Just weeks before the start of Milan Fashion week, an Indian streetwear label made its debut in the the Fashion Capital of Italy. In one of the coolest launches recently, House of Sause, a Chennai-based streetwear brand showcased its first collection, titled Prints of Epiphany at the historic Piazza del Duomo.
On 31st August, the label's founder, Akhilesh Ashok introduced his collection, consisting of crop tops, oversized hoodies, crew neck T-shirts and more to the world and in the process, took the Indian streetwear game to the next level - international.
While speaking to The Hindu, Ashok remarked how good it felt to be able to tell people about not only his brand but also his city. By making the decision to introduce his collection in Europe, he is in a way introducing or rather, re-introducing India to the world in the context of fashion and streetwear.
About the Brand
House of Sause has its origins in Salem, Tamil Nadu, which is the city where founder Akhilesh hails from. Belonging to a family of auditors, Akhilesh never thought of someday owning his own fashion label. But during the lockdown, he realised the potential of streetwear and began his journey as a fashion designer.
House of Sause, or HoS, has uniquely positioned itself as a premium label. The brand aims to create pieces that blend together influences of traditionalism, varsity and street style. The brand's values are also rooted in the belief of creating ethically and responsibly made homegrown garments.
Their label's USP lies in their ability to create clothes that are not only statement pieces appearance-wise but also in terms of comfort. The idea is to look stylish and feel good even if you are just lounging around.
Creating Hype
Ashok understands the importance of hype culture in influencing success of most streetwear brands. Thus, HoS left no stone unturned when it came to promoting its pieces and generating curiosity amongst consumers.
Sause ensured that its launch was not to be missed by creating a global 'launch tour' starting from 31st August to 6th September. This tour kicked off with the debut fashion show in Milan and was then followed by pop-ups in notable cities like Paris, Amsterdam and London.
Pre-launch promotion also included styling various celebrities in pieces from the collection before it was made available to the public. These included famous personalities like cricketer Washington Sundar, music producer Yanchan Rajmohan and rapper Irfana Hameed.
Lastly, in order to create exclusivity, the brand planned to launch the collection with only 2,000 pieces, to be sold online on their website, with little to no chance of a restock.
All these activities, clubbed with a strong social media presence (especially on Instagram) helped the brand to pique the interest of all streetwear and fashion enthusiasts. Their collection was finally made available to shop for IndiaN consumers on 20th September and majority pieces have already sold out within 2-3 weeks.
About Prints of Epiphany
Prints of Epiphany is the brand's first collection to be launched. The line features a line of unisex clothing, featuring bold prints and designs, created with the intention of being 'conversation pieces'.
To finalise the seven pieces which will make up the capsule collection, it took founder Akhilesh almost 10 months of conceptualising and around 45 design drafts. This care and attention to detail is visible in all the pieces, which aim to reflect the brand’s own philosophy and energy.
The collection is being launched in two parts, the first half of which is now live to shop on the HoS website. The initial drop consists of 3 pieces - an oversized drop shoulder T-shirt called 'Vortex of Epiphany', a cropped sweatshirt named 'Black Vortex of Epiphany' and a classic oversized hoodie titled 'Signs of Epiphany'.
Some pieces have already been sold out and restocked once so if you're looking to cop one of these latest designs - the time is NOW!
House of sauce has proven that it is truly an exciting time for Indian streetwear and the future looks promising. Until then, we'll be patiently waiting for the second part of the collection to drop :)
DeConstructed Asks : Which HoS piece is your favourite?
Vortex of Epiphany
Black Vortex of Epiphany
Signs of Epiphany
ALL OF THEM!
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