No Grey Area: The Innovative Brand Exploring The Past And Present Of Indian Identity

Born out of a creative exploration of culture, history and time, No Grey Area is a “metamorphosis of Indian identity”.

SS23

Based in the city of Chennai, Indian fashion label No Grey Area was launched in 2019 by founder and creative director Arnav Malhotra. Though its meaning evolves with the brand, the name underpins the brand’s commitment to exploring the grey areas of culture and anatomising the links between the past and present.

“I grew up immersed in the fashion industry because of my family, learning about textiles, silhouettes, and designers from a young age” Arnav Malhotra recalls. “I initially never imagined myself working in fashion, but I found my passion for the craft while working for a tech start-up in New York."

“The platform powered the backend for several modelling and creative agencies in New York. Interacting with the fashion space in New York through Fashion Week, shows, parties and more, I found myself attracted to the liberation and self-expression in the space. This inspired me to create something of my own and start NGA”.

Seeking a representation of South-Asian culture that is authentic, No Grey Area uniquely combines traditional cultural design and philosophy with modern everyday Indian culture.

It is particularly emphasised that the innovative brand channels the “everyday” Indian experience of dressing – a stark contrast to exoticised global impressions of Indian clothing that the world is often exposed to.

As Malhotra notes, Western representations of Indian clothing focus heavily on couture, ethnic and occasion wear – all styles of garments that often lack daily functionality and reusability.

“The 'everyday experience' of Indian dressing is dynamic, nuanced, and ever-changing. The street culture in Bombay sees kids starting to style ethnic Indian garments with their favourite streetwear brands and Jordans for occasions”.

“The hip-hop artists that belong to the International Indian diaspora have been mixing ethnic wear with streetwear for years and styling gender-fluid clothing to express their hybrid cultural identities. The modern Indian ‘everyday experience’ breaks free from traditional expression and takes inspiration from an international aesthetics, taking on unique forms”.

Designed to be breathable and non-restrictive, No Grey Area’s pieces closely align with the pre-colonial Indian traditions of clothing being utilitarian and non-gendered. The brand also adapts traditional silhouettes of the saree, lungi and dhoti for a contemporary global market and lifestyle.

Loose fitting and adaptable, the garments prioritise comfort and ensure that the body can better regulate temperature in the case of extreme weather conditions. As they also accommodate to changes of the body through linear stitching patterns, No Grey Area’s pieces are guaranteed to have a long lifespan.

Though the brand’s creative amalgamation of the past, present and future may seem like a challenge to most, Malhotra embraces this explorative process. “All the challenges are what makes the work exciting” he states. It’s like creating your own new language while blending the semantics, syntax, and morphology of what came before”.

“Combining Indian silhouettes with western archetypes to create something new and unique, means there are no rules to break. We make the rules”.

No Grey Area’s SS23 collection, Pravah, marked a milestone for the brand as it was showcased as their first international collection. The brand also recently released AgniApaas – a collection with a colour pallette inspired by the themes of fire and water.

“My favourite piece from this season is the Kurta Wrap jacket. We’re doing one version in a traditional Indian silk with all over hand embroidery and another version in an Italian wool suiting fabric. The garment is zero waste (which means no piece of the fabric was wasted while cutting and sewing the garment)”.

“The garment is also gender inclusive and can be styled or worn in different ways. The piece is a hybrid between the ancient Kalidar Kurta and a western wrap jacket. This piece embodies everything I want the brand to be”.

Though No Grey Area is still on its journey to becoming a sustainable brand, the label is conscious of sustainable practices and seeks to reduce the environmental impact of fashion.

“Living in India we already experience the effects of global warming and extreme weather as a result of the pollution, overpopulation, and climate change. We try to create dynamic silhouettes to reduce the number of clothes have to keep in their closet. We also focus on zero waste patterns and reducing water waste”.

Follow No Grey Area on Instagram and shop online.