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As far as collaborations go, Hidesign's no stranger to joining hands with homegrown and international artists. Previous works have included collections with Italian designer Alberto Ciaschini, Disney's Beauty and the Beast, and earlier this year with Kalki Koechlin. Their latest one involves a capsule collection in association with French artist, Jos? Levy, whose CV boasts of working with luxury brands like Nina Ricci, Holland & Holland and Ungaro among others.
The collection titled Pondicherry Paris, is inspired by Jos?'s love for travel, simplicity and refinement. Which is to say, it's all about making travel easy, comfortable and making you look good at the same time. Like the cloud range, Jose struck inspiration for it when he looked out of his airplane window. And the practical aspects that make travel a pleasure can be seen in items like the range of pouches that are designed to help organize your travel needs, and the Big Banana Belt Bag, which is perfect for when you are out and about exploring a new place. The other items that complete the collection includes pashmina scarfs, giant sunglasses (for women) and durable rucksacks. To find out more about the collection, we caught up with Levy to give us more deets:
GQ: Which specific elements of Paris and Pondicherry come to life in your collection?
Jos? Levy: I love the diversity of different cultures and the way they influence each other. The similarities in art for both the cities and the way the two are constantly seen as travel destinations. The prints and designs of the sky and clouds on the bags are inspired by the clear skies in Pondicherry. The USP of this collection are the motifs that we have incorporated - the elephant trunk and rear, for example, are part of the Indian imagery. And the garland of Jasmine flowers in the Elaine bag and Juliette wallets remind me of India's beautiful women.
How did this collaboration come about?
I think that Indian culture is really fascinating and it's been a major influence for this collection. With Hidesign, I knew I could incorporate the essence of India in the collection. When I accepted to take care of this project, I decided to start from the scratch, planning and deciding everything from the name of the collection, the designs, every print, the choice of direction of the picture and the photographers. Team Hidesign especially created brand new leather. It took us three months to just get the leather right. It's called Milano, it's extremely soft and smooth but very durable.
Three tips on how men should accessorise their looks?
We have to be efficient and face many unexpected situations, so help is needed during travelling and so the bag that we carry should be comfortable, simple and stylish at the same time.
A Pondicherry Paris bag is something that will definitely be noticed by people. It's subtle, but it still makes a huge difference! Men can get an effortless as well as classy look with Pondicherry Paris backpack.
For a bold statement at the airport, men can use beautifully constructed leather suitcase bag from the Pondicherry Paris collection by Hidesign.
A leather bracelet will be a perfect touch to any casual outfit.
How have you integrated your personal travel experiences with this collection?
I have been to Pondicherry and I really love to walk on the streets and just look around, listen and smell. Pondicherry has a special space in the heart of all Frenchmen. The Pondicherry Paris collection includes all the little and necessary things that a traveller might require to make his journey comfortable and chic. It's a simple but a stylish collection.
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