Scrolling through Button Masala’s Instagram page is like falling down an eccentric fashion hole. The designs leap out at you, each delivering a dose of subtle beauty with an individuality you begin to recognise as the label's trademark.
Take, for instance, a white khadi dress that comes with the disclaimer that it's “not meant for noisy places”. Or a striking neon yellow fabric fashioned from electrical wire waste. Or men’s fitted armour that invites you to share your views on the “lack of experimentation” in menswear in Indian fashion.
If you're looking for a predictable platform filled with excessively sumptuous images and audaciously maintained grids, you'll be disappointed. This is all about Indian designer Anuj Sharma’s wardrobe of wonders full of quirks, personality and eye-catching aesthetics.
And it is this finely honed fashion sense that sets Button Masala apart, as a label that uses no needles, no thread, no stitching, sewing or cutting – just buttons, rubber bands and fabric.
It’s what one of the brand’s 27,000 followers calls “pure fashion magic”.
Sharma, whose first collection in 2007 was made up of repurposed second-hand shirts, found that the idea of stitched garments held little appeal for him. He started showcasing his subsequent collections – all made without a single stitch – at Lakme Fashion Week.
On the button
Button Masala was originally the name of one of Sharma's final collections. “I put a button on a piece of fabric, made straps and just hung it on a dress form, and that’s how the collection came by,” he explains.
As for how the humble button became such an important part of his oeuvre, he reveals: “I was trying to save time by putting two buttons inside the fabric and tying them together with a rubber band, and then realised I could remove the buttonhole altogether.”
A Button Masala outfit uses anywhere between three and 3,000 buttons, and can take anywhere from 10 minutes to a couple of days to make.
Apart from clothes, Sharma says the architectural possibilities of his method are staggering – he’s made shoes, bags, carpets, lampshades, headgear, jewellery, wearable tents, wigs and rakhis.
Measuring the drapes
Buttons and bands aside, Sharma’s preferred silhouette is flowy, easy-to-wear garments, rather than body-hugging patterns that restrict movement.
While his avant-garde system is a way to challenge the norms of cutting and stitching, he also believes our behaviour process itself comes from clothing. And drapes, he finds, work beautifully for the body.
“Clothing is one of the closest layers we have. Nothing else literally touches us so much. I am challenging the idea of not just stitched clothes, but also very fitted clothes,” he says.
The other problem with stitching, he finds, is the amount of waste it creates, unlike draped clothes that tend to use the whole fabric. Button Masala’s outfits can be easily resized, recycled or upcycled, making waste a non-issue.
When Sharma started out, sustainability was not his core focus. Instead, he says, he was just trying to make his life easier. "I believe that design should serve ourselves first, and then it can serve the world.” But along the way, challenging the norms of fast fashion was something his brand became focused on.
To help people buy less, he believes he needs to show a better way, which brings him to his other true love: teaching.
A stitch in time
Unlike many designers who carefully guard their trade secrets, Sharma loves nothing better than seeing others master his technique. And if the number of students and craftspeople creating outfits using his method – often just hours after learning it – is anything to go by, they seem to be just as enamoured by the process.
“We tend to think we will look beautiful by buying one garment after another. But it can never be as satisfying as making your own clothes. So my idea is to teach people that they can design their clothes, be happier about it and buy less,” says Sharma, who has travelled to more than 25 countries and trained about 50,000 people.
Despite his success and a comparison to the late pioneering Japanese designer Issey Miyake, Sharma hasn't found mainstream success yet. However, he says he prefers to let his designs do the talking.
“Button Masala is quietly growing and it’s only going to evolve further from here, like an underground movement. I'm just waiting and playing along.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Going grey? A stylist's advice
If you’re going to go grey, a great style, well-cared for hair (in a sleek, classy style, like a bob), and a young spirit and attitude go a long way, says Maria Dowling, founder of the Maria Dowling Salon in Dubai.
It’s easier to go grey from a lighter colour, so you may want to do that first. And this is the time to try a shorter style, she advises. Then a stylist can introduce highlights, start lightening up the roots, and let it fade out. Once it’s entirely grey, a purple shampoo will prevent yellowing.
“Get professional help – there’s no other way to go around it,” she says. “And don’t just let it grow out because that looks really bad. Put effort into it: properly condition, straighten, get regular trims, make sure it’s glossy.”
