Prince of Panache: Yuvraj Singh
Yuvraj Singh, the poster boy of Indian cricket team, is a survivor. After his battle with cancer,he made a brilliant comeback.
Cricketer Yuvraj Singh feels fashion can be formidable weapon of change.
Yuvraj Singh, the poster boy of Indian cricket team, is a survivor. After his battle with cancer,he made a brilliant comeback. Hisfashion brand,YouWeCan, is an extension of his fight. Excerpts from an interview with him:
What is your signature style?
I feel comfort comes before anything and my style is about being comfortable. I feel one should be comfortable in their own skin.But to be comfortable, you have to be confident. The best thing about athleisure is that it fits perfectly in every mood and personality.
What are thethings you keep in mind when buying clothes?
I don’t usually follow a rulebook. I have a casual approach when it comes to dressing up. My style resonates with anything that compliments my body. A great fit and good fabric is enough to convince me to buy an item. I prioritise comfort over everything else.
How has beenthejourney of your fashion brand?
It has been satisfying. The YouWeCan initiative definitely came into existence due to my personal experiences. If we look at YWC, the venture started as a way to support the foundation. Parts of the revenue generated from the brand YWC goes to the welfare of the YouWeCan foundation. Through the brand, we’re looking at bringing a change in the society and allowing every individual investing into the brand to be associated with a cause bigger than just the fashion label.
What is the brandphilosophy?
It aims at representing every individual who fight despite insurmountable odds and various roadblocks thrown their way. When I first launched YWC as a fashion label, my biggest goal was to raise maximum funds forthe YouWeCan foundation, and thus we kept ourselves bootstrapped. We aimed at maximisingthe revenue generated by YWC. We are constantly evolving and upgrading ourselvesas a brand keeping in sync with the global fashion scenario and world.
What is the life lesson you want to give to cancer survivors?
Inspiration comes to everyone in its own way. Some people are inspired by the way nature functions, the others are inspired by the complexities of life, and then there are people who seek inspiration in other people and their battle. I always get nostalgic thinking about my cancer battle and how I was inspired by Mr. Lance Armstrong’s personal journey and comeback. I am very fortunate to have been on both sides of the coin. I’ve been the one taking inspiration when needed and am also being a source of inspiration for others. To everyone who is battling cancer and the ones who’ve survived, I’d only like to say that the worst has already happened to us and all that we must look forward to in life is happiness and spending every minute of it making it count. Continue to believe in yourself and fight back against all odds in life. The key to tackling anything that life throws your way is to never give up.
After working with hundreds of cancer patients and survivors, what have you discover about the current state of cancer awareness in our country?
We are a country with a very large population living in the rural areas and aren’t very well aware about cancer, its symptoms or how they can avail treatments. Usually, the notion is to associate cancer with ultimately death, and that’s one of the stigmas that we working to eradicate. A lot of people go in denial once they’ve been detected with cancer and they take too long to make the decision to be treated because they’re not fully aware about the types of cancer and their treatments. We have witnessed a lack of awareness and knowledge on cancer, which we’re trying to bridge. There are many challenges involved but we are very determined to overcome all of them in our battle against Cancer.
As someone who has made a successful comeback into the world of sports following a serious medical setback, how important is rest, recovery and rehab for a sportsperson and how important is mental toughness during this period?
The 3Rs: Rest, Recover and Rehab are the swear-by words for any sportsperson. Even during the most strenuous trainings that one undergoes, it is advised to allow the muscles to rest and recover to avoid any complex injuries. This is cancer that we’re talking about. It takes a toll on you, not just physically but also mentally. It is at demanding times like these, that we need to gather everything that we have with all the faith and willpower, in order to fight the life-changing battle. Mental toughness is to physical is as four is to one. You’re only as strong as your brain allows you to be.
Being the brand ambassador of Laureus, where do you see the association heading in the forthcoming years?
It has been a great honour to be a part of such a global movement and contribute in whatever possible way I can and as long as I can. What relates to me in this association is their overarching campaign of Sport for Good. Using sport as a tool to bring improvement in lives of affected people is something that is close to my heart and something I do even in my personal capacity. Sport got me out of adversity and it has given me the willpower to fight back and represent my country. For that I will do whatever I can do, with my fullest capacity. Hence, to be able to support a cause where sport is used as a medium to help others is something that I’ll always relate to and stand by.
Tell us about the autumn/winter 2018 collection.
It is an upgrade for all fashion buyers. We’ve hit key trends such ascolour blocking and military chic in its signature aesthetic. We are aiming at encapsulating contemporary streetwear and athleisure. The entire collection accentuates asymmetrical hemlines, unfinished edges, camouflage prints and some reinvented classics.
You have opened stores in Varanasi and Chandigarh. What’s the plan for next year?
I am thankful for the kind of response that I have received for the brand. It is so good to see that people believe in the brand and are taking the initiative to associate with the cause as well. YWC has an ambitious expansion plan layered across outreach as well as product diversification. In terms of retail, we plan to partner with more online and offline stores. We are already available in over a hundred touch points via shop in shop at multi brand outlets. Our flagship standalone store in addition to this gives our offline strategy a new dimension. In the coming year, we plan to have additional standalone stores as well as expand our distribution.
From the November 2018 issue of FHM India.
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