All posts filed under: ART

Explore artists and their art

Meet Ankita from Unees Bees | Textile Artist from Gujarat

Published by Roots & Leisure

We are super delighted to feature Ankita from Unees Bees – as our first artist from Gujarat. Unees Bees is an independent clothing label from Vadodara. They make beautiful handcrafted sarees, stoles and clothing using traditional methods like block printing and tie and dye, and combining them with contemporary prints. Here we chat up with the lovely lady to know more about Unees Bees. Hi Ankita! Super delighted to have you here as the first Gujarati artist on R&L. So tell us something about yourself. What was the inspiration behind the launch of the brand ‘Unees Bees’? I was brought up in Vadodara (in Gujarat) and had always been more creatively inclined than Academic. Plus, growing up, my mother would always take me along to fabric shops around the city as she had an appreciation for textiles and garments – and that I picked up my my interest in garment making . When the time came to choose a career, clothing design was a clear choice. So I did my Bachelors in Fashion Design from M.S. University Vadodara, which …

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Meet Keren Longkumer from LOQ | The Sole Whisperer from Nagaland

Published by Roots & Leisure

How many of us are familiar with the concept of the American Dream? This grand aspiration has inspired countless individuals worldwide, encouraging them to pursue their dreams and achieve great success in America. We had the opportunity to meet Keren Longkumer, a courageous young talent hailing from Northeast India, who embodies this spirit. Keren was born in Medziphima, spent some years in Kohima, and completed her education in Sanawar, Himachal Pradesh. Following her academic journey, she embarked on a path to Los Angeles to study shoe design—a decision that would prove to be fateful. In this vibrant city, she crossed paths with another budding artist, Valerie Quant, who shared Keren’s passion for unconventional forms, proportions, materials, and meticulous attention to detail. Today, both Keren and Valerie proudly stand as co-founders of LOQ, an internationally recognized footwear brand with operations spanning four cities and a thriving online presence. With a bold vision to redefine classic designs for modern women, LOQ aims to unveil a new perspective on women’s shoes. Here’s an exclusive interview with Keren Longkumer …

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Meet Asibu – Maker of Glamorous Jewellery

Published by Roots & Leisure

Lately, we have been witnessing some pretty awesome jewellery designers coming up from every corner – especially from the vibrant state of Nagaland. And we’re very proud to showcase each and every one of them. One of the most recent one to join the growing band of upcoming jewellery entrepreneurs is Asibu Yhoshu Peseyie, an NIFT graduate. We came across her jewellery brand  ‘Asibu‘ and they are absolutely gorgeous! No wonder everyone’s talking about them. If you haven’t yet come across them , fret not. What else are we here for? : )   Asibu has worked as an Assistant Designer for Amritraj Bora Couture, fashion brand that has styled for the likes of Malaika Arora Khan and Madhu Sapre. She has also worked alongside the renowned fashion stylist Mahima Shukla as an Assistant Stylist. Her career has now taken the natural turn by launching her own jewellery brand, Asibu. And, we can’t have enough of it! Tell us a little more about ‘Asibu’ and the design mantra behind it? Asibu is a handcrafted home-based jewellery brand that …

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Na Lemtur – Nagaland’s Hottest Fashion Photographer Right Now

Published by Roots & Leisure

We chatted up Temsuna Lemtur (aka Na Lemtur) who is currently creating rifts in Dimapur, Nagaland with her fashion photography. Lemtur decided to gain a better insight into photography after leaving Delhi, where she worked as a freelancer for a while. Almost at the same time her younger brother Moanungsang Lemtur aka Shinobi (who we covered a short while ago) was finding a footing in the creative design arena. #ArtistSiblings for the win! Na Lemtur’s creative journey since then has taken her places and to newer heights. Here’s presenting the pretty and very talented, Na Lemtur. Why did you choose photography as a career option? Photography just happened to me and I went with the flow. There definitely wasn’t a “eureka” moment as such but my interest in photography developed alongside my growing interest in fashion. I began it as a hobby with a Yashica compact digital camera and I remember being fascinated by a photograph’s capacity to suggest my subjects’ personality and bring out the life within them for everyone to view. That’s how I …

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Turning Pebbles to Art by Iboli Zhimo

Published by Shweta Rao

Do you ever wonder about all the tales one would unravel if all the stones around us could start talking? Mother Nature has countless mysteries laid out around us. They’ve laid silently for a thousand years and more, and eventually us humans have forgotten to take notice of her. Except for a few artists among us – who take the time to pause, listen and create. Meet Iboli Zhimo who’s making random stones tell beautiful stories. Iboli is based out of the small town of Satakha under the Zunheboto district in Nagaland.  She works as a pebble artist for Regalia Entertainment in the state and is also pursuing a Masters degree in History. Zhimo fell in love with this unique art form because of its challenging nature. With sheer dedication and passion, Zhimo sets out to find the fitting pieces for her creations. And find she does. Take a look yourself. Also, you can buy her unique pebble arts on the R&L SHOP Elvis Etched In Stone Tree of Life Happy Stones – Music, Dance and Fun! Iboli Zhimo with …

