In an era of constant input and diminishing attention, Kunsquad returns with the second iteration of Messy Heads. A limited-edition drop where heritage craft collides with mental chaos, and raw process takes precedence over polish.
This isn’t a seasonal campaign. Messy Heads II is part of Kunsquad’s ongoing series of mini-collections where ideas are tested, broken down, and rebuilt. In this drop, we explore how overstimulation and burnout are not just emotional states but aesthetic ones, how the textures of tiredness, the seams of fragmentation, and the stitches of memory can become design tools.
Disruption in Heritage: What Makes Messy Heads II Different
Streetwear in India has often revolved around hustle, identity, community, and nods to heritage. But Kunsquad approaches these themes differently, with sharper storytelling and an unexpected mix of techniques rarely seen in the space.
The collection draws on kantha, blanket stitching, and acid wash - each with a history, each recontextualised. They’re reworked to express exhaustion, introspection, and unfiltered creativity. Each technique in this collection mirrors pieces of us - patched, weathered, imperfect, but still holding on.
The Story in the Stitch: Kantha, Blanket Stitch and the Art of Scraps
At the heart of this drop is Kantha, a form of embroidery practised across Bengal and Odisha. Traditionally, kantha involved repurposing old saris and cloths, stitched together with running thread to create layered quilts. It was utilitarian, deeply personal, and passed through generations.
In Messy Heads II, Kantha holds two truths: the comfort of simpler days and the chaos of now. Once found on the blankets in our childhood homes, its hand-stitched patterns spoke of care, repetition, and quiet time. Today, those same stitches feel different; they hold things together. In this space of contradiction, we find solace, embracing both the storm and the calm, as we navigate the complexities of who we are and who we strive to be.
Similarly, another standout technique in this drop is the blanket stitch, traditionally used to reinforce edges, close garments, and make things feel complete. It reminds us of a time when rawness wasn’t something to hide, when unfinished edges added personality, not shame. But now, everything demands polish. In Messy Heads II, we bring the blanket stitch back, not to seal things up, but to make the construction visible.
Acid Wash and the Texture of Burnout
Acid wash - a treatment with roots in counterculture and anti-fashion movements - becomes a way to visually represent burnout, the overused, the overworked, the faded-edges-of-existence feeling. It makes the garment feel lived in before you’ve even worn it. For a collection about creative fatigue and overstimulation, it’s an aesthetic that doesn’t need explanation.
Beyond the Drop: Craft as a Way of Thinking
What makes Messy Heads II important isn’t just its visual grammar; it’s the philosophy underneath. In an age of endless scrolls, fast production cycles, and the pressure to always be “on,” this drop holds space for something slower.
Kunsquad invites wearers to see clothing as a form of thought, fragmented, emotional, flawed, yet alive.
Kunsquad’s Messy Heads II isn’t here to be flawless. It’s here to be worn, lived in, stretched, washed, and reworn, until the garment, like the wearer, starts to make sense again
Messy Heads II – Available Soon
This is a limited-edition drop, only available online. Each piece in Messy Heads II is hand-finished and will not be restocked.
Follow the launch on Kunsquad
