Sanjay Gary KEEPER OF TRADITIONS

Founder and designer of Raw Mango, Sanjay Garg talks to RALAN KITHAN about the brand’s latest collection, Peacock Country, how his hometown Rajasthan influences his designs, and finding inspiration in different cultures of India.

- RALAN KITHAN

SANJAY GARG HAS been creating new conversations in fashion ever since he founded his label, Raw Mango.

The label blends the old and the new India through its garments, and employs artisans from across the country. With weaves like zari, mashru, and gota, Raw Mango's outfits are more than just beautiful silhouettes-they're deeply rooted in culture and history.

Whenever Garg travels, he captures the culture of the place and incorporates it into his designs. His hometown in Rajasthan has had a great influence on him and continues to do so. Peacock Country, his latest collection, also tells a similar story.

Excerpts from the interview:

Tell us more about Peacock Country-your latest collection.

The inspiration is the Awadh region in Uttar Pradesh. It draws from the Ganga-Jamuna tehzeeb, which is symbolic of the Hindu and Islamic cultures coming together. 

The collection was also inspired by the story of Indra Sabha, the first Urdu opera written by the last King of Awadh. It's a story of romance that is set in the court of the rain god, Indra. The idea of two cultures coming together was very interesting.

All this is represented through the usage of gold and silver zari. We also explored the varied range of gold and silver tissues that are made in Varanasi. We have used different kinds of textiles in the collection like herringbone tissue, organza tissue, amongst others.