“Kapda” – Clothing chronicles (Part 5 of 13) (rev 1)

Clothing is one of the most powerful expressions of oneself. In fact, it's one of the most basic ways through which we evaluate each other in the societies we inhabit. I used to travel with 2 large suitcases – with outfits for every possible season and reason. A few sarees for formal wear, few tops for outing, cotton for warm weather, a sweater for cold weather and a few shoes and suddenly the suitcases are full. When I am traveling trailing my sports fanatic son or fulfilling my own wanderlust, I learnt to minimize what we pack.

Here is what I learnt from Arnav

- He has very few regular shorts and t-shirts. I was shocked to see what he was willing to spend on sweatpants and hoodies. He has certain guidelines – they have to “feel” good against the skin, must have pockets and so on. When I nag him to buy a few “nice” shirts, he says “Ma! I am an athlete. The most important thing for me is what I wear when I go to play in the cold English weather”.

- His other passion is his shoes – one for running, two for football and then as many as he can afford, for regular wear. I did not know that sneakers were a fashion statement till he took me to a shop in New York three years ago. I was shocked to see sneakers costing in the thousands of dollars. To me all sneakers look alike but Arnav can see a sneaker and tell the brand, the price. Now that I have woken up to this trend, I notice that it's not just boys. My friend Kelly’s daughter Sarah wears ONLY sneakers and has over 20 of them. The fashion world around me was changing and I had no clue. In some way, I am glad that for the first time perhaps in the history of fashion, something trendy AND comfortable is the object of desire. Remember the stilettos? I still think that women who walk in them are super humans.

After seeing him, I have changed as well. Now, I manage with one suitcase instead of two.

- My thing is - really comfortable trousers. I have a formula - two black pants, one beige trouser (thank you Anjali), one pair of sweatpants

- Two t-shirts for running and one black sweater (thanks Asha)

- 4 full sleeve and 4 sleeveless tops for going out

- 4 cotton tops for day-to-day wear

- One pair of running shoes, 2 pairs of flat shoes and 1 pair of house slippers

- 6 scarves and shawls to mix and match

The only trick is that we have to do laundry rather regularly. So, I have done laundry in motels, friend’s homes, hand wash and am known for enquiring about laundry before landing up anywhere.

The biggest advantage I have is that I can borrow as needed. I carry a few blouses and borrow sarees; I borrow a variety of scarves and shawls from my hosts to go with the basic black and white tops I own. So, the principal is - own little, borrow when you can and don’t compromise on what’s important for you. I may compromise on the quantity of items but not on style. I always have a few sarees and beautifully embroidered Indian scarves with me, my favourite one being the hand embroidered kantha work gifted to me by my friend Sangita Kathiwada that goes with me everywhere

The same principles translate well to work.

- No compromise in the quality of the leading team, the key is to define the goals and find the best people to lead them. And let them decide to get interns, part timers, junior staff, as they need.

- It’s important to question all old assumptions and reevaluate their relevance and learn the new trends. I am learning about the new social media landscape just as I am learning about the sneaker scenario. I was very uncomfortable with the “selfie” generation but I see that they are living outward what most of us only wished we could do. In the past, we chose to give the spotlight to a chosen few. We wanted one hero and when that hero made even the slightest, we pulled them down, or even worse, looked the other way. Today, if someone can find 1000 people who can follow him or her, they can make a living. The wealth that was the purview of a few stars and agents is now up for grabs for everyone.

- It’s about trying new things unabashedly, my friend Shanna spoke about her friend Nikki who built a business selling natural hair weaves and another friend who is a sneaker trendsetter. It’s not easy being a social media celebrity – You need to post something of substance consistently. Each of these entrepreneurs are pursuing what they love and bringing their persona as a brand.

Here is the real question. If we can understand the psyche of someone so well that we can make a million dollar ad to convince them to buy the right toothpaste, why can’t we leverage that understanding to convince them to eat healthy or share wealth? I would take the brilliance of ”Dumb ways to die” by my friend John’s team that talks about safety than a fairness cream ad that tells the woman that lighter skin means better life partner.

At INK, we are looking to draw our inspiration from the principle “fewer and deeper” that guides is in our ventures and partnerships. If we can work at being an influencer and use that to make a positive change in the world, we can create millions of heroes who can inspire others into positive action through their sheer authenticity. Instead of each of us feeling like a drop in the ocean, we each can become an ocean in a drop and quench the thirst for global sustenance. It’s all about knowing what you want and getting the best….. be it sweatpants, sports shoes or justice for all.