Romantics by Raw Mango explores love, lust and long dresses

Lovers, long lunches, balmy afternoons and endless wine. A five-part video campaign, titled Romantics, by Raw Mango explores a triumvirate of two women and a man discovering their sexuality, affection and identity. Romantics is a culmination of all that the 18th century aspired to be— a time of excess, of a nothing-to-do and nowhere-to-be attitude, but never without being dressed to the nines in feathers, pearls and fineries. As with all things Raw Mango by Sanjay Garg, an Indian lens is added to the time of beauty and idleness. Gowns and dresses from the designer, named after royal names with a Parsi tongue, Scheherazade, Kainaz and Zenobia pepper a collection of put-together pearls, ruffles and quilting, juxtaposed with Raw Mango brocade. 

What unfolds is an unravelling of this put togetherness, as three lovers innocuously fall in love, test boundaries, and leave the rest to our imagination. Shot by Ashish Shah, and art directed by Sanjay Garg, the short videos are a playful and artful representation of a time gone by. We sat down with the designer and photographer to talk through Romantics, and how video, as a medium, lends itself to beautiful storytelling and styling. 

Who are the romantics?

Sanjay Garg: Every collection is an opportunity for me to express myself across multiple mediums. The textiles, silhouettes, campaigns are connected, but yet each also requires its own approach. Romantics draws from 18th century European textile history; often lavish and novel in technique, it was the epicentre of luxury textile producing the finest brocades. Raw Mango Festive 2021 - Romantics relays pastels of the Rococo period through woven ornamentation like birds, flora and ribbons. The campaign explores an undefined love and romance through three individuals, all of whom are enjoying themselves. And really, isn't that something we can all relate to wanting?

How did you want to portray the protagonists and their clothes in the video?

Ashish Shah: I met Sanjay Garg in 2016 – from our earliest collaboration together, we started seeking for a new aesthetic vocabulary for fashion imagery in India. For India, a country of rich storytelling and oral history - new conversations and dialogue in culture, society and politics had to be told. This campaign is a part of a constant search to understand India in different contexts. From my understanding of working with Sanjay Garg and Raw Mango over the years, I feel it has never been about following trends and this campaign is certainly not a trend based story.

 Tell us about the mood and the vibe of the video campaign?

SG: Romance, infatuation, temptation and being in love are all different, but have many grey zones - all unplanned and wonderful. The three protagonists in the campaign share an undefined love, who live a life of their own, in their own universe… and for the moment all they have is each other and the romance that they share.

AS: At times I wanted to document the videos as someone who is present in the same proximity as the protagonists… may be as a flower vase lying in the corner of the house not intruding into their space and just documenting things as it is - with more acceptance and witness of things as they are. Some parts of the films have been shot with a very inquisitive approach, at times through one of the protagonists eyes and vice versa. I was interested in what they were doing, I wanted to know who touched whom.

 What are some of the aspects of Romanticism that you have brought to the collection with a Raw Mango signature?

 The avatars of romance are many, and the pastels of the Rococo period feel very much in line with relaying this feeling. We have also created exquisite detailing though ribbons and pearls and really enjoyed ourselves with the research and explorations. Our Silhouettes are softer yet still restrained and share the spirit of the 18th century, an era embracing comfort, ease and privacy. We have explored quilting, ruffles, pearl beading, and beribboned garments with contrast black or gold piping that gives a corset-like form. 

 On collaborating with each other… 

SG: Ashish has been one of our oldest collaborators, we’ve worked together on many Raw Mango campaigns. For us, he feels like part of our extended team, we understand each other's process and we’re both willing to break a mould and evolve together. We have also worked together on the next collection that is being released in November 2021. 

AS: The people that I work with and their stories are an integral part and often a source of inspiration. Collaboration at every step is an important aspect of it. The idea of beauty is constantly changing and evolving. My work is an extension of who I am and the life that I live. They’re very personal. There is much more to every subject that I photograph, a certain relatability that I am always looking for. These people, their lives and their journeys inspire me.

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