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SPECS
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Dark Souls: Remastered
Developer: From Software (remaster by QLOC)
Publisher: Namco Bandai
Price: Dh199
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
LA LIGA FIXTURES
Thursday (All UAE kick-off times)
Sevilla v Real Betis (midnight)
Friday
Granada v Real Betis (9.30pm)
Valencia v Levante (midnight)
Saturday
Espanyol v Alaves (4pm)
Celta Vigo v Villarreal (7pm)
Leganes v Real Valladolid (9.30pm)
Mallorca v Barcelona (midnight)
Sunday
Atletic Bilbao v Atletico Madrid (4pm)
Real Madrid v Eibar (9.30pm)
Real Sociedad v Osasuna (midnight)
Expo details
Expo 2020 Dubai will be the first World Expo to be held in the Middle East, Africa and South Asia
The world fair will run for six months from October 20, 2020 to April 10, 2021.
It is expected to attract 25 million visits
Some 70 per cent visitors are projected to come from outside the UAE, the largest proportion of international visitors in the 167-year history of World Expos.
More than 30,000 volunteers are required for Expo 2020
The site covers a total of 4.38 sqkm, including a 2 sqkm gated area
It is located adjacent to Al Maktoum International Airport in Dubai South
T20 WORLD CUP QUALIFIER
Results
UAE beat Nigeria by five wickets
Hong Kong beat Canada by 32 runs
Friday fixtures
10am, Tolerance Oval, Abu Dhabi – Ireland v Jersey
7.30pm, Zayed Cricket Stadium, Abu Dhabi – Canada v Oman
Specs
Engine: Duel electric motors
Power: 659hp
Torque: 1075Nm
On sale: Available for pre-order now
Price: On request
APPLE IPAD MINI (A17 PRO)
Display: 21cm Liquid Retina Display, 2266 x 1488, 326ppi, 500 nits
Chip: Apple A17 Pro, 6-core CPU, 5-core GPU, 16-core Neural Engine
Storage: 128/256/512GB
Main camera: 12MP wide, f/1.8, digital zoom up to 5x, Smart HDR 4
Front camera: 12MP ultra-wide, f/2.4, Smart HDR 4, full-HD @ 25/30/60fps
Biometrics: Touch ID, Face ID
Colours: Blue, purple, space grey, starlight
In the box: iPad mini, USB-C cable, 20W USB-C power adapter
Price: From Dh2,099
If you go
The Flights
Emirates and Etihad fly direct to Johannesburg from Dubai and Abu Dhabi respectively. Economy return tickets cost from Dh2,650, including taxes.
The trip
Worldwide Motorhoming Holidays (worldwidemotorhomingholidays.co.uk) operates fly-drive motorhome holidays in eight destinations, including South Africa. Its 14-day Kruger and the Battlefields itinerary starts from Dh17,500, including campgrounds, excursions, unit hire and flights. Bobo Campers has a range of RVs for hire, including the 4-berth Discoverer 4 from Dh600 per day.
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Company%20profile
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Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
How the bonus system works
The two riders are among several riders in the UAE to receive the top payment of £10,000 under the Thank You Fund of £16 million (Dh80m), which was announced in conjunction with Deliveroo's £8 billion (Dh40bn) stock market listing earlier this year.
The £10,000 (Dh50,000) payment is made to those riders who have completed the highest number of orders in each market.
There are also riders who will receive payments of £1,000 (Dh5,000) and £500 (Dh2,500).
All riders who have worked with Deliveroo for at least one year and completed 2,000 orders will receive £200 (Dh1,000), the company said when it announced the scheme.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
8 traditional Jamaican dishes to try at Kingston 21
- Trench Town Rock: Jamaican-style curry goat served in a pastry basket with a carrot and potato garnish
- Rock Steady Jerk Chicken: chicken marinated for 24 hours and slow-cooked on the grill
- Mento Oxtail: flavoured oxtail stewed for five hours with herbs
- Ackee and salt fish: the national dish of Jamaica makes for a hearty breakfast
- Jamaican porridge: another breakfast favourite, can be made with peanut, cornmeal, banana and plantain
- Jamaican beef patty: a pastry with ground beef filling
- Hellshire Pon di Beach: Fresh fish with pickles
- Out of Many: traditional sweet potato pudding
UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
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More on Quran memorisation:
The years Ramadan fell in May
ELIO
Starring: Yonas Kibreab, Zoe Saldana, Brad Garrett
Directors: Madeline Sharafian, Domee Shi, Adrian Molina
Rating: 4/5
