There’s a particular kind of peace that comes from seeing the little “no service” symbol appear on your phone screen. I recently escaped to a favourite place I discovered last year in Himachal and I came back feeling like I had finally found some semblance of peace after months. As someone belonging to a generation raised on dopamine loops and blue ticks, being able to go offline felt like the ultimate luxury - one that cannot be bought, only chosen. In talking to many others, I heard the same thought echoed back; in a world that demands constant visibility, the truest form of self-preservation is now being able to forgo constant availability. Perhaps that’s why Ikshit Pande’s newest line for his label Quod, titled Social, felt like a revelation. “Offline since forever,” it declared - a striking statement, rendered beautifully in the language of handloom and humour.

Quod, which Ikshit founded in 2019 after graduating from Parsons, has been a study in balance: the crisp tailoring of businesswear meeting the irreverence of street style, the tension between structure and innovation. But Social - made in collaboration with WomenWeave in Maheshwar - marks a turning point. It goes beyond being a collection, to speaking of his philosophy. A musing on what community, connection, and creativity look like when they’re stripped of the algorithm.

The Original Social Network

When I speak to Ikshit over a video call, he’s recovering from a fever. He apologises for the raspy voice but insists on continuing. “I actually got rid of my personal Instagram about two years ago,” he tells me. “I only use the brand handle now - sort of as a semi-personal space. I’ve always struggled with social media. But do we even have a choice anymore as creatives?”

That meditation on participation and escape, visibility and invisibility, became the seed of his latest collection titled Social. During a trip to Maheshwar, a town steeped in the legacy of handloom weaving, Ikshit found himself surrounded by women working in small cooperatives. “You see these women finishing their chores and gathering in someone’s house or a shared space,” he recalls. “One is spinning, another is weaving, another is helping with dyeing. They talk, share stories, pass on techniques - it’s all so natural. That’s when it hit me: this is the original social network.”

In an age where “social” instantly conjures the image of an app icon, Ikshit’s interpretation feels almost radical. “The true intent of being social was always about coming together,” he says. “We’ve just let the meaning shift. These women don’t have cell service in many of these villages - some don’t even have a network. And yet, they’re the most connected people I know.”

The phrase “Offline since forever” emerged from that realization - a contemplative tagline that captures both nostalgia and defiance. It’s an homage to the quiet collectivity that has always existed, long before hashtags.

When Heritage Textiles Learn To Loosen Up

Ikshit’s path to fashion wasn’t linear. He studied business and worked in marketing for nearly a decade before pursuing design at Parsons at 30. “I was a business graduate from Nainital who had spent years in brand management,” he mused. “When I turned 40, I realised I wanted to rewire my career. Quod was born out of that turn I took.”

Ikshit's gamble in pivoting his life's path defines Quod’s aesthetic. Sharp silhouettes meet whimsical details; crisp poplin coexist with unexpected embroidery. “Our DNA has always been impeccable tailoring and a kind of restrained irreverence,” he explains. “Even as we’ve evolved over six years, those two things remain sacrosanct.” But translating that discipline to handwoven textiles was no easy feat. “We usually work with very crisp fabrics like poplin,” Ikshit says. “It behaves exactly how you want it to - it’s sharp, obedient. But Khadi linen has a mind of its own. Even if you iron it ten times, it refuses to comply.” He laughs softly. “So we had to negotiate with it.”

That negotiation - between precision and imperfection - became the soul of Social. Handloom fabrics come with their own language: uneven textures, irregular stripes, subtle warps and wefts. Rather than hiding those quirks, Ikshit’s team leaned into them. “It was about creating something beautiful through all those imperfections,” he says. “Heritage textiles have this incredible softness, they breathe. They’re perfect for tropical weather, but we wanted to make them edgy and relevant for a younger audience.”