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MERCHANDISE
THE DOCTORS: BRIJESH DAHIYA & KULDEEP SINGH
Entrepreneurs behind Cheapsex
A software engineer and fashion school graduate design boxers that talk about chadhti jawani, and playing card sets where the king has a thing for the joker, not the queen

IT was in March 2010 that Goddess Aphrodite blessed two young whimsical men — Brijesh Dahiya and Kuldeep Singh. Cheapsex was thus born from their Faridabad studio, Gulabo Chhap Design Works.

Brazen and bold, the National Institute of Fashion Technology graduate and software engineer stick to a wry sense of humour and an element of shock in their designs. While Cheapsex boxer shorts are their hot- sellers, gradually the two have added wallets, playing cards, cushions and custom made shoes to their design range.

“The ideation behind our products is not a deep dug design philosophy. It’s a pun intended view. We want to flirt with every possible idea, but won’t fall in love with any,” says Dahiya.

The boxers were a result of the need to rid the undergarment of its mundane character, adding some zing that could play peek- a- boo from low waist trousers. A** Cock, Butt Bite, Chadhti Jawaani and CheapSex Clinic form part of the head- turning range.

“ Independent artists tend to be non- conformist in thought. We pick the projection of a personal point of view over possible commercial gain. Brazenness brings with it beauty.” Their customer, says Dahiya, is no one but an alter ego of the artist whose product he picks. “ When we design something, it’s a process of personal creative contentment, and the customer agrees with this eccentricity when he decides to pick your product. The idea is to magnify the customer’s individuality through the product. Our customer doesn’t want to fit in. He’d rather stand out.” Their newest offering, the Kaash Mere Taash playing cards sold in a metal paan peti box, is inspired by a love story gone wrong in B- grade Bollywood movie style. “ It’s about the secret affairs between the jack and the queen, and the king’s gay fantasies about the joker. The queen is slutty and the jack has a thing for her, the joker is gay and the King is a Casanova. We are making a dig at all the emotional and relationship possibilities that lie inside a box full of cards.” The pack makes for a collector’s piece or a fun love gift, with colour graphics inspired from B- grade Hindi movies. “They are characters who speak instead of being just objects in a game.” CALL: 09891039373 EMAIL: support@ cheapsex. co. in

AVAILABLE AT: > Attic, Bir Sagar, 396/ 20, Flat # 1, Santacruz (W).

> Azaad Bazaar, 16th/ 33rd Road, Bandra (W).

> Bliss, Flat 180, Aram Nagar 1, 7 Bungalows, Versova, Andheri ( W).

> Tappu ki Dukaan, 27A, Kermani Building, PM Road, Fort.

> Loose Ends, Bandra (W).

Mid-Day Bangalore Feburary 10, 2011

Get salacious or go all trippy with our pick of love games for couples to spice up your romance with a desi twist

'Four days to go' reads a young girl's Facebook status message. 'Four days for what?' pat comes a reply from her lover. 'Duh! Don't you know, it's Valentine's Day?' When cupid is all set to strike with his arrow, here's how you can add a dash of zing, as you trail our wicked ideas and bring home some mischief in true Indian ishtyle.


Taash Mere Taash
This deck of playing cards is a desi design by the whimsical Faridabad-based duo, Brijesh Dahiya and Kuldeep Singh of Cheapsex from their studio Gulabo Chhap Design Works. Dahiya says, "It's a twist to the Chinese invention of mundane playing cards with kitsch gone kinky in the design. We revived a metal box, an actual paan peti to make the cards sit perfectly, which makes for a collectors' piece or even a fun love gift to rekindle romance, with colour graphics inspired from a B-grade Hindi movie."

Dahiya adds, "Playing cards have had a million designs internationally, so we gave each card a character. There's Chadti Jawaani and cheeky humour to add funk to your playtime. The Queen is slutty, the Joker is gay and for all you know he might be making out with the King, and the Queen might be out with the Jack as he has a thing for her, the King is a Casanova and a pervert."

With bawdy messages like, 'Sahib Aur Biwi Ka Ghulam', this deck of playing cards that come in a large, international size, can spice up your love life and go best when teamed with a pint of beer or a cocktail. It's like a love story gone haywire with lust overpowering the characters. Dahiya adds, "It's our version of love and lust coming together in a box. We have looked at these naughty characters as ones that speak, instead of just objects in a game."

