Blechman

Hardy. English designer, the creator of streetwear and camouflage trousers for leisure time. In the early 1990s, Hardy began to design garments in natural fibers, mainly hemp cloth. In 1994, he established Maharishi, a Hindu term that means “Big Guru.” Success arrived with snowpants, trousers that were inspired by military-skateboard clothing and decorated with Japanese embroidery, with reversible camouflage insides. In 1998, they were sold at Barneys, in New York. Over the years his production expanded with lines for men, women, and children under the MHI brand, and with a series of clothes created with recycled fabric. In 2001, he opened a London store at Covent Garden, designed by the architect Franµois Scali in such a way that the entryway leads directly to a bamboo garden. Today, Maharishi has 100 outlets all over the world and employs 25 people in the London headquarters, where work alternates with yoga and meditation lessons. In March 2003, Maharishi presented the results of an unusual collaboration with the Hong Kong toy designer Michael Lau, whose products are on sale in the London store. It is a series of 101 very detailed garden figurines, among which is one that looks like Hardy Blechman.