← Explore: Student Portfolio
Mohua Goswami
Knitwear
The collection ‘truck drivers, banana sellers’ takes on the street narrative in India. It’s inspired by all the little and big things like labor unions, street vendors, and a sliver of hope for democracy. The designs themselves resituate parts of Indian design aesthetics into a more contemporary approach.
The entire look is developed around two staple pieces from the common Indian man’s wardrobe- the ‘lungi’ (low-waisted men’s wrap skirt) and the ‘baniyan’ (undershirt or a vest, innerwear).
An iteration of the madras plaid drapes itself around the body in a low-hung skirt, a take on the ‘lungi’, paired with an intricately textured sweater.
The sweater peeks through a hollowed out ‘baniyan’ (vest) with carefully constructed floats. The last piece that goes on is the ‘pièce de résistance’- the all-knit structured corset.
These four mix-and-match pieces can be worn in multiple ways, thus incentivizing the customer to buy less and make the most out of every piece. 25% of the look is made using deadstock yarns.
Photography: Ahava Binah Perlman
Model: Cameron Jackson
MUA: Bellina Aponte
Music: Astitva by Kunal Shingade
Meet the Designer
As a designer, I use fashion as a way to explore my culture. My collections come from a place of personal curiosity and are usually set in the streets of India. My first introduction to fashion was at a young age when I would rummage through my mother’s and grandmother’s wardrobes. Since then, fashion has been more than just runway shows and glamour for me. I feel every conscious decision we make right now could make or break our future. And, it has to be a conscious decision taken by not one or two designers, but by the industry as a whole. Combining culture and science, I aim to do my part by studying ancient Indian approaches to sustainability and applying them to my collections.
