MANI JASSAL
|

Redefining
Traditional
South Asian
Fashion

All Images Courtesy of Mani Jassal

Image from the collection UNLEASHED Campaign. Photography by Kyle Kirkwood

From sustainability to inclusivity, accessibility to luxury, evening to bridal, traditional to modern — it’s all happening in Mani Jassal Brand.
A luxury and bridal wear label based in Toronto, Canada, launched in 2014 by Mani Jassal, born in India and moved to Toronto at the age of five, is breaking from traditional South Asian fashion norms by doing things her way while still honouring traditions. Inspired by and proud of her heritage, Jassal effortlessly blends the age-old traditions with forward-thinking aesthetics to give women more ways to express their style.

“When I first started, there wasn’t anyone doing what I was doing, which was seamlessly blending traditional and modern South Asian wear. Many South Asian women with a similar story to mine don’t necessarily resonate with the traditional clothing but don’t want to stray away into something completely modern either. It is important to recognize our roots and where we come from but also stay true to our upbringing,” says Jassal on the importance of how younger generations are modernizing traditional South Asian dresses.

Images from the collection UNLEASHED Campaign. Photography by Kyle Kirkwood

The Mani Jassal aesthetic, characteristic of bold colours, unorthodox cuts, sex appeal, and romantic femininity, reflects her classical training to craft impeccably detailed looks wrapped in decadent fabrics, innovative materials, and meticulous embroidery.
The women-led design house is committed to inclusivity. It operates as one that belongs neither in one market or the other but rather in a self-developed niche for women who wish to dress in comfort and modernity. The Mani Jassal Brand aims to develop a community of women celebrating the multiple layers of their identity and upbringing. Mani continues to reinvent the female silhouette in luxury. Her endurance and freedom to work outside Fashion’s traditional boundaries prove an art form to bring fabric to life.

Mani Jassal. Photography by Narbir Gosal 

All Images from the collection UNLEASHED Fashion Show. Photography by Baljit Singh

To ensure her pieces are modern while still celebrating culture and its historical roots, she likes to juxtapose styles and fabrics and often experiments with the idea of using a very traditional material but in an entirely modern silhouette. What gained the most recognition for her was using modern contemporary fabrics in traditional Lengha silhouettes. Respect for age-old traditions is not the only value Mani Jassal honours; she is conscious of the current responsibility of the climate crisis and the influence of Fashion. The brand has adopted a made-to-order approach to play its part in a more sustainable future. They only create samples when they launch a collection and send it to production only on receiving an order confirmation from the client to reduce waste and to avoid having to predict inventory numbers in advance.

All Images from the collection UNLEASHED Campaign. Photography by Kyle Kirkwood

“It is important to recognize
our roots
and where we come from
but also stay true to our
upbringing,”
Mani Jassal

“I like
to
challenge myself
creatively
to
epicycle the pieces,”
Mani Jassal

All Images from the collection UNLEASHED Campaign. Photography by Kyle Kirkwood

The quality versatile pieces that the clients can wear for seasons to come are locally produced in Canada. Their commitment to slow Fashion is not only by producing made-to-order seasonless items. It is also in fabric sourcing–incorporating eco-conscious fabrics into their collections; by recycling archived textiles from the previous collections and creating new designs with leftover fabric, the consumer can see their effort to achieve zero wastage. “I like to challenge myself creatively to epicycle these pieces,” says Jassal.
Now 12 collections later, she continues to push convention at every turn. That unapologetic confidence coupled with a natural sense of beauty and minimalism manifests in Mani’s designs. The collections which are often launched at Toronto Fashion Week have generated global attention. Her celebrated pieces make regular appearances on red carpets and in music videos, movies and TV shows.∎

Photography by Kyle Kirkwood

Photography by Kyle Kirkwood

Photography by Narbir Gosal 

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