Kunal Rawal Is Making Designer Wear Rainproof

When we think of monsoon weddings, the first thing that comes to one’s mind is compromising style to adjust to the weather. All of us have had our share of struggles while attending weddings in the monsoon months. But with a new take, designer Kunal Rawal has launched a new offering that presents a unique and uber-cool take on planning the perfect monsoon wedding.

Functionality and style, a combination that makes a perfect addition to an outdoor wedding. These layering pieces are designed in a way that they don’t just minimise the impact of rains but at the same time, safeguard the wedding celebrations by sustaining them without much hassle. Apart from this concept, Rawal has also ventured into kidswear. At India Couture Week, the designer showcased his latest collection ‘Vision Quest’, marking his presence in the world of kidswear clothing. The new kidswear
collection sustains the brand’s signature silhouettes and threadwork techniques with a
greater focus on comfort and functionality.

When the collection debuted, Rawal explained: “These years have demanded a sense of humour from us and I wanted to create a collection that was a collective reminder to wear your vulnerabilities proudly and enjoy it all with a full heart; make a statement with your beliefs, whatever they may be; flaunt your individuality like no one is watching especially when everyone is. That is my vision quest.”

To get a more in-depth idea about the vision on the monsoon layering concept and the kidswear collection debut, MW spoke to Rawal and here’s what he had to say about it.

What made you decide to make this garment?

I have always been a big believer in functional need-based products. Having attended a lot of wedding festivities during the monsoon season, I have gone through the terrible circumstance in which it starts to pour and beautifully detailed outfits get destroyed. Most outfits are not created to withstand the rain and it’s a terrible shame to have them destroyed due to no fault of your own. The idea behind the Raincoat sherwani came directly from the need to protect one’s outfit during the monsoon. The Raincoat is meant to be used as a functional layer on top of your occasion wear and can also be used on top of contemporary pieces as a protective layer.

What was your inspiration to do this?

A lot of occasions take place outdoor, which is why there is always the risk of weather. As mentioned earlier, I have been in a situation where my outfit hasn’t made it due to the rain. I needed a product like this to protect my clothes and that, I guess, is where the inspiration stemmed from.  I think it’s a great safety piece to have in your trunk when attending a wedding during the monsoon season.

Can you tell us the process behind making it? 

The technique for Raincoat sherwani is fairly simple. It is a pattern, made and cut to be worn on top of contemporary occasion wear. We focused on comfort, functionality and smart design while creating this piece. For example, the armholes have loops that act as thumb holes to keep the raincoat in place, our pattern is cut in a way to provide a wide range of mobility, we’ve also added side slits to increase the range of motion. It also has our signature KR buttons to add a layer that makes it suitable for formal wear.

Why did you decide to venture into kidswear?

We’ve been catering to a lot of kids wear in the past 4 years. It’s been a sort of natural progression because we had a client that came in and wanted to create similar looks for their little ones. I think the market is saturated with kids-wear that is simple and to the point and what the market was looking for was sophisticated and intricately detailed pieces rather than bright pieces with large emoticons. I think the aesthetic we explore for our occasion wear has never really been adapted for kids. I have been lucky to meet a lot of cool kids in my life and I wanted to get into the space to do justice by them. So yes, this was a very exciting and overdue exploration.

What kind of kidswear do you aspire to make? What all will we see in the full collection?

I aspire to create kids-wear that is extremely intricate but also has elements of versatility and functionality. Today the way kids are far more global in their thought process, this is because of the information they receive whether it online or in school or at home! This is why I believe that kids wear should reflect a more global and sophisticated aesthetic.

Also Read: Reaching New Terrains: In Conversation With Kunal Rawal