THE BRAND

Maharishi is an urban, elevated streetwear label from the United Kingdom which was founded in 1994 by Hardy Blechman. Maharishi stands in Sanskrit for "great seer" - on the street Maharishi stands for a uniform in everyday life, based on many Far Eastern influences, which unite on camouflage patterns of the whole world. Maharishi makes functional, utilitarian clothing for the urban jungle. With his militant look, Hardy Blechman was a pioneer in 1994 for a look that is now taken for granted. He was the founder of all these fashion trends, basically the forefather of camouflage or as it is called for him "DPM" - Disruptive Pattern Material.

Hardy Blechman embodies a straight line of sustainability with Maharishi. By ensuring high level of quality, functionality and the demand for good manufacturing conditions for his fabrics which he has been doing since the 1990s.

HISTORY

Maharishi was founded in 1994 by Hardy Blechman, who is also designer. At the beginning of the 90s many streetwear legends have set their foot into the fashion industry, including Maharishi, who then became immortal during that time.

Maharishi is from today's point of view a sureshot, military-inspired clothing, suitable for everyday use in high quality at an understanding price. For the hunter-gatherer Blechman, the love of recycling, functionality and detail is everything.

With his first collections, Hardy Blechman immediately received a lot of attention, his innovativeness was unique and the new creations in fabrics were groundbreaking.

The so-called „Snopant“ became the brand’s showrunner. Trousers with a cut that is inspired by classic snowboard trousers were presented in classic canvas with a straight cut and Japanese embroidery on the lower back of the leg. The trousers became the icon and showpiece of Maharishi and were loved and worn by celebrities such as actor Brad Pitt.

Until the millennium, Maharishi also offered lines for women and children. Hardy Blechman also founded a sister brand called MHI, which was to be even more rooted in streetwear.

Shortly after, in 2004, Maharishi´s first collaboration with Nike came about and was the key factor for the revival of the cult brand. A decade later the brand made it back to the scene and enjoyed huge attention by adapting into a new generation of hip hop and rappers like Travis Scott.

DESIGNER

Behind Maharishi is the face of Hardy Blechman, the founder and creative head of the cult brand was born in Boumemouth in 1963.

Hardy Bleckman and his passion for fashion are based on his dedication to antiques and old things. He discovered his interest through his father who owned and antique shop and became a passionate collector. Bleckman collected everything until he determined his love for old military clothing. This was the foundation for the line he would later create and is still his greatest inspiration.

Hardy Blechman's deep attachment to camouflage comes from his love of nature. The London-based designer grew up in the city and nature became more and more important and significant for him. Camouflage derives nature, not military, as many think, it is the gift of hiding by merging with its environment. Through the infinite variations on DPM that have been changed and adapted by all nations over decades, Hardy has an infinite pool of ideas that he can use as inspiration for his creations.

Hardy Blechman was named Streetwear Designer of the Year in 2000. The 90s gave him cult status and Maharishi was always present. With his book and masterpiece "DPM - Disruptive Pattern Material" he philosophizes about the origin of camouflage in nature, how it is applied to the military and how it is used in lifestyle segments of the modern world now.

Hardy Blechmann is also a pioneer in material development in collaboration with textile manufacturer ITS Artea from Italy, who previously worked with Massimo Osti on C.P. Company and Stone Island and developed numerous fabrics that were revolutionary at the time.

Hardy Blechman and his maxim pay a lot of attention to the origin of his fabrics, to Fairtrade and to the good and appropriate handling of all cooperating crafts. He is described as a very courteous and nice person, in a way this is reflected in Maharishi, because each piece is equipped with a lot of love for detail, practicality and highest quality.

Blechman is known for his mix of different cultural influences, which is shown through the brands name, aswell as his design language that includes embroidered symbols from Asian culture such as dragons & tigers. Hardy was never criticized for his approach and never had to justify himself for culture clashing even if other designer had to.

He deliberately choses military language in order to make a very clear pacifist statement. His philosophy of „pacifist military design“ runs through all collections and reflects the mindset of Hardy Blechman.

COLLECTIONS

Spring / Summer 19

Here in this collection Maharishi draws much inspiration from the artist and poet William Blake and his conception of duality, which he describes in his works from "The marriage of heaven & hell" - the same duality that Maharishi embodies through the interweaving of various cultural influences.

The color line here is classically held in black, navy and olive in many nuances. The Leopard camouflage, which often appears in bright magenta, is the only highlight.

Fall / Winter 18

Cybersecurity is the headline of this colletion which becomes obvious at first sight.The pieces are very futuristic and combine technical elements with traditional Japanese elements.

The colour palette is a mix of monochrome black and white elements which are juxtaposed by camouflage and vibrant red. The collection looks very cold and reserved through the use of these colours.

Spring / Summer 18

This collection addresses the topic of journey, furthermore it deals with and merges a mixture of East and West influences. The journey is the destination and the Buddhist mantra "om mani padme hum" are this collections basic ideas for which a fictitious baseball uniform was created, worn by an invented Buddhist baseball team.

Earthy tones with lots of white to break through are the colourways of this collection.

Fall / Winter 17

The classic Maharishi look is reinterpreted in pastel colours, which makes this collection quite unusual as it has not yet been seen in the brands colour palette.

The use of these pastel shades brings a new life to the well-known styles, which fit into Maharishi's classic iconic pattern, with Asian graphics embroidered in the highest quality.