RITU KUMAR | PAYAL SINGHAL | SANGEETA BOOCHRA | ASHIMA LEENA | AHILYA | SATYA PAUL | SHAZE | AZA | RINA DHAKA | GLOBAL DESI | ZARIIN |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Dresses | Dresses | Designer Piece | Kurtas & Kurtis | Kadda | Sarees | Jewellery | Ethnic Wear | Designer | Women's Shoes | Sportswear |
Kurtas | Western Wear | Jewellery | Salwar Suits | BangleSet | Printed Sarees | Earnings | Sarees | Dress Material | Jewellery | Sports & Shoes |
Jackets | Tops | Bangles | Tops | Pendants | EmbellishSarees | Bangles & Bracelets | Kurtas & Kurtis | DesignerSaree | Fashion Jewellery | Gold jewellery |
Tops | Ethnic Wear | Coin & Bars | Leh Cholis | Kadda | Handbags & Clut | Rings | Salwar Suits | Blouses | Bridal Set | Pumps & Pee |
Skirts | Salwar Suits | Earings | Western Wear | Acessories | Bags & Luggage | Jewellery Sets | Chunnis & Dupattas | Gowns | Jeans | Spectacle |
Jumpsuits | Sarees | Chains | Dresses | Earings | Top-Handle Bags | Sunglasses | Bottom Wear | T-Shirts & Shirts | Jeans & Jeggings | Nightwear |
Tuesday, April 7, 2020
कमाल का है नीता अंबानी-ईशा अंबानी और श्लोका मेहता का गोटा-पट्टी वाला लहंगा, तस्वीरों में देखिए सास-बहू की खूबसूरती April 07, 2020 at 08:18PM
हिना खान की वो 5 ड्रेसेस जो समर सीजन में आपको दिखा सकती हैं कूल ऐंड स्टाइलिश April 07, 2020 at 07:08PM
These 6 Spring Color Trends Will Brighten Your Day
And out of all the trends that made headlines at the end of last year, it was the colors that really hit home for us. Vintage denim blue, margarine yellow, and pistachio ice cream green all were featured throughout, on both outdoor tennis courts on Manhattan’s Lower East Side and 19th-century grandeur establishments in Paris. Saffron, cocoa, and peachy pink also made an appearance during the month-long fashion season.
So while the decision of what top to wear with sweatpants for our next Zoom meeting is hardly a critical one, we're happy to have something to brighten the mood, even if it is just a pretty new shade of yellow. After all, Pantone’s Color Institute did call the spring ‘20 color lineup “energizing and optimistic.”
Ahead, check out the six spring colors that are inspiring our warm-weather (indoor for now) wardrobes.
At Refinery29, we’re here to help you navigate this overwhelming world of stuff. All of our market picks are independently selected and curated by the editorial team. If you buy something we link to on our site, Refinery29 may earn commission.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
This Aritzia Sale Has Already Raised $3 Million
Amidst Lockdown In India, This Vintage Store Is Fostering Positivity
At the time of our interview, Kanika Karvinkop was supposed to be in New York City for a pop-up event with No Borders, her concept shop based in Mumbai, India. “I was literally supposed to be there now to plan our event which was scheduled for Earth Day,” she tells me over a WhatsApp call. “But everything got canceled.”
We spoke on March 23rd, just one day before the Indian government imposed a three-week nationwide lockdown in an attempt to contain the spread of COVID-19 within the country.
“We also canceled our Spring/Summer 2020 launch, because it’s not the right time,” Karvinkop says.
Kanika Karvinkop is the founder of No Borders, a fashion and lifestyle store in Mumbai that stocks South Asian brands alongside local art and designer vintage. She cut her teeth in fashion as a Junior Stylist at Grazia India and later a freelance stylist in New York, where she had i-D, Nylon, Wonderland, Bullett, V Magazine (and Refinery29) as clients.
No Borders is run by a tightly knit team, with Karvinkop overseeing the general operations while personally handling all of the shop’s creatives, merchandizing, and social media marketing on her own.
At No Borders, one can find a colorful array of contemporary South Asian clothing next to vintage pieces from the likes of Dior, Hermes, Calvin Klein, Ralph Lauren, and Oscar de la Renta, most of which are shockingly priced within the USD $200 range. There’s also local jewelry, artwork, and magazines, all from South Asia, South America, or Africa.
Karvinkop’s mission through No Borders is threefold: First, to grow global brand recognition for and give credit to under-represented international designers; second, to promote sustainable vintage shopping in India whose retail scene is split between the extremes of luxury and fast fashion; and third, to provide a platform for cultural exchange without any borders, a key value that gave birth to the shop’s name.
No Borders is one of many independent businesses around the world that are affected by the coronavirus outbreak. “The government has taken measures to see that no one unnecessarily steps out of their homes. As scary as it may seem to have no cars or even bicycles on the street, this is a sacrifice we must make.” Karvinkop says. “It’s just overwhelming.”
Within the course of one week since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced India’s lockdown, the country’s confirmed cases rose from less than 600 to more than 1800, a number projected to increase to hundreds of millions.
But rather than just shutting its doors, No Borders is taking action to continue to tell creative stories, and to inspire, educate, and connect with its followers through the internet and social media.
Karvinkop founded No Borders in April of 2018 upon returning to Mumbai from New York. Inspired by the beauty and history of South Asian fashion, she quickly garnered interest among her network of local designers and launched her first curated collection to much success. No Borders Shop, situated in a 200-year-old heritage building in the quaint village of Khotachiwadi, immediately received positive feedback from visitors, some of whom were skeptical at first. “Vintage clothing is a relatively new concept in India. I vividly remember this one customer who asked me, ‘Why would anyone wear hand-me-downs?’ I took the time to explain all the reasons why not, and she bought more than one piece that day. Along the way, one of my priorities turned into educating and helping customers understand why we do what we do. I want to make a real change in getting the word out there about sustainability.”
