Even after his label Countrymade won “The Showcase” at Blenders Pride Fashion Tour in 2020, Sushant Abrol didn’t rest on his laurels, showing dramatic improvement with each new collection and season. The label, which launched in late 2019, is known for thought-provoking narratives around the military and taking a modern approach to design while celebrating the artisanal strength of Indian craft. Abrol’s designs are minimal and wearable in approach, but well-tailored and sharp, featuring unique details that fit right in the world of contemporary menswear.
Countrymade debuted at Copenhagen International Fashion Fair in August 2022, and this year, in January, Abrol showcased his collection at Tranoï, the official Paris Fashion Week trade show, building on the growing momentum of his fresh, young brand.
]]>CATEGORY: MENSWEAR
THE WINNER IS: SUSHANT ABROL
LABEL: COUNTRYMADE
Working across various spheres of fashion, from being a part of a production facility for international brands to working with retailers exploring the luxury side of the business, helped Sushant Abrol identify the scope to lend a new voice to the menswear scene in India. Military attire always appealed to him, and Countrymade’s first runway collection was an interpretation of a poem Abrol wrote for his late brother, who served in the armed forces.
The label tailors vintage military silhouettes into modern workwear looks, with the camouflage pattern recurring in all collections. Each season, Abrol and his team develop a range of intangible artworks, and translate them onto hand-spun cottons and silks, heavy linens, cotton-silk blends, and more recently, hemp. Techniques range from derivations of the humble kantha stitch in hand embroidery to hand paints, hand-block, and digital prints.
DESIGN DNA: Sophisticated, classic, conscious
]]>Designer of the Year – Menswear
COUNTRYMADE
The brand embarked on its journey into the business of fashion in October 2019. With thought-provoking narratives around the military, it takes a contemporary approach to design while preserving the artisanal strength of the Indian craftsman. Countrymade’s core philosophy is to integrate the responsible selection of natural textiles into the ethical production of conscious products.
]]>
“Life is a series of collisions with the future; it is not the sum of what we have been, but what we yearn to be.”
Jose Ortega
In the world that transcribes an endless prospect of inspiration and progression, there also exists an endless prospect of despair and regression. Our past and present entangle to give way to our future and amidst this catastrophic entanglement is where we find ourselves currently.
Despite the times being dire, the strength and the bond of brotherhood is what continually adds fuel to the driving force around us. We are knitted together as one community and it is the togetherness that has time and again fuelled our determination, bringing us this far as a brand. It is also the same interlinking togetherness where lies the answer to hopeful times for the world.
In the abyss we find ourselves in today, we must re-evaluate and reimagine our actions and its consequences as a bigger picture.
While we undergo a flight of contemplation, we seek to give out a flare of hope, for in the grim juncture where the dots of time and consequence juxtapose, hope is the last thing to be ever lost.
]]>