Rebel with anti-fit

Fashion shouldn’t be restricted to a particular body type, isn’t it? As most international brands are now focusing on fashion for all shapes and sizes, the trend of anti-fit or ill-fitted clothing can be seen picking up on runway shows and street style. The latest international trends for Fall/ Winter 2018 highlight genderless influences, loose-fit designs, boxy and anti-fit silhouettes. Brands like Marc Jacobs, Dries Van Noten, and Celine also showcased collections with oversised jackets and suits for women announcing the arrival of comfort and confidence over stereotype style.

This trend is not only a welcoming change for people of all sizes and shapes but also continues to empower women, thinks USA-based designer Tina Tandon. She relates this trend to the ongoing #Metoo movement, and says, “The menswear looks for women is an indication of the general worldwide support for women becoming more powerful – it’s like women are now “wearing the pants” and taking charge. I think the Indian designers have also started showing more androgynous silhouettes incorporating elements from menswear for womenswear, and vice versa. The boxy look will not work well with the Indian ethnic outfits, but silhouettes are definitely becoming more loose fits.”

To be on par with this trend loose silhouettes are a must.

The idea of anti-fit clothing is at its peak in India right now as it represents the ideology of a society that’s talking about freedom and breaking barriers, opines designer Ujjawal Dubey. He says, “The trend is here to stay as long as the fight is on. The innovations in this segment are quite holistic, in a way that Indian designs are now getting noticed by international fashion experts as well. We have moved to a new aesthetic all together in terms of colour style and form. The segment is not really underserved; in fact, it probably is under-received as the society is itself still upgrading itself, especially in the case of men.”

Anti-fit clothing is very approachable and caters to an audience with an evolved sense of style. It is also very forgiving as it quietly accommodates the fluctuating size problem that everyone falls prey to. Samyukta Nair finds the relaxed silhouettes perfect for layering during winter. She says, “I think the Indian market is filled with options within this category, the challenge lies in creating a distinctive design language for brands to differentiate their offering so as to be discerning. It’s lovely to see a creative merging of silhouettes and fabrics within this category. Pop colours ranging from pale salmon to fuchsia pink, detailing with micro pleating and crinkled cotton, use of hand blocked prints and resist-dyed shibori is what really appeals to me.”

The anti-fit fashion is an inclusive trend and enables a designer label to reach out to a larger audience. With the growing awareness of styling, the Indian audience has become conscious of their choices and how they style their looks. Designer Kanika Jain points out that India is a market where women/men do not wear form fitting clothes on a larger scale. She says, “Most Indians wear clothes that are relaxed and comfortable. For the anti-fit trend, the silhouettes are mostly relaxed and oversized and the styles are made with respect to the entire collection. This gives a wider option to a designer to experiment more with designs.”

Due to flexible designs, anti-fit pieces can be worn as separates for the holiday season and can be easily paired up or down based on specific occasions. These elements add a sense of drama to an otherwise simple anti-fit garment and amp up its versatility. However, it is a segment where more play can happen in terms of design feels designer Yadvi Aggarwal, as she sums up, “I feel that people of all shapes and sizes have always existed; and with them labels who cater to people of all shapes and sizes have always existed in the international as well as domestic market. The trend plays a more positive psychological change in the way people think about themselves – as people have more acceptance and love for their bodies irrespective of size and shape.”