Even over the phone, Karvinkop exudes a huge amount of energy, so much so that one could imagine her gesturing passionately at the other end of the receiver. While it is precisely this passion that has helped push No Borders so far, Karvinkop’s business wasn’t always fueled by positive energy. “My dad passed away one month after I opened the shop. He was my biggest inspiration and I changed after that. I went through a very, very rough period with deep depression, and No Borders was the only thing that kept me going. I took a step back and focused on No Borders, and it was just really nice to meet people who had the same vision as me, who wanted to talk about the same things.”
The global outbreak of COVID-19 has brought yet another difficult challenge to Karvinkop and her community. But just as she came out of past hardships by focusing on what she can do, Karvinkop is using No Borders to serve as a platform for fostering positivity and awareness at a time when both are in desperate demand.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by No Borders Journal (@nobordersjournal) on Mar 31, 2020 at 10:54am PDT
No Borders is sharing details of the lives of people under lockdown, both in and outside India. The stories, which are posted on Instagram with the hashtag #NBGlobalDiaries, range from a veterinarian’s efforts to care for stranded pets wrongly accused of spreading the virus, to an international student’s inability to come home from a semester abroad. “It’s a great way to truly understand the seriousness of our current situation and help depict the reality of different people,” Karvinkop says.
There are also positive stories, like the introduction of Minal Dakhave Bhosale, the Pune-based female virologist who provided India with the country’s first testing kit for COVID-19.
“We share personalized encounters as a way of showing how everyone is affected differently, regardless of the fact that we’re all in this together. The level of suffering or hardship isn’t the same for everyone — so many people have it way harder than we could ever imagine.”
At its core, No Borders is about bringing together creatives from all fields, with a focus on South Asia. “I’m very inspired by the diversity of South Asia. Even within India, every state has a different language, different culture and different traditions,” Karvinkop explains, from her firsthand experience moving around countless cities in India. “My dad was in the Air Force, so we travelled all over the country — I went to a different school every two to three years. When I grew up, all of that sort of came back to me.” Besides Indian brands, No Borders also stocks brands from Pakistan, Afghanistan, Nepal, Morocco, Ghana, Peru, and Puerto Rico.
When buying for the shop, Karvinkop always looks for designers that are inspired by their own country, use raw materials from their region and employ local artisans for production. From No Borders’ brand lineup, Karvinkop’s current favorites are Rastah, I am Isigo and Bodice.
In addition to serving as a platform for under-represented designers, No Borders places importance on turning cultural appropriation into cultural appreciation. “A lot of people outside India can have a very cliche view on Indian fashion. I feel like some people think it is mostly Bollywood or over-the-top bridal,” Karvinkop points out. “But although designers are inspired by their history, indigenous techniques and craftsmanship that has lasted for centuries, they are creating pieces for today. They are keeping it modern without losing the real essence of their rich culture. Educating our consumers on this is our responsibility.”
While No Borders’ physical shop will remain closed for the time being, its online store is up and running. In between binge-watching The Handmaid’s Tale and Black Mirror, Karvinkop is planning a future Brooklyn outpost for No Borders and possibly a modeling agency. “All the girls that shoot with us end up signing somewhere and getting famous,” Karvinkop says with a laugh. “It’s kind of crazy.”
And of course through No Borders, Karvinkop will continue to tell firsthand accounts of people around the world who are going through the coronavirus pandemic. “This is a really hard time. We have to be empathetic towards one another. We have to share, make sacrifices and get creative during this time on how we can reach out and help in whatever way we can.”
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
Over A Thousand Pieces From Reformation’s Vintage Archive Are On Sale
As part of its continued effort to combat the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, LA-based sustainable brand Reformation is selling pre-loved pieces from their archives, with the proceeds going directly to those who need it most.
If you, like us, are mega-fans of the brand, you probably already know that Reformation doesn’t just make vintage-inspired dresses and T-shirts, they also sell the real thing. Every few months — naturally, when you’d least expect it — Reformation uploads a ton of covetable vintage picks onto their website, the bulk of which sell out in seconds. The brand also has a vintage store in West Hollywood, where you can score a barely touched second-hand Chanel and perfectly pre-worn vintage Levi’s without the fuss of digging through Goodwill bins or betting on eBay.
To further their push for sustainability, resale, and minimizing waste, while also raising money for Feeding America, Reformation has announced a partnership with thredUP, the world’s largest resale platform. For the collaboration, the brand has donated 1,000 second-hand Reformation pieces for thredUP members to shop. 30% of the profits from each item sold will be immediately donated to Feeding America in an effort to help the organization provide food for those without access due to COVID-19.
This isn’t the first we’ve heard about Reformation aiding in coronavirus relief of late. In March, it was announced that the brand would be partnering with The City of Los Angeles and Mayor Eric Garcetti on LA Projects, a movement created to mobilize local LA manufacturers to start producing non-medical masks after Mayor Garcetti estimated that millions of face masks were needed to keep the city safe and healthy. The goal of the partnership is to produce 5 million masks for essential workers so that medical masks can be saved for medical personnel only.
As part of the collaboration, the brand will also have non-medical masks available for purchase on their website, with the option to donate them to those who need them most.
To join the brand in the fight against COVID-19, while also gaining access to limited edition vintage Reformation pieces, download the thredUP app and shop your favorite pre-loved items now. Trust us, the selection will not disappoint.
Like what you see? How about some more R29 goodness, right here?
This Aritzia Sale Has Already Raised $3 Million