SS24 Reluctantly Fundamental
Yashwant Rao Holkar II, the Maharaja of Indore from 1926 until 1948 incorporated Western tailoring and Indian traditional attire into his wardrobe and some of the embroideries in the SS24 collection were inspired by his traditional attire. He was perceived as a rebel, finding freedom in London and Paris where he dabbled in his interests in fast cars and jazz, concepts that weren’t very accepted in Indore. The palace he constructed in Indore took influences from French interior design blended with local craftsmanship, it was extravagant and intentionally navigated the gauche with the refined, the balance of opulence and wearability comes from this. This was the first collection Kumra designed since moving back to India from the States, returning to the brand’s core values of championing craftsmanship and local heritage. The collection was shot at an abandoned palace in rural Rajashtan. The arid landscape, rocky deserts and saturated local village juxtaposed against the magisterial palace portrays the proximity of chaos and romance that can only exist in India. Rooms in the palace were entirely hand tiled in the 17th and 18th century and have been preserved by the local royals to this day. Some of the block prints and embroideries were inspired by images of the palace, found when designing the collection.