Designer Anushka Khanna launches short animated film ‘Zany, the Zebra’

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Jul 3, 2020

Mumbai-based womenswear designer Anushka Khanna has launched a short animated film titled ‘Zany, the Zebra', in collaboration with Bollywood celebrity Karan Johar, to inspire children and showcase her printed textiles.

 
Khanna worked with Australia-based animator Inder Aney and Beyond Design’s illustrator Bhavika Shah to create an optimistic animation aimed at children and youth, Vogue India reported. The film’s main character, a zebra, was also the main motif of Khanna’s spring/summer 2020 collection and has been brought to life from the printed textiles she used for dresses and separates in the collection. 
 
A number of prints from the collection feature in the animation to link its message of ‘be kind’ to the brand and its values.

“I wanted to create a fashion film that of course brought attention to our clothes, but also helped others during this time,” Khanna told Vogue India.

“That's why you'll see our prints woven seamlessly into each frame, done in a way that's not obvious but reinforces the idea that we are a fashion label and this film is being used for a larger purpose.”

 
The film intends to show some of the positive aspects of the lockdown due to the Covid-19 pandemic, including how nature has been able to restore itself. Khanna has made the zebra into a symbol for the brand and is using its image to raise funds to support people in her supply chain. 
 
Half of the sales from Khanna’s garments featuring the zebra print will be given to her workers and their families. Khanna has also collaborated with social enterprise gifting service Firefly to create a collection of crocheted zebras, made by partner craft organisation Happy Threads. Sales of the zebra collectible will be given to the craftspeople who make them.