NEORA BY NEHAL CHOPRA

Like everyone else, I’ve had my fair share of ups and downs, but somehow last year was really difficult. In the race to succeed and be better than everyone else I had pushed myself too hard. I left little room for rejuvenation and I burned out. It affected both my personal life and work life. I completely forgot the concept of something called 'work life balance'. I was going through all this when I had to design my new collection, and I just couldn’t start.

It wasn’t easy but I decided to nurture my emotional health. I took small steps and started with activities that comforted me, like gardening, home decor and short walks. It energised me but it wasn’t enough. When I picked up my pencil to design, all I could do was scribble. My mental health finally got better after I strictly divided my work and personal life and made room for myself to make mistakes, and get back up. I realised that stress doesn’t disappear overnight, nor will it ever completely go away, you only accept it and learn to live with small doses of it.

I incorporated my recent journey in Neora's latest collection. My scribbles evolved into rouching that represents the ongoing stress and anxieties we all face. But, the rouching is confined within colorful borders, reminding us to set boundaries - to be in control of our mental wellbeing. It's a subtle reminder that taking care of our mental health is crucial and should be a part of our everyday routine no matter how many lemons life throws at you.

Through this collection, I want to encourage everyone, including men to invest in self-care, and take a moment to ‘Unwind’.

- Nehal Chopra