions expressed in this column are solely of the interviewee, and they do not reflect in any way the opinion of Fibre2Fashion.com.
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