Work Flow

Abraham & Thakore’s A/W 2017 collection turns workwear on its head with precision and humour. Designer Arjun Saluja, a long-time admirer, sits down with the duo to find out how they did it

A pinstriped sari draped against a pinstriped shirt blouse is but one instance of designers David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore’s “new proposition for dressing”. The optical illusion draws me in and makes me want to investigate what lies beneath. But the duo insists it is the result of a simple design process—this is their interpretation of workwear.

“A white pin-tucked kurta shirt layered with a cape and embellished with a black tie loosely hung around the neck, for me, is a satire on how the corporate world has destroyed our very way of thinking, limiting workwear to safe colours and silhouettes,” says Abraham.