Mumbai-based designer Anita Dongre, renowned for her organic, eco-friendly clothing, recently launched her very first menswear collection, Anita Dongre Menswear, inspired by the bandi, or the Indian version of the vest-coat. “Interacting with my client base made me fine-tune my label, even from my design point of view,” says Dongre. “A few months ago, I decided my first foray into menswear.” She says that many of her ideas came about by listening to her male customers: how they wanted simple, clean lines and separates that they could mix and match in the Indian context. So it’s no surprise that her collection revolves around the bandi, a garment so versatile that even Dongre’s 20-year-old son was excited to pair with his jeans and linen pants. “He makes the bandi look hip and edgy,” says Dongre. “But this piece is so timeless – when someone like writer Anil Dharker wears his with a churidar, he makes it look so classically cool.” One can even pair a bandi with a traditional dhoti.
The collection also includes tuxedos, breaches, shirts, formal trousers, bandhgalas, short sherwanis, and classic Indian sherwanis. Dongre has used pure wool, Indian linen, silks, and silk linen blends – some of the world’s finest fabrics sourced from Italy. She’s also used German interlinings, and haute European technology using German machines, with rare stitching techniques used by Italian manufacturers.
“This was a long overdue collection for the men in my life, something I intend to continue,” says Dongre. The collection is currently available at Anita Dongre stores in Palladium and Fort, Mumbai. Prices start from Rs 4,000 for shirts, Rs 5,000 for bandis, and Rs 1 lakh for suits.
Text by Priya Kumari Rana