#MCM: Pranav Mishra Is Expressing Himself In More Ways Than One

#MCM: Pranav Mishra Is Expressing Himself In More Ways Than One

While we, the #HauteSquad, love all things girlie and are champions for strong, inspiring women, we also love our boys. And to show them some of this love, we introduce our new series #MCM — Man Crush of the Month. Every month, we’ll feature a man who’s doing something cool and making us proud — and looking good while doing it. Stay tuned for some serious *heart-eyed emojis*.

Edgy, whacky, and brimming with creativity, Huemn’s Pranav Mishra is undoubtedly kicking ass in the fashion world. But that’s not where it ends with this intense lad. With his brooding looks and pensive thoughts (you will see what we mean), he’s more than JUST your average designer.

Believing that human beings are capable of achieving pretty much anything and everything, he says that all that holds us back are the limitations we set in our mind. And he’s definitely one who practices what he preaches.

Not restricting his ingenuity to clothes, Pranav projects himself through his literature as well. And let’s add the fact that he’s a singer too. Now you see why he’s our man crush this month?

Read on as Pranav tells Hauterfly about his ideal woman and gives us 9 more reasons to love him way more than we already do!

 

MCM Pranav ishra Huemn_Hauterfly

 

How did it all begin? When did you decide that this is what you want to do for the rest of your life?

Honestly, I haven’t decided that this is the only thing I am going to do for the rest of my life. Shyma and I were friends in college and then we got separate jobs in Delhi. Eventually, we had this idea of working together on something when we were in college – but it all shaped up within a year of working in Delhi.

It was a risky move back then, because when it came to resources, we weren’t heavily funded. But you know, at the end of the day, you need to take a chance. I think, we did just that — it was impulsive and just evolved from that time.

So far, I’ve only explored this side of myself, but I know somewhere, I can do much more with my life. I want to experience that and learn a lot more.

I also write in my free time and, apart from that, I feel like, in terms of permanence, life is too long! I really can’t be doing this my entire life, but for now, this is the backbone of our bread and butter, and we love whatever we are doing. But, I don’t know, 10 years from now, somebody else might take over and I might be doing something else.

What has your journey been like so far?

After completing my studies, I worked under Abhishek Gupta and Nandita Basu — they had a brand called Fightercock at the time, and I was assisting them. Eventually, I knew I wanted to start something on my own, and I knew it had to be something with Shyma, because our design sensibilities match.

It’s been an organic process — from where we started to where we are now — but it was not planned in such a way. It was like we learnt something and then wanted to apply that learning.

I am still learning, because it’s just been 5 years. When I see the work we’re doing at Huemn, I realise we’re still figuring what the label is all about.

 

Man crush of the month_Pranav Mishra_Huemn_Hauterfly

 

Tell us about your equation with Shyma, your partner at Huemn.

She is the best partner I could ask for — she’s my best friend, she’s a part of my family. I keep saying that it’s hard to find that, especially in a business partner, and I can absolutely trust her with the opinions that she holds for the company or on any social subjects, for that matter.

Even if I am not present, I am 100% aware that our opinions will be similar. Our thought processes are similar, so I am so confident in whatever she does and what we do together.

What is your description of the Huemn woman?

The Huemn woman is one who’s aware of what’s happening around. A woman who’s socially active but, at the same time, she is responsible for her actions. Not just the Huemn woman, Huemn man, Huemn as a brand — I’d like to picture them as people who have an opinion on various subjects or on issues that matter — however, they are voice their opinions responsibly.

On that note, who is YOUR ideal woman?

My ideal woman is somebody who has a really great sense of humour. And just like the Huemn woman, is aware of what’s happening around. That’s where the dialogue is, isn’t it? That’s where the friction is, and you can only learn when there’s friction.

Only through debates can you learn. And yeah, along with this, she HAS to be funny.

What is the best compliment you’ve ever received?

Recently, people have started approaching me for the literary work I do, more than what I do in fashion — and I love that. This is because fashion is published and always talked about, my face associated with it. However, literature is something that I do as an underground project and is my private side.

So when someone notices that, not those from your own circle, and gives you love and appreciation, it just makes my day.

The ultimate dream?

I think, when I was a child I had an ultimate dream — I wanted to act in theatre, and this lasted even through college. But only when I started making clothes did I realise that all I wanted to do was express myself. And that’s why I started to enjoy the process at Huemn, because every collection has a piece of me.

But again, while working with a pop culture brand in fashion, you have to be aware of what the market needs — there’s a certain discipline or boundary. That’s why I enjoy writing, because there’s absolutely no boundary. I don’t have to sell it, nobody has to buy it…it’s just the way I am.

So, the dream is to be able to express myself, even better than the way I am doing now.

Where do you find inspiration?

I guess my inspiration comes from isolation. I cannot be around people on a bad day.  The real creativity and the true escape is when I give enough time to myself.

Most often, people do not understand this and think that I’m bipolar – especially those who are close to me. Sometimes when I’m working on something, I come across as rude, because I push people away. At other times, when there’s nothing on my mind, I can be childlike and lose complete control. It’s kind of fucked up!

Any advice for budding designers?

In terms of designers, the challenges that we face initially can really break people down — they get scared by the future. I believe that in your personal life, you should always focus on what’s happening today, and in your professional life, you should focus on tomorrow’s plan.

As I say, no matter what product you’re selling, you just need to figure out a way to connect with your customer and how to market your product.

Tatiana Dias

Tiny but fierce, our Fashion & Beauty Writer grooves to her own soundtrack. An animal lover at heart, she plays proxy mommy to pretty much all the strays she meets.

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