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How Viraj Khanna brought together a sporty aesthetic and intricate art for PUMA's Gen Z ambassador Shanaya Kapoor

- NIDA NAEEM

Being spotted at an NBA game dressed in designer garbs is almost a rite of passage for celebs across film, fashion, and music. As a lifelong basketball lover, PUMA's Gen Z brand ambassador Shanaya Kapoor made her courtside debut at a Knicks game in Madison Square Garden, New York City, late in January this year, and what made her look stand out was the bomber jacket she sported. Interpreting the brand's instantly recognisable mascot, this jacket was created exclusively by artist Viraj Khanna. Khanna, who's fashion royalty Anamika Khanna's son, stayed true to his distinct collage aesthetic using different textile cut-outs in an experimental colour story. Jaws agape, the big cat makes its way across the sleeves of the pink jacket in a contemporary interplay of of ari and zardozi embroideries. Khanna's approach was to mirror the speedy reflexes and lightning pace of the animal: "My practice of creating collage style of art is instinctual in nature. When I put together different found elements, there are instinctive decisions that I continuously have to make. This aligned vision clearly reflects in the final jacket that we co-curated to make a statement at the iconic basketball court in New York." Khanna reveals more about his artistic process and feelings about this family legacy.

Grazia: Tell us about this collaboration, and how it happened.