Nostalgia is often painful. Nostalgia is demanding – it is exhaustive, imaginative, and can even be achingly silent at times. In a catastrophic hour such as this one, when there are not many things that one can do to explore, escape or find respite from the deserts of our own minds…memories are one of, if not the only asset that we can refer to, in regards to archiving nostalgia.

We had the opportunity to interview a young, talented, Paris-based fashion designer – Kanika Agarwal, on a mid-march Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago. Migration, memories, and ‘an abstract beyond’ are some of the subjects Kanika approaches through her minimal, yet eloquent designs.

We are seated next to the fireplace in her white antique apartment, on the third floor of a gentle and elegant residential building in Saint-Germain-des-Prés. I ask her if it’s real, the fireplace. She politely declines and tells me that it must have been, a long time ago… proceeding to denote it as nothing more than a fire hazard now. The room is small and well lit, with comfortable amounts of natural light, 2 lamps, wooden parquet floor, a huge contemporary painting hanging just over her bed and one square, simple mirror lined with a bouquet of fresh flowers. Parisian, in its purest form; with a touch of Kanika’s native (Indian) influence glimpsed through ethnic rugs, certain foods, and miniature souvenirs. She tells me that she recently did the painting herself.

I notice the many books on her wall, wondering if she is a diligent collector. She is quiet, but never unnoticeable, wearing minimal makeup, a puffy lime green dress, and vintage Gucci boots to complete her unanimous look. We begin speaking a bit about her early life, and I quickly realize that Kanika’s unorthodox story is just as striking as her triumphant body of work.

Showcased here is a small excerpt of our conversation from an early spring afternoon at the beginning of this year. We wish you enjoy the explanative feature, coupled with an editorial, put together exclusively by Daedalus.

D: I want to talk to you about your decision to up-cycle materials. Tell me more about the process… from choosing the materials/fabric until the final product. But before, I want to know what made you decide to choose this method, does it stem from an ethical responsibility, or is it something else?

KA: I think it just came from a place of environmental responsibility. We all have to pay more attention. Fast fashion is not only a relevant concept in our society but also a threatening one – to all designers, producers, workers, consumers, and manufacturers alike. I think we all know this. Even my personal wardrobe is mostly vintage or up-cycled. It’s more rare and intimate that way. In my collection – the rib-knit jersey used is required for making polo collars, a game first brought to India by the rule of the British during the colonization period. Through this process, I re-used one material for the purpose of another. There was a deconstruction of the already deconstructed. Through re-cycling discarded collars to make a new garment, I was able to sustain in my path of purposeful production by reusing and reinterpreting fabric in an alternative manner, showing a way of creation that didn’t require waste. It eliminated the need for mass fabric production in the demand cycle, and instead focused my vision on using my imagination to make use of what I already had, up to its maximum potential. Another garment that I worked on was the hand-beaded pearl set, made over the course of 8 months. It is unisex in nature and accommodating in terms of wearability. I also made my patterns out of waste cardboard and recycled paper. It can be argued that the foundation of this collection stems from my belief towards a more sustainable fashion industry, with a much more deliberate approach to garment consumption, and much less focus on ‘trends’ and ‘looks.’ Pieces need to be dual, as well as durable. Our zeitgeist demands it.

Wearing : Kanika