What was earlier known as Neon Planes, later became High Standard Hippie — a clothing label which is inspired by a ‘neon plane of existence’. Minimalist designs, inspired by colour theory and geometric patterns, High Standard Hippie brings together aesthetics with an indelible sense of design.
The label is a brainchild of Gaurika Mehta, who ran a blog by the same name, and decided to merge it with her 7-year-old clothing label Neon Planes — thus was born High Standard Hippie — a brand that works with upcycled fabric. Everything from old denim, to surplus fabric from factories finds a new lease on life in Gaurika’s adept hands. The brand is gradually also evolving into a lifestyle brand, with the focus shifting to organic sustainable materials. Gaurika has recently started working with materials like orange silk (orange peel turned into silk).
The designer herself is rooted in spiritual practices, hence much of the design elements are the result of her meditations and chants — which are then either sewn by hand or digitally printed on to her clothes. Each piece of clothing, while being aesthetically minimalistic, will feature a pop-up accent — a standout feature, if you may. Gaurika then, in a small note attaches these to the clothes, adding an explanation of the colour theory or the pattern inspiration behind the outfits.
High Standard Hippie has now extended to stationery as well . Following the same ethos of sustainability, she sources leftover paper from factories which is then turned into positive affirmation cards, notebooks, greeting cards and more. Each of them of course, with her classic neon touch.
In Goa, the label is available at the Mermaid Boutique, Nanaki (behind La Plage), and pop-ups that happen through the season. You’ll also find her at the Saturday night market in season, or you can always reach out to her on Instagram or Facebook. The clothes start at an INR 1,500 and go upwards to around INR 10,000.