Searching for a clothing brand aligned to my Small Home values wasn’t easy, so I was delighted when I found Mumbai-based, slow fashion design studio, Runaway Bicycle.
Their understated, simplistically elegant aesthetic is exactly what I love. Effortlessly cool pieces that can be dressed up and down, with subtle design details that give them a modern edge.
Cleverly cut to flatter, by a talented designer who understands the female form, accentuating the parts of our bodies that we love.
Fabrics, all hand-spun, organic, and produced without chemicals, beautifully soft to touch and designed to fall just in the right way.
These fabrics will age beautifully, just like us!
And the timeless designs will still be relevant in decades to come.
Read our interview below with Runaway Bicycle founder, Preeti Verma.
In 2014, Preeti Verma launched Runaway Bicycle from a compact one-bedroomed apartment, working around her then-advertising career.
The Mumbai-based design studio was founded upon her desire for aesthetically pleasing, comfort-first clothing.
Undeterred by neither fashion nor lifestyle experience, Preeti sought to unite the talents of traditional weavers and dyers across India with those of the design studio’s craftspeople.
The result was workwear-inspired pieces for carefree living, made from hand loomed organic cotton and silks.
We found out more from Preeti about the ethos behind her slow fashion brand and the concept behind her collection.
1/ What inspired this season’s collection?
It was a collection inspired by the small joys life throws at you when you slow down and take your time to smile more often. Hence the bright colours, punctuated by embroidered motifs from childhood when we were truly carefree and joyous.
2/ Who inspired this season’s collection?
The concept was inspired by a man we met in Goa and the life he lived. Never rushed - even in the middle of an urgency - he always had the time to stop and say hello. As the collection developed, it took a turn of its own and we just went where it took us.
3/ Which materials did you favour for this collection?
The materials in this collection are no different from what we usually employ - they are all handwoven fabrics. We love working with organic cotton and using natural dyes. However, this time we have used a lot more silk for a lighter feel and dyed it in brighter colours than we would normally use. As these brighter colours are difficult to achieve using entirely natural dyes, we use Azo-free compounds which are eco-friendly.
4/ Talk me through the weaving process of the fabric.
The fabrics are first designed in collaboration with our weavers and then woven in our clusters in west Bengal, Gujrat. Weaving as a craft is passed from one generation to another and in most weaver clusters, entire families are involved in the work. These families have been weavers for many generations now. We work with our weavers to make our own handlooms from scratch.
5/ Talk me through the design process of the pieces.
Once we have received and quality checked the fabrics, we move them on to our printers in Rajasthan, who hand-make the wooden printing blocks. This process takes about three to four months. All other aspects of the manufacturing then takes place in our design studio in Mumbai. The studio team is 38 strong and they do all the craft work needed. With the exception of seams, all stitching is done by hand, as are the embellishments such as embroidery.
6/ Tell me about the colour palette and what inspired it?
This time the palette has brighter flashes reflecting the joys of childhood and the pleasures derived from slowing down. All our colours are derived from natural sources and great care is taken to avoid the use of any chemicals during the treatment of the fabrics. We follow sustainable practices.
7/ How important is the texture of the material in this collection?
While each of our collections may differ in terms of aesthetics, the design principle of seeking comfort before form remains the driving force behind all our work. Inspiration comes from the comfort found in the clothing of children and labourers engaged in physical tasks, effortless and relaxed pieces. So the lightness of the fabric, its feel to the touch and how it breathes are the prime factors that are always considered.
Their understated, simplistically elegant aesthetic is exactly what I love. Effortlessly cool pieces that can be dressed up and down, with subtle design details that give them a modern edge.
Leave a comment