Sindh a la mode

IN A REFRESHINGLY HONEST CHAT WITH DESIGNER KARAN TORANI, TINA THAKRAR LEARNS NOT ONLY ABOUT THE CREATIVE PROCESS OF PRODUCING BEAUTIFUL GARMENTS, BUT ALSO ABOUT HOW TO CELEBRATE ONE’S OWN CULTURE

- TINA THAKRAR

Browsing through designer Karan Torani’s website is like taking a journey through time, and finding oneself in the midst of a Sindhi cultural revival. Not that it needs one, but his lehengas, sarees, dupattas and kurtas bring Sindh to life, and throw the spotlight on its most precious facets - some unknown, some forgotten, and some thriving. No matter the garment, Karan puts a piece of himself, and the culture he’s so enamored by and proud of, into it.

Only minutes into our conversation, I feel like I ‘get’ Karan. I may not know much about fashion, and I’m still learning about the Sindhi culture bit by bit, But Karan spells it all out for me in his unfiltered, straightforward and deeply passionate manner. He’s 26 - a Delhi boy from a lower-middle-class family that struggled with finances for a long time. He’s curious, sensitive, asks a lot of questions, and has never identified with anything more than his roots, and his love for beautiful clothes. But this was all it took for him to have the grit to set up Delhi-based Torani - an Indian wear brand that’s set the fashion industry ablaze with its fiercely cultural collections, and vivid stories that stem from Karan’s childhood memories.

Everything that Karan knows about his roots, and even style for that matter, comes from his grandmother. During his summer holidays spent in Bhopal, he asked her about her life and ancestors, watched her gracefully glide from room to room in soft chanderi sarees, and marveled at her beauty. He was a boy taken and makes no bones about it even today.

“My nani lived a simple life, but something about her was so appealing. My notion of grace became synonymous with her, and that marked the beginning of my journey with clothing. I understood how to bring personal identity into fashion, and it’s grown to become the foundation of my brand.”