“We had a stolen summer this year,” says Babi Ahluwalia. “I think people will try to take back with a vengeance the summer they missed.” If and when they do, Sachin + Babi will be there to help. The brand’s pre-fall collection, arriving in stores in time for the sweltering summer months, is composed of effortless, away-from-the-body shapes made in natural fabrics like cotton and linen. The idea, they explain, was to use materials and techniques from areas around their production factories in India, resulting in flirty dip-dyed tops and dresses and elegant shibori pieces. Thinking smaller and more local allowed them to be more focused on their mission for the season.
That mission is to be more carefree than usual, less concerned with the rigor of eveningwear or even the strictness of fashion rules. The pair have been noticing not only the evaporation of the daywear-eveningwear divide, but that a younger customer is visiting their e-store for dresses and separates to wear to garden parties and holidays in the sun. (The Ahluwalias’ teenage daughters may be unofficial muses in this regard.) Whoever is buying the clothes—and for whatever event—the duo is adamant that “women want clothes that make them feel good in the moment.” On that front they have delivered lots to spark joy. Let’s hope we have a summer that allows it.