Where: Chilli Billi, 3302/I, 12th A Main, HAL 2nd Stage, Indiranagar
Call: 9241799105
and Levitate, 100 Feet Boutique Restaurant, 777-I, 100 Feet Road, Indiranagar.
Call: 9448145071
For: Rs 499
Email: support@cheapsex.co.in

The Indian Express Article - 22 September 2010

From bawdy messages to cutesy prints -- boxers have got a makeover and are now high on the style index

WITH the sounds of shells ringing through the early morning Afghanistan air last year, Zachary Boyd, a soldier with the US Army, grabbed his gun, a bulletproof jacket and a helmet with sleep still heavy on his eyes and ran to his post. In the middle of a Ta liban attack on his regiment, Boyd forgot to pull on his trousers, and went out instead in his “I love NY” boxer shorts . Yo u might crack up at this incident, but it’s not just the Americans who love their boxers. In India too, trendy boxers have become quite a fashion must-have.
In the capital, for instance, two young guys, Brijesh Dahiya and Kuldeep Singh, have started Cheapsex boxers, a label from Gulabo Chhap Design Works, a design firm they set up early this year in Faridabad. This boxer brand plans to keep the fun factor high when you drop your pants, quite literally, with tag-lines like CheapSex Clinic, Butt Bite, Chadti Jawani — scribbled in psychedelic prints on the boxers.

“The tag-lines are random — we don’t plan and research it. They pop out of random conversations we have with friends over a drink. Alternatively, it could be from a Lady Gaga video too,” says Dahiya, a NIFT alumnus. The brand retails from

fashion boutiques like Unisexxx in Delhi, Fuzzion in Faridabad, Attic, Bliss, Sobo, Tappu ki Dukaan in Mumbai; Either-Or in Pune at Grafittee, Levitate and Chilli Billi in Bangalore. In fact, the popularity of the brands have given rise to a demand for unisex boxers. "Girls incidentally buy more boxers than the guys. They buy it for their boyfriends," says Singh, who quit his job as a software engineer to start the brand with Dahiya.
"I think boxers are perfect for the Indian man. Briefs look good on a sculpted and toned body. For the Indian man, who often come with a paunch, the boxer shorts hides the flaws well. They are also more hygienic and comfortable,' says Delhi designer Rohit Bal, who had models walking bare chested on the ramp in nothing more than naughty boxers, for his Badmaash collection. The boxers came in luxe silks and velvets, mostly in dark colours and often in floral prints. “A man can express himself through the boxers he wears. Most men act tough on the outside. If you were to see their boxers with cute small elephants or even hearts, you would get to know their other, less-revealed side,” adds Bal, who lists white boxers as his personal favourite.

While the market for boxer shorts in India cropped up as early as 2007 with the arrival of international players like Calvin Klein, it is only recently that it has been elevated to a style statement. “More and more young men are now open to experimenting with fits and styles. In India, boxers

with madras checks, stripes and smaller floral/geometric prints are the most preferred designs along with solid colours in shades of blue and grey. Seasonal collections like Va lentines (heart print boxers) and holiday season (Christmas prints) are also very popular,” says the CK spokesperson in India.
For a more Indian touch, Chumbak, another design house has come up with two design patterns — ‘Turbans of India design’ and ‘Kamasutra shorts’— that are retailed through their online store chumbak.in. They also retail their merchandise from stores across Indian metros and cities like Secunderabad, Va dodara, Guwahati etc. The metrosexual man can also take his pick from the block print boxers at the popular Anokhi.

Dahiya says a lot of this popularity also has to do with how boxers have been projected in movies and advertisements. “Earlier boxers were looked at as a lazy old man’s choice. The briefs were for the macho man.

But if you see now, men don’t mind being dandy. Ranbir Kapoor in the movie Wake up Sid, for instance, is a dude who is easy-going with things around him. And his choice of innerwear, in this case, boxers, reflects that about him. I wore a pair of boxers on a flight from Kolkata to Delhi once. I got weird looks, but there was no problem,” says Dahiya.