If the glorious Antwerp Six were the bastion of Belgian fashion to a global world, Anamika Khanna is part of India’s original tribe of stalwart designers that established the true meaning of luxury designer clothes in the country, on a global scale. For over two and half decades Khanna’s consistently shown us the desirability and magic of Indian embroidery on couture and western wear that would sit at home in Mumbai as much as it would in Marrakech or Manhattan. Clothes that have found their way into the closets of many celebrities and style folk to show off to a wider audience. Wearing Anamika Khanna today is not just fashion flex, it’s a badge of honour. But what good is a designer if they simply ride on the coattails of their own glory? Khanna remains two steps ahead of the game with her next big outing: a mega collaboration with Swedish conglomerate, H&M.
For H&M to rope in a designer of Khanna’s might is only fitting—its previous effort was with Sabyasachi Mukherjee, amidst a long roster of global designer collaborations, including the late Karl Lagerfeld and Alexander Wang. This time around, the heavy-duty collection will see a robust mix of menswear, womenswear and accessories. Gentlemen, gear up to stock your wardrobes with laidback kurta tops and co-ord trousers in sumptuous cotton and silk, alongside graphic printed hoodies, basketball shorts and joggers to enhance your street style cred. There’s something for everyone here. Khanna and Ann-Sofie Johansson, the creative advisor at H&M tell us more.
Where did it all start?
Ann-Sofie Johansson: The conversation started over a year ago. There was a creative handover, and we had several meetings about fabrics, fittings and the like. Anamika came to Stockholm twice and the H&M team went to India to meet her. It’s a long process. It’s always like that because it’s a true collaboration in every sense of the term. And this has been a very joyful one. We have the same aim and goal to make the most beautiful clothes that our customers will appreciate, while wanting to make sure Anamika’s look and style really shines in the collection.
Anamika Khanna: I never thought that one day I’d see our product in one of their windows. It’s surreal. When you read about the other designer collaborations that H&M has done, you think, ‘Oh my god, it’s us who’s going to be there.’
What was day one like?
AK: When you’re given a timeline with full creative freedom, within certain parameters, you want to stick to what you’ve committed. So, you work quick. I think that was my starting point. Because of my repertoire of so many years, we’ve collected so many ideas, designs, crafts. To be able to filter your mind first and edit out so much is the hardest part.
What did your initial mood board look like?
AK: It started with filtering down the crafts coming from different parts of India. I was working on charts extending from one table to another and ticking boxes in terms of H&M’s parameters of sustainability and silhouettes. You don’t want to be silly and go to a brand with your couture and say this is fully embroidered and I want the world to see this. That’s not going to work. There’s also the fact that I want to bring India into the world, which is what I've been trying for the last 25 years. This is my heritage. I don't want to leave my space. At the same time, I don’t want to make a plain, black dress, because that's not me. And then one needs to balance it out to fit into a global space. Once things start flowing, you get into the print—the origins of it; the story that we’re telling; and where it came from. My drawing book looked like a chemistry page that was a combination of different chemicals to arrive at a new medical drug.
How much do your sons Vishesh and Viraj influence your designs today?
AK: I'm being pushed every day and challenged to my core. I'm being asked questions like; ‘Would you wear this when you were 25?’ Everyday I'm being sent stuff to read or to think about. I somehow hate everything when I wake up and go to work where my designer’s like, ‘Again you want to start a garment?’ I keep wanting to reinvent myself. And not just a little bit. I want to leave everything behind and start as if I'm starting today because suddenly, I have people in my life challenging my designs, which has not happened before.
What’s most attractive about Anamika Khanna for a brand like H&M?
ASJ: The mix of different influences in her work make it so appealing. Her use of traditional crafts and her representation of India as a melting pot is incredible. Like with this collection, you have a bit of sportswear, glamour, luxe loungewear, contemporary tailoring. This also makes it viable for today's customer. One wants to mix things up in terms of personal style to become more unique—to express your personality and yourself through your clothes. Also, very few women are at such a high level in the fashion industry. That also has an impact. Anamika’s super well known in India. Since 1998 she’s been trailblazing. She’s also an Indian designer with a wider global appeal, while continuing to push forward, be relevant and explore what fashion is going to be like in the future.
How has India responded to H&M since it came into the country nearly a decade ago?
ASJ: You never know what it’s going to be like when you enter a new country. We sit in Stockholm and do the same collection for all the markets we are in. And then it's hard to see if that is going to fly in a new country. So, you're always humble when you enter a market. But then, as you as you know, we have more stores now, and we are expanding. So of course, we see India as a big market. Overall, fashion has become more global, but at the same time, you need a little bit of local flavour, which we do here. India is flourishing when it comes to creativity, art and design. There are a lot of things happening here and I think there will be a lot of cultural exchanges moving forward.
What’s different from how you approach menswear to women’s?
AK: Designing menswear is way harder. For the longest time, we didn’t start it because I didn’t want to make it an extension of womenswear, where you’re cutting kurtas and achkans, without knowing the technicalities of it. It’s Vishesh who started it after studying extensively about it. He studied how Indian achkans are made; why they’re so stiff; and why chest padding, or horsehair is important. When I initially started designing menswear back in the day, I wasn’t thinking from a man’s perspective and giving it that little extra. Then I realised I need to get the construction, fit and technicalities right. Men are different. When I meet a man for a personal appointment for a wedding, my first question is, ‘Tell me who you are’. Saying that, menswear is a huge priority for us and is growing quickly. I just want to keep getting better at it. I know that I can still improve every day and push it to the next level. I want to bring it to the finest quality. I’m always thinking, ‘How do you refine it, how do you make it look perfect?
What’s exciting about men’s fashion today?
ASJ: I think overall, menswear is much more interesting than womenswear. Look at celebrities as well. Like at the MET Gala for example. It’s fun to see. It’s more inspiring. Sometimes you can feel like everything is done and explored in womenswear. Now it's the time for menswear. I've in fact been wearing a lot of menswear myself, and a lot of women are. I also think that more men are interested in fashion today. They’re more daring and are wanting to dress in a different way, to try new things. There’s a lot going on in that space.
AK: Menswear, in my opinion, has never seen this level of experimentation and open mindedness, which I’ve been seeing for the last few years. Even the neutrality of men’s and womenswear is more evident than ever. Men are also wearing women’s shirts. As a rule, men dress for themselves. Women dress for other women. Men don’t carry that insecurity. They know that this is my style; I want these shoes, that jacket. They are loyal to fashion and know what they want. If they like something, they’ll come back.
What would be the ideal outcome of this collaboration?
AK: I feel that people will question why you’ve done this or that. Why are you using so much of India in your clothes. But I am from India and that’s what I’ll use. If I don’t use India or where I come from as the inspiration, then I’d just be sitting and going round and round. After the process, it doesn’t really matter. What matters is the relationship and the learning not what sells out or what is written.
ASJ: There are a lot of designers to explore and maybe we’ll continue. For now, I’m sure this one is going to be a success. We know what we’ve achieved here and that in itself is incredible.
The collection will arrive in selected stores and online at hm.com on 5 September 2024.
