The upcoming festive collection from Raw Mango, Moomal, draws inspiration from Rajasthan, home to its founder Sanjay Garg. Part nostalgic from his memory and part re-imagined for the future, the Marwari region’s traditional clothes and Rajput garments are borrowed to create a signature contrast and harmony of textiles, silhouettes and colours.

How did it feel to go back to your roots as an inspiration for this collection?
Rajasthan is home. This collection drawing from Rajasthan has evolved over the years and perhaps owing to the months past, has beckoned with its fond memory and solace. It draws from a continued lens of questioning on the perceptions of classic and folk.

We see a strong influence from Rajasthan’s imperial past — a trend that’s been in vogue for a while now; why did you choose to feed into this much-celebrated wealth of design and colour?
Tradition is not passé to me. I believe it is very much part of our future. I envision the future through the past, and so drawing inspiration from the State as a premise for this collection was not to set a trend, but to interpret it from folk — representing the importance of this language, one unstudied yet significant.

Rajasthan is known for its vibrancy of colours; Raw Mango is known for a subtlety of colours — how did you marry these two diverse ideas?
Raw Mango draws from the colours, philosophies and cultures of India to create a unique voice, questioning place and perspective through design. It’s rich in its layering, colours and textiles. Developing a collection involved pursuing an idea, this time between the relationship of folk and classic elements of Rajasthan.

What does this season mean to Raw Mango specifically, as a brand? And how different have been your collections for the season, over the years?
Rajasthan is where I made all my early memories so it was definitely special to revisit them. This collection has challenged me. It’s not what I would naturally live with, but it’s true to its roots given that balance and value is aligned with a greater vision… like the idea of home.