Wedded to Style

If you’ve always shuddered at the thought of a summer shadi with heavy silk and zardosi weighing you down, Study by Janak at Karol Bagh comes to your rescue with their all-new summer Swayamwar Collection. “Grooms were always overlooked at weddings, so we decided it was about time to create a complete wardrobe for them,” explains Manoj Mehra of Study by Janak, explaining what prompted him to open the store with brother Sunil in ’86. The concept turned out to be so popular they now come out with three or four collections a year and have a separate section that caters to the to-be-wed.

The latest collection of over 500 outfits is especially aimed at grooms who’re dreading a sweaty summer. The range of sherwanis, jodhpuris, achkans and kutra-pyjamas are made from imported light-weight fabrics in beige, grey and green, enlivened with kashidakari embroidery. They also offer jootis of the same material and pagris that are actually tied, not pinned, so they can later double up as six-and-a-half yard saris. “We also have a coordinator who advises the customer on what will suit him and what is apt for different occasions like the engagement or the sangeet,” Mehra adds. “When we first started off, the market for men’s wardrobe was absolutely zero. Now we find most men very fashion conscious, and they know exactly what they want,” he continues, adding that their GK-I outlet (run by Sunil since ’91) displays “the more outrageous outfits.”

There’s nothing Mehra enjoys more than “being out on the battle-front,” be it at the store or the factory in the Udhyognagar Industrial Area. “What I enjoy most about the Swayamwar Collection is that you have to come up with a completely new concept each time,” he smiles. “After all, each groom wants to wear exclusive stuff.” And Mehra, whose already working on the winter collection, is by no means ready to rest on his laurels. He believes in starting from scratch when working on fabrics, colours and embroidery which has to go with the theme. “Ethnic-wear is still not considered a regular part of a man’s wardrobe, so a wedding is the only time men can really let go,” he explains, saying he is proud of doing his bit to keep our sartorial traditions alive.