A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION: NAV NANGLA X CONVERSE
‘The Converse Silhouette is iconic and is something affordable for the youth’
It’s not often you get recognised by a global brand like Converse, but it was only a matter of time before artistic genius and designer Nav Nangla was on their radar: “Growing up I couldn’t afford certain big brands, so I decided to create affordable and sustainable clothing with meaning.” It's a testament to not only Nav's hard work and consistency, but the values in which the brand shares with Nav, clearly paying off as he has managed to get noticed by Converse. In a self-proclaimed 'Lightbulb Moment' he gained inspiration from the 2001 Sci-fi film Donnie Darko. 'Destruction is a form of creation' became his ethos, working that way of thinking into his work.
Let’s backtrack a few months to November 2020, where Nav and his Brother (Bobby) collaborated to create a one-off Chuck Taylor design. After the Nangla brothers' decided to work together, they grabbed the attention of Converse, allowing them the opportunity to collaborate once more on this unique Chuck Taylor Shoe. The 25-year-old began his creative process from there, fusing aspects from his Hindu religion, including symbols, interpretations of Shiva (a Hindu God) and henna. Embedding henna into his designs, to reinforce the importance of culture and religion, is a feature often seen in his work.
When I spoke to Nav, I could feel his genuine enthusiasm and vibrance for creativity through the phone, as we delved into why he became a designer in the first place. Passionately quoting some of his favourite artists - Pablo Picasso and Francis Bacon to name a few - Nav cites another quote that sticks strongly with him is “Business is a form of art”, proclaimed by the immortalised Andy Warhol.
With influences like Pablo Picasso, Andy Warhol and Raf Simons there is no doubt Nav uses elements from each of these artists to create his work, he deemed them the “Blueprint” for his pieces. Nav added he is often influenced by music and the artists that make it, including Skepta, Slow Thai, Wiley, Izzy Gibbs, and alternative punk music. Nav is also inspired by friend and artist Big Narstie, who he met through a mutual friend. Narstie has done nothing but support and endorse Nav ever since.
“Live it, breath it, eat it and regurgitate it” was the advice Nav gave to any up and coming creatives when we wrapped up our conversation. Something you’d perhaps expect to come from Francis Bacon, it’s very evident that Nav’s style isn’t clean cut, it seems there aren’t many rules he intends to follow as the trailblazer he is.
“Currently I am working on something very authentic, which will be released later this year. It will be something revolutionary that you won’t be able to ignore! This project is also very personal and will pave the way for my identity and signature”
We’re super excited to see what Nav has in the pipeline, and we’re definitely aware we’re not the only ones.