Mufti
The 90s were a period where India was going through a transition in fashion and we saw an opportunity to create a casualwear brand. It all began with a small personal loan and a bike. For the 1st few years, Kamal Khushlani’s dining table was the design studio and the warehouse was under the dining table!
We were always clear that if we made the kind of clothes that everyone else made, no apparel store would stock us. After all, we weren’t from the big business houses. So why would they. We could only get in if we made the ‘different’. If we were distinctive from the rest.
And boy, were we distinctive! We were the folks who introduced cutting edge fashion for men in India. We took fabric from women’s, inspiration from the 60’s and made clothes for men. We made short shirts way before untucking became cool. We used colors that pushed the edge but were not frivolous. We did the bold by introducing club wear and street wear which were hitherto unknown. We were one of the first to make an entire range of jeans in stretch (for men), that was later adopted by the world. We were the first ones to introduce turn-up sleeves. We made joggers from denim. We continuously put out new designs and did not repeat any. We were unknown mavericks from Chandivali in Mumbai who had the chutzpah to take on the big boys. Soon we became the edgy casualwear brand picked up by celebrity stylists. And in a short while, celebrities started sporting our lines.
