Hip like the hippies

Not everyone knows and understands the hipster culture that prevailed in the mid 1960s. The ‘hip and hep’ people that listened to psychedelic music had their own subculture and their sense of fashion was unmatched. These free-spirited people weren’t accepted openly by the society. But their unconventional fashion was, and even today is, welcomed by many who admire their sense of style.

And getting this unique hipster fashion into the City is ‘The Hippie Store’, a startup by Zeke Lawrence, Pooja Savara and Shayne Reynolds. Started in November 2014, this store takes one back to the era of 1960s. “It was a random discussion. We were talking about the 1960 Hippie era and we wanted to get it back. That is when we came up with the idea of ‘The Hippie Store’,” says Zeke.

Travelling in and around South India, they visited many factories that used the tie-and-dye technique. “We learnt the art of tie-and-dye through our visits to various factories. We observed the Indian tie-and-dye method populary known as ‘bandhani’, we learnt about the Japanese and UK and US tie-and-dye techniques too,” he says.

Their collections are brightly coloured and definitely take you back to the 60s. The bell-bottom pants, vests, tie-anddyed garments, long skirts and peasant blouses ruled the hipster fashion. Modifying this unusual fashion is ‘The Hippie Store’ which makes these garments more suitable and accessible to all fashionistas. The clothes are nothing like the ones you see on the runways but they are high on style and are unique in colours and cuts.

“We have merged the fashion of the 60s with the trends of today. We have given darker shades and also some bright fun shades for clothing that can make for a trippy look. Even for the guys, who usually wear black and grey, we have a lot of coloured clothing that were predominant in the 60s,” he informs. Giving the best of colours and designs, they source the fabrics for their products from within the City. With the innovations in designs and colours, they have a wide range of clothing that include hippie T-shirts, wrap arounds, skirts, crop-tops with laces and also shorts. One can even get hold of Hippie accessories including bandanas and earrings.

The things that one could get only in flea markets of Goa are now being displayed at the flea markets in the City. Putting up stalls in these markets, the store has been receiving great response for their Hippie collection. “People just love the vibrant colours on their clothes. There are many who are thankful for getting down the Hippie fashion into the City,” he says excitedly. The colourful unique clothes can make a bold statement this hot summer.