Wear you live, what you wear

Karekar exploring the form of Khajuraho and the kalasa

We may not always dress to impress but how much of what we buy holds some meaning to us? Here's where city-based visual artist and Locopopo Studio founder Lokesh Karekar's latest collaboration with Bombay Shirt Company fits into the puzzle with a limited edition collection of shirts that caters to people with diverse interests: fashion, architecture, art, the city and country.

Known for his geometric style, Karekar was approached by the company a month back with a free brief. Since he is known to weave elements of Indian heritage in his work, he decided to infuse them into the shirt collection comprising three patterns that launch tomorrow. The garments come in three colours: bottle green, white and brown. "Designing for fabric isn't the same as designing for a product. It's about playing between proportions of human body and the print, the contrast of colours, and considering how it will appear after taking the shape of a body. If the pattern is too big or too small, it gets lost," he explains.

The prints are inspired by forms of Indian architecture, stone carvings and the co-existence of communities reflected in Mumbai. But at the same time Karekar isn't trying to replicate these structures, although it is easy to identify a temple's kalasa or the amalaka. "This was a personal exploration of compositions and forms. One of the print, "symmetry" is inspired by the forms of temple architecture in Mumbai - the one by the Banganga, the Shiva temples of Girgaum and the South Indian temples at Matunga. I love to draw and collect the inspirations on the go. While I am not trying to imitate these structures, all three prints have a uniform line art style," he shares.

He also highlights that he wanted the patterns to be bold and macho, yet sophisticated. It also lends a new perspective to the custom shirt label since it is in stark contrast to their usual collection. Karekar adds, "I hope my work spreads awareness about the old and beautiful architecture in the city. I want people to celebrate it."

On February 4, 6 pm to 9 pm
At Bombay Shirt Company, Sassoon Building, Kala Ghoda.
Call 40043455
Cost Rs 3,500 (for a tailored shirt)

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