Designers Abraham and Thakore bring their black and white design philosophy to Hyderabad

Designers Abraham and Thakore bring their black and white design philosophy to Hyderabad

Designer duo Abraham and Thakore need no introduction; known as masters of minimalism, the OG designers David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore were in Hyderabad to launch their first flagship store at Banjara Hills.

In 1992, as classmates and friends, they started a business in Abraham’s bedroom in Delhi’s Defence Colony, based on a suggestion from their friend Martand Singh.

In today’s entrepreneurial lingo, they were a start-up. Abraham is quick to answer, “Of course we were. It all happened in my bedroom — designing, planning and even meeting clients. John Bissel, owner of FabIndia knew we had started something, he told us that the buying director of Conrad shop in London was in Delhi and we could show some of our work to her. We had something to show to her, she liked them and bought them. Back then, we started with a strict design philosophy of creating styles from our surroundings and offering them to the people. We decided to be craft contemporary and offer non-conforming fashion that lasted seasons.” 

The reason being: “As a brand we want our buyers to appreciate what they buy and wear it with pride too. When a piece of clothing is worn again and again, it only goes to appreciate the craftsmen who created it. The threads that are painstakingly dyed, to the stitches, go to add the perfect look, everything gets appreciated,” added Rakesh Thakore. 

Their work has been exhibited at venues such as the Victoria & Albert Museum in London, the Indira Gandhi National Centre for the Arts in New Delhi, and in a Volkart Foundation-sponsored exhibition on Khadi. Their designs have also been featured in The Fabric Of India at the Victoria & Albert Museum, London, UK as part of a British Council exhibition on contemporary Indian design. The double ikat silk houndstooth sari and shirt are now in the permanent archives of Victoria & Albert Museum. 

When asked if they look back and cherish their moments, Thakore says , “It is a combination of both. As we move ahead, we also look back at where we have come from.” 

Abraham, on the other hand, says, “Accolades are pleasing at that point in time. We also happened to start at a time when no one was a fashion designer. If we have to compare the time we started with the present day, our work underwent a process that worked just fine then. I am very happy with the way things have changed. We cannot dwell in the past. In the context of the new digital world, speed can sweep you away if you let it. So it is important not to get carried away for instant gratification without weighing the consequences or thinking of a direction.”