Ujjawal Dubey Will Be Right Back, Even Though He Never Left

There is always a pause before departure. A lull after the goodbyes have been said. A moment before the car turns right on the pathway, drives out of sight and you turn your feet towards home. There is that unpleasant ache where your heart is.

Antar-Agni’s latest collection, BRB - Be Right Back - exists within these moments. It is this feeling that the brand captured during the FDCI India Men’s Fashion Weekend. Imagine ‘Breathe Again’ by Sara Bareilles but dial down the heartbreak by 60 per cent.

For Ujjawal Dubey, the brand’s bearded and ever-curious founder and creative head, Antar-Agni has always been about intentionally unstructured moments and with his latest capsule, he deepens that legacy.

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He’s worked with a warm, nostalgic palette for this collection - rose taupe, roast, caramel - colours that exist right before night turns to day. That moment between silence and speech, uncertainty, and decision.

Ahead of the show, we spoke to Dubey about playing with contrasts, embracing duality and being ‘minimally maximal’.

Esquire India: The words “effortless” and “unstructured” run through your collection note. But achieving that kind of ease in design often takes precision. What’s the hardest part of making something look effortless?

Ujjawal Dubey: True effortlessness isn't about doing less but refining until nothing feels forced. The idea is to find the right balance and allow the garments to breathe, so it looks like you are carrying the clothes and not the other way round.

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ESQ: The collection plays with contrasts - organic vs. raw, delicate vs. powerful. Do you think men today are more open to embracing duality in the way they dress?

UD: Fashion is about self-expression rather than rigid rules. As a brand, Antar-Agni has always brought the paradoxes together, we are Minimally Maximal. Men have evolved and are embracing soft tailoring and blending classic and experimental styles. It’s no longer about fitting into a mould; instead, it emphasizes fluidity, where strength and softness, precision and ease coexist. Dressing is now about embracing the space in between rather than choosing sides.

ESQ: There’s a quiet confidence in your pieces - relaxed but never careless. Who do you imagine wearing BRB?

UD: BRB is for someone who moves through life with a natural rhythm, someone who doesn't need to shout to be heard, effortlessly blending structure and spontaneity. They embrace comfort in their style, like casually layering textures in a way that feels instinctive rather than calculated. It’s for those who value ease and are always in motion yet feel completely at home in their own skin.