In a town that showcases its Franco-Tamil heritage in the resplendent colours of its architecture, Naushad Ali channels the timeless elegance of his monochromatic brand identity into the design of his first shop that opens its doors this August.
Since 2014, the designer and his team, have been creating garments with contemporary cuts using traditional Indian fabrics. Earlier this year, Naushad Ali won the ‘Sustainable Wear' award at the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2017, where he showcased a range of fluid drapes imbued with just that touch of earthy simplicity.
When he could be located in any of the fashion hubs in India or the world, Naushad Ali chose to locate his first store here, in Puducherry, his hometown. The Naushad Ali store is housed in the 300-square-foot garage space of a residential house on Rue Surcouf, in what is known as the White Town locality. "In Puducherry, it's very simple—location matters a lot,” says Naushad. "We love this place, with the church nearby and all these cafes. I was initially complaining to my friends that I wish this space could be slightly bigger. But they said, I should see how tiny the shops in Japan are, literally half as narrow as this. We thought, why not start small!"
On this intensely sunny morning, the space has a zen-like calm, from its foldaway white wooden shutters typical of local architecture, to the airy lightness of a glass doorway framed in black metal with an unobtrusive signage. Inside the well-lit space, the metal base of a black sewing machine occupies pride of place and is used sometimes as a styling table, and sometimes, as a base for an Ikebana arrangement. Display racks along the walls showcase the garments by collection.
To convert the garage into a retail space, the floor was raised and laid with black Kadapa stone. A nearly 7-foot-high white wall was built parallel to the back wall. The front face has a white metal display grid with a coordinated look on display—the sole pop of colour in the otherwise monochromatic room.
Behind the wall, one third of the space has a desk for billing and storage. The remaining two-thirds is enclosed as the changing room. All the metal work, including the display racks, the framed mirrors, even the mirror panel concealing a bathroom, were custom-made locally.
My eyes are drawn to the beams on the ceiling, another signature element in local architecture, painted a sedate grey. Turns out, they aren't wooden after all! Steel beams were cut to size and a cornice was built on which the beams rest. Between the beams, what looks like the ceiling is actually a false ceiling that conceals the electrical wiring and is also used to suspend sleek linear luminaires.
The shop's monochromatic palette is the perfect backdrop for the garments on display, including the two collections I am curious about: Minutiae is a monochromatic collection, and Little Things, made with bamboo-cotton, is in pastel shades.
The shop also showcases a range of accessories and small keepsakes by designers known to Naushad, like Delhi-based Grafiosi (stationery), Noida-based Gomaads (cement and concrete products), Dhora (jewellery) from Jaipur, Rakhee Kane's ceramic line, and photographer, Madhavan Palanisamy's postcards and prints. "Puducherry has a floating crowd. We wanted to bring these names and brands to Puducherry, because travellers always like to take something back from their travels. A lot of travellers doodle, they keep maps and they write about their trips."
The Naushad Ali retail outlet has a minimalist Japanese vibe combining the functional with a modern aesthetic in a town that takes pride in its traditional architecture. "Being in this locality, with all this beautiful architecture around us, we don't want to stand out as very different. We want to be modern, but with these traditional elements as well."
Address: No. 10 Rue Surcouf, French Town, Puducherry | Store Timings: 10 am to 9 pm. Tuesday-Sunday.
ALSO READ:
