Pants of Empire

On March 10, 1922, Mahatma Gandhi, an activist and spiritual leader, was arrested in Bombay for sedition – a corollary of the non-cooperation movement that he had idealised, having Indians revoke their cooperation from the British colonial government. The early post-First World War years saw a burgeoning voracity for Indian independence, thus further igniting resistance to the British Empire.

Fraught with unnerving complexities ahead, which had been indirectly mapped out amid calls for a “total boycott” from Gandhi’s Congress Party, the Prince of Wales arrived in Bombay in November 1921 for an 8-month tour of the Indian subcontinent. It was 15 years prior to when he, as King Edward VIII, abdicated from the British throne, and the then Prince of Wales, with his charming characteristics, from his likeable, shy demeanour, his slight figure, blue eyes and blond hair, which were only amplified by his immaculate dress, to his publicity-inflated sporting and military accomplishments, was the clear royal candidate to endure such a controversial tour.

It was only just over a century before this escalation of the political conflict that years of Gurkha incursions into Northern India sparked the Anglo-Nepalese War, also known as the Gorkha War, which was fought between the Gorkhali army of the Kingdom of Nepal (present-day Nepal) and forces of the British East India Company (EIC). It began with the Battle of Nalapani in 1814, where the hill fort of Kalunga, which was garrisoned by about 600 soldiers of the Gorkha Army, was besieged. To this day, the bravery, stoicism and resourceful traits of the Gorkha warriors in their determined resistance against the month-long siege by the British, whose forces were over six times superior in terms of numbers and firepower, is commended by the British Military so vehemently that not only would they provide medical aid to injured and captured Nepalese soldiers, but they recruited the Gurkhas into the British forces.  Today, it is known as the Brigade of Gurkhas, the collective name which refers to at least six different units that are composed of Nepalese Gurkha soldiers.

But returning to the Prince of Wales’ doomed 1921–1922 official visit – within close quarters, even before he set sail from Portsmouth on HMS Renown, he would more than stress his reluctant notion on the tour, which had the objective of safeguarding the subcontinent’s position within the British Empire. Even as a young royal, he foresaw the deep unrest that he would face, and so in a bid to soothe such impending political obstacles, he sent a cable to Viceroy Reading, imploring him to arrange a meeting with Gandhi. Despite Gandhi’s arrest a fortnight before he concluded his Indian subcontinent leg, the Viceroy rejected the demand before the Prince had even disembarked in Bombay. However, British travel writer Rosita Forbes, who had met Gandhi, revealed that Gandhi retorted that he would have accepted the prince’s invitation if he had received it. We shall never know, but if the meeting had gone ahead, might this royal tour not be deemed the most disastrous in decade-long memory?

In sync with the prince’s tour costumes, he wore ornate military uniforms, bedecked with medals and with his slicked-parted hair muffled by cosmic-like hats and helmets. On his visit to Calcutta on April 6, 1922, he was presented with the Kukri – a short, refined and distinctive sword that is the national weapon of Nepal, traditionally serving the role of a basic utility knife for Nepali-speaking Gurkhas. It was a poignant moment, displaying how far the relationship had developed since the immensely combative fight at the Battle of Nalapani. It must be mentioned that, just as the prince was presented with the Kukri blade, today all Gurkha troops are issued with two Kukris in their training. And nearly replicating the prince’s impeccable attire that day, yet stemming from the Battle of Nalapani, today’s sartorial yet technical and practical Gurkha trousers are seen in the dominion of artisanal excellence of menswear.

The Prince of Wales meets Gurkha officers in Calcutta, 1922. (Courtesy of PA Images via Alamy)

Contrary to most renowned garments named after military influences, many view the Gurkha trouser as a relatively simple trouser model to interpret. However, this has proved not to be the case and so, when a select troupe of menswear design visionaries grasp and then master their distinctive interpretations of the trouser or short, the cognoscenti of excellent taste are seen sporting the undeniable versatile garb with real panache. And a leading tastemaker and proprietor of high-end Gurkha trousers is Alexander Kraft.

Clean in silhouette, only enhanced by the flat-fronted design inspired by the AK MC Riviera trouser model, the custom AK MC Gurkha details include a high waist, distinctive waistband, elongated front buckle, and fishtail back seam, creating a modern paradigm of sartorial Gurkha trouser making. The torchbearer of the diverse and enviable AK MC collection, each rendition will feature sculpted side-adjusters and will arrive unhemmed for your discretion.

Since its inception, the quality of cloth has been at the forefront of AK MCs sartorial enactment, no more so than the Gurkha trouser. Linen, corduroy, cotton, and moleskin: each fabric has been cunningly chosen to enable and represent the AK MC nuances to flourish in polite society. Crafted from robust, high-quality Italian cotton in a timeless beige hue, it serves as a fine example of the limited palette, only enhanced by distinctive design details that the brand is renowned for.