Purushu Arie pioneers gender-neutral clothing line in India

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Nov 22, 2017

Purushu Arie is using his established social media platform to promote gender-neutral fashion in India, a trend he feels is just the beginning of a greater movement.

“My clothing label might be the first exclusive high-fashion gender-neutral platform in India but the idea of gender neutrality itself is nothing new,” said Arie who has been promoting the fashion since he started blogging in 2009. Arie launched his eponymous brand this year, selling unisex garments on the belief that garments do not need to be gendered. As the media turns the spotlight on the movement, endorsement from Bollywood stars such as Ranveer Singh has led to more and more Indians experimenting with gender and fashion, although they are still in a minority.

Arie is also pursuing sustainable fashion and is now working towards only producing capsule collections to reduce waste and using more and more recycled materials. “Marketing morals and ethics is the new commercial trend. The objective of that marketing has been to skyrocket sales and the truth is, we don’t need two dozen footwear trends for the same season. I understand that I’ve entered the waters where ethics are commercialised. But I see no point in doing ‘buy socially ethical fashion at 30 percent off and get second purchase free." Overconsumption is a serious issue on this planet where seven billion people are pumping toxic carbon emissions and competing for resources,” opined Arie.

For the future of the brand, Arie has stated that he will continue to fight the “gendered economy” and conduct marketing through social media, blogging simultaneously with designing. Arie represents much of what is changing in the Indian fashion industry. Social media influencers such as Arie are commanding more power, sustainable fashion is becoming more of a concern, and the relationship between gender and style is becoming freer.

Purushu Arie started fashion blogging in 2009 while studying fashion design in New Delhi. As a fashion blogger, Arie collaborated with over 60 brands and also worked as a menswear designer for Lee Cooper in Mumbai. In 2013, Arie moved Chennai where he is now based and runs his label and social media sites from there.