Man with fabric in his veins, fashion in his heart

Team L&M

Vikas Kherajani knew it from his childhood days that he has to make it big in the textile industry, which his family was part of for generations. Thus was born Khwaab, out of his passion to create a runway driven dream wardrobe for the modern woman who isn’t afraid of experimenting with trends and rediscovered herself every day in the name of style!

Khwaab took off in a little cabin in his dad’s office in Surat and within no time transformed into a vibrant company. Kherajani’s ultimate mission is to meet the fashionable dreams of millions of women not only in India but also in the US, UK and Canada.

“A Khwaab dress is not merely an outfit. It is a dream of the designer to realise the stylish fantasies of the woman who experiences fashion as the emotional route to reinvent herself every day,” shares Khwaab founder and CEO Kherajani.

With the upcoming collections being geared predominantly towards a resort wear line, Khwaab envisions a fashionable world that turns runway style goals into an everyday reality.

We indulged in a chat with Kherajani…

Take us through your life till now…
Born in a Sindhi family in Mumbai which had been in the textile business for generations, I did my schooling in Dubai whilst my family moved to Surat to take care of our business. Once I came to Mumbai, I realised my passion for fashion surpassed memorising chapters in college. And that is when my Khwaab stared right in my face. I knew what I had to do.

You come from a family of businessmen, so was following the same footsteps the only choice or did taking up another profession never strike your mind?
Once I had my ‘Project Runway’ inspiration, my parents were nothing but supportive. In fact, ever since I touched my first piece of fabric as a 10-year-old, I knew fashion is what I am supposed to do. The idea that a simple fabric could be responsible for multiple apparels captivated me. The memory is so ingrained in me that I still remember its colour-popular as buttermilk yellow nowadays. So, no, taking up another profession never did once cross my mind.

How much time did it take you to put your plans on paper to practical use?
Khwaab had been simmering at the back of my mind for a long time. I knew what I wanted it to entail and went forth with it in 2010. What started off as a dream in a small cabin at my father’s office has now turned into a full-fledged 50-employee company in Surat and a 10-member operations team in Mumbai.

Take us through your Khwaab…
Ever since childhood, my father would keep on discussing fabric processing. But when I (as a class 10 student) visited our fabric dying mill, I was mesmerised by the whole idea of creating fashion out of fabric. Although my initial journey was with men’s wear, my heart lay in fashioning women’s wear. The first apparel I designed was a salwar kameez. While it was not the beginning of Khwaab, the seeds for the same were certainly sowed.

Any plans to venture into the men’s range?
The future is unforeseen, let’s see.

Which is more difficult to create: clothes for men or women?
Every task comes with own share of challenges. But I can only comment on the task in hand-creating women’s fashion. For something like Khwaab, I always need to understand what might the woman want, does she fall into the category of fast-fashion, luxury fashion or something altogether avant-garde. Finding a mid-ground without compromising on requirements is certainly challenging.

Your take on the present fashion scene in India. Are we heading in the right direction?
Well, fashion for me has always been about choice and the freedom to be what one wants to be. It is all about showcasing different shades and experimenting with different styles. We are in the era of bikini saris while the conventional lehenga continues to be an integral part of any woman’s wardrobe. So, whether you pick Shivan and Narresh or Anita Dongre, it is all fashion, just with a different face to it. Hence, if you ask me about whether the present scene in the Indian fashion industry is heading in the right direction, all I can say is I am sure it is at least not moving in the wrong one.

Who has been the most inspirational person in your life and why?
This is going to sound clichéd but my mother. There is just something about the way she carries herself and expresses her uniqueness with any outfit she wears that inspires me to thread that sort of individual style in my creations.

Your favourite designer?
Diane von Furstenberg, for she loves designing for the woman who loves being a woman.

Plans for future…
Well, to realise the sartorial Khwaab of every woman, not only in India but also in Canada, the US and UK fulfilled. And of course, to see Khwaab in brick and mortar is ever present.