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On Sunday evening, Dhruv Kapoor showcased his new Soul Tech collection at Milan Fashion Week (MFW). This was the brand's seventh time under the umbrella of MFW, although it was the first time that a physical presentation was done.
Milan Fashion Week (MFW) Men's collection is currently being held (January 14 to January 18, 2022). Camera Nazionale della Moda Italiana (CNMI) announced that five brands will be making their physical presentation debut during the event, with Kapoor being one of the five.
The winter/fall collection of the label is a psychedelic mix of a furturistic aesthetic and retro-inspiration in a gender-fluid manner. 40% of the collection's fabric is an incorporation of sustainable processes, including the re-use of textiles.
Soul Tech is a collection that wants to capture the essence of the metaverse and how it takes us back in time. A futuristic development can lead to a discovery in the past. Kapoor describes his collection's unique name to Vogue India,
"Soul Tech is a term that my team and I collectively coined for this collection as it best explains the combination of soul science and advancement in technology. How advancement in technology is taking us back to our essence, how scientists are discovering dimensions, energy and our existence as a whole. The metaverse for me is another dimension and we plan to drop into that dimension soon."
Kapoor showcased an iteration of edgy and modern menswear with a dash of tie-dye, graphic prints, and explicit stitching. According to Kapoor,
"40% of the clothes in the fall/winter 2022-23 line-up are up-cycled from discarded fabrics. The label has also worked at creating employment for Hothur Foundation's acid attack survivors, and collaborative projects with a network of villages to uplift and empower artisans."
A closer look at Dhruv Kapoor and his journey
Dhruv Kapoor is the creative director and founder of his label. He was born in 1988 in Delhi, India. The graduate of NIFT (Nation Institute of Fashion Technology) started his career at Vogue India in 2010, where he assisted the digital editor.
Later he completed his master's degree at Istituto Marangoni, a prestigious university in Milan. In 2013, he joined the label ETRO, where he was able to develop his own vision and decided to start a label of his own.
According to the description on his website,
"Fearless self-expression, twisted modernity, and a strong emotional current come together to make the brand Dhruv Kapoor. Since its inception in 2013, the brand has been synonymous with revolution, transformation & independence."
Kapoor wanted a brand that could envision his ideas of gender-fluidity and take them forward into a world where there is space for experimentation.
After moving back to India in 2014, he showcased the first collection at Lakme Fashion Week.
He earned great reviews and later got awarded the 'Vogue India Fashion Fund 2015'. He also won the support of Vogue in the form of 25 lakh INR for his exquisite design ideas.
Vogue India also declared Kapoor the best emerging design talent from the country. He was also listed among 'The 50 most Influential Young Indians' by GQ and was awarded a 'Young Designer Award' in 2018.