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Harajuku Inspired Fashion Designer | Chingngam

Published by Imliren Jamir

  Meet Chingngam Awungshi Shimray, a Mumbai based fashion designer who recently started her own label inspired by the fashion scene in Harajuku street – centre of Japanese youth culture and fashion – which started as a result of the young people’s curiosity towards western culture. Harajuku fashion can be described as an outer expression of something inside that is just waiting to get out and this is how people in Japan use fashion – as a means to express themselves. Chingngam Awungshi Shimray is one such designer who brings out her inner expressions and creativity through her clothes and describes her clothing label as ‘fun fashion‘. I had a brief chat with the upcoming designer over WhatsApp , and here’s an excerpt : Tell us something about yourself “I am from Manipur. After graduating from St. Mary’s college in Shillong Meghalaya, I followed my heart to become a fashion designer and moved to Mumbai. As a fashion designer, I believe that inspiration does not have a measure. It hits me at random moments . But, I do have …

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Mass Gardening | How A Bunch of Fun People Created the Beautiful Box Garden at Kohima

Published by Roots & Leisure

Green spaces constitute a major environmental resource of our urban landscape. Scientists and environmentalists have been constantly voicing their concerns on how urban green spaces are depleting at an alarming rate.  With green spaces now occupying smaller proportions of the landmass of our cities, it is now every citizen’s responsibility to take green spaces seriously. On that note, did you know that a group of young people did this really cool thing to make Kohima town more beautiful? We are talking about the members of the Facebook group called Naga Flower Lovers Page (NFLP) who recently got together to participate in a self-formulated project called ‘The Box Garden project’. It all started when a few organizers from the group decided to assist the Kohima Chamber of Commerce & Industry’s (KCCI) beautification programme on the 9th of July this year. As part of the programme, NFLP members congregated at the Box Cutting bye pass road at Kohima to do their bit of creating more green spaces in the city. ‪ ‪Here are a few pics of the …

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We Found the Instagram Page You Fashonistas were Looking For!

Published by Roots & Leisure

Don’t we all love fashion icons? And we can’t help keep looking for that little bit of fashion inspiration on the internet every now and then. Naturally, when we stumbled upon a treasure of an Instagram account (@nagasstreetstyle) we figured we must share it with you! Why? Because this page’s feed takes that natural curiosity a step further by capturing the divas that walk our very own streets and features them on its feed. @nagasstreetstyle is a favorite among its young fan following for its creators’ love for fashion and an extremely good sense of style. Meet the sisters – Kuku Lungalang and Lungzeu Lungalang Longchar – from Nagaland who are the masterminds behind our current favorite Instagram page. “We’ve always wanted to start a blog, but it never quite kicked off so we decided to start an Instagram account instead. We started posting pics of people whose style we dug when we met them on the streets. We were pleasantly surprised when our page started growing rapidly at the rate of more than a hundred …

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Nagaland Street Art | Art Meets Fashion

Published by Shweta Rao

We met up with the funky team at Nagaland Street Art, a brand where art meets fashion with a focus on promoting the rich diversity of various Naga cultures through design. At the beginning of this year (2016), three designers Cynthia Kolakhe, Imjung Longshiri and Muzung Yimchunger decided to come together to bring a bold idea to fruition. The plan was to create products that justified their brand’s tagline ‘Dare to be different’ – a style that blended the diagrammatic figuration from folk to urban design. And that’s how Nagaland Street Art was born. The brand believes in creating unique products that are truly designer made. Which means all designs are exclusive, hand painted, and made in Nagaland. But most importantly, all of them are unique and will never be recreated to be sold to someone else.What’s more commendable is that the Nagaland Street Art has already reached some notable client base. “We have designed tee shirts for world boxing champion M.C.Mary Kom, the Tetseo Sisters, Alobo & The Band, Yakuza Solo for his world tour, and Opang Jamir …

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Meet Hopong – The Photographer Behind the Exclusive Cosfest Photos

Published by Roots & Leisure

Meet Hopong Chang – the guy whose coverage of the wonderful Cosfest that was held last week in Nagaland has brought the event tons of publicity. We caught up with Chang to find out more about his work. “I am actually not a full time photographer. I work for the forest department here in Nagaland but I try to find time for my hobby. Ever since I was a kid, I walked around with a camera and shooting subjects that were intriguing to me. But I started taking it more seriously only in 2013 – that was when I bought my first DSLR camera. People inspire me. So shooting portraits, weddings and a little bit of fashion photography comes natural to me.” Nagaland Anime Junkies (NAJ)4th Annual Cosfest July 2016, Kohima | Cosplay-Ciel &Sebastian Michaelis (Black Butler) Cosplayers-Meyidem Yaden& Tiajungla Here are a few more pics from Hopong’s fashion and wedding photography portfolio: