One of my favorites go to's is adding a blazer to any look. This works from jeans and a tee/shirt to a printed mini dress, it instantly elevates your look.
Also adding a belt to the blazer makes you look more "put together". Another one I love is mixing cream and white (or shades of white) - it is a very chic and fashion-forward look
Tell us about your background and journey so far?
I was exposed to styling while I was studying in London, a friend of mine (a stylist and designer) would fly in to shop for films he was working on. I assisted him on a couple of his trips and loved the experience and learned a lot from him. It was fast-paced and I loved the adrenalin rush.
I was exposed to styling while I was studying in London, a friend of mine (a stylist and designer) would fly in to shop for films he was working on. I assisted him on a couple of his trips and loved the experience and learned a lot from him. It was fast-paced and I loved the adrenalin rush.
At this stage, I had been studying fashion for 6 years and was ready to get my hands dirty and keen to work hard. I moved to Bombay after finishing my degree in London with no plan. I did have a few amazing friends that were already in this industry and were a great support system and helped me start out. My attitude was that I would do any and every styling job I got, paid, or unpaid because the experience is what really gets you ahead in this business.
I worked my way up, but I also had a few strong advocates in the business that helped me greatly, without whom my career graph would have looked very different. I had the opportunity of working with some amazing celebrities like Sonakshi Sinha, Ileana D'cruz, Sophie Choudry on a wide spectrum of jobs from the red carpet to costume design for film.
While I enjoyed styling and the success I had experienced, I craved a different creative outlet. I always knew I would end up in design and my relocation to Sydney helped me disconnect for a few months and regroup before I started my menswear label Project Bandi.
I worked my way up, but I also had a few strong advocates in the business that helped me greatly, without whom my career graph would have looked very different. I had the opportunity of working with some amazing celebrities like Sonakshi Sinha, Ileana D'cruz, Sophie Choudry on a wide spectrum of jobs from the red carpet to costume design for film.
While I enjoyed styling and the success I had experienced, I craved a different creative outlet. I always knew I would end up in design and my relocation to Sydney helped me disconnect for a few months and regroup before I started my menswear label Project Bandi.
There was a gap in the Indian The menswear industry and I have always loved and leaned towards menswear sensibilities so it was the perfect fit for me. It has been amazing to have the opportunity to build a clothing label from scratch, I love spending time in the factory, sourcing fabric, creating fun prints and pushing boundaries of what Indian menswear has been like so far, and taking it in a new, more modern direction.
When did you first realize you wanted to pursue a career in the fashion industry?
When did you first realize you wanted to pursue a career in the fashion industry?
I can't remember when exactly but I have always had sketches in my notebooks in a school of women wearing evening gowns. I seemed to always know fashion is what I was interested in.
What college did you attend and what did you study?
I studied Apparel Manufacture and Design at SNDT in Mumbai and then went on to pursue a degree in Fashion Journalism at LCF in London.
If not this, what else would you be doing and why?
If not fashion, I would most likely have ended up in Interior Design.
Please reveal some of your instant styling hacks?
One of my favorites go to's is adding a blazer to any look. This works from jeans and a tee/shirt to a printed mini dress, it instantly elevates your look.
Also adding a belt to the blazer makes you look more "put together". Another one I love is mixing cream and white (or shades of white) - it is a very chic and fashion-forward look.
Also adding a belt to the blazer makes you look more "put together". Another one I love is mixing cream and white (or shades of white) - it is a very chic and fashion-forward look.
What is your take When it comes to gender disparity in terms of wages especially in Bollywood?
It is a real pity that we are still here in 2020, but the truth is that it is a reflection of the society we live in. India has a long way to go in terms of safety and respect for women, without the fundamentals changing, the pay disparity will not change.
When it comes to Bollywood, things are changing very slowly, but they are. It is not strange now for a female actor to be the main lead of the film without a man by her side, this is a step in the right direction. In my opinion, the more monetary success of films like these - with women at the forefront will prove to producers that they are worth more money.
When it comes to Bollywood, things are changing very slowly, but they are. It is not strange now for a female actor to be the main lead of the film without a man by her side, this is a step in the right direction. In my opinion, the more monetary success of films like these - with women at the forefront will prove to producers that they are worth more money.
Also, men in leading roles with power should stand alongside their female leads and demand equal pay for them.
Tell us more about your Project Bandi. What challenges you had to face in setting up an online brand that delivers worldwide?
Project Bandi started off as a label that did just one product - the bandi (or the Nehru jacket) but we did it very well.
The reason we picked this product was that we wanted to be able to achieve an 'Indian' look with one product instead of people having to buy full sets and not being able to reinvent them for the next event. I love separates because you can style them in different ways and reuse them- I guess this comes from my styling background.
You could add a bandi to pieces that you already had in your wardrobe like a white shirt and trousers, jeans, or a kurta pajama and make a comfortable and fresh look each time you wear it. We quickly became popular because of our fun prints, accessible price points for quality fabrics, and a youthful appeal.
Now we do kurta pajamas as well and our signature style has evolved to our print on print styles - printed kurta and printed bandi. We have contributed to changing the perception of Indian menswear being uncomfortable by using lightweight fabrics and making sure we stay away from cheap polyesters- even for our lining. Everything is breathable and easy to layer and wear as separates.
Since I have started Project Bandi, I have lived in Sydney and now in Singapore while we produce in India. Because I was indifferent to counties I knew the best way forward was an e-commerce business. Our challenges are that sometimes we have first-time buyers wondering about fit and fabric- but we have to make sure we give them amazing customer service and assure them that we will make sure they are happy.
For delivery worldwide, it is that international shipping can get very pricey. With a mid-range product, sometimes customers find it hard to justify spending a lot on shipping, but this one is out of our control since we only partner with reliable shipping companies and they come at a cost.
Read More - Working in the Film Industry Could Not Just Be a Daydream, but a Reality
The reason we picked this product was that we wanted to be able to achieve an 'Indian' look with one product instead of people having to buy full sets and not being able to reinvent them for the next event. I love separates because you can style them in different ways and reuse them- I guess this comes from my styling background.
You could add a bandi to pieces that you already had in your wardrobe like a white shirt and trousers, jeans, or a kurta pajama and make a comfortable and fresh look each time you wear it. We quickly became popular because of our fun prints, accessible price points for quality fabrics, and a youthful appeal.
Now we do kurta pajamas as well and our signature style has evolved to our print on print styles - printed kurta and printed bandi. We have contributed to changing the perception of Indian menswear being uncomfortable by using lightweight fabrics and making sure we stay away from cheap polyesters- even for our lining. Everything is breathable and easy to layer and wear as separates.
Since I have started Project Bandi, I have lived in Sydney and now in Singapore while we produce in India. Because I was indifferent to counties I knew the best way forward was an e-commerce business. Our challenges are that sometimes we have first-time buyers wondering about fit and fabric- but we have to make sure we give them amazing customer service and assure them that we will make sure they are happy.
For delivery worldwide, it is that international shipping can get very pricey. With a mid-range product, sometimes customers find it hard to justify spending a lot on shipping, but this one is out of our control since we only partner with reliable shipping companies and they come at a cost.
Read More - Working in the Film Industry Could Not Just Be a Daydream, but a Reality
Interviewed by - Mukund M
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