After showing off-calendar for two seasons in a presentation format, the 2023 LVMH Prize-nominated designer Kartik Kumra is now the first Indian designer to be on the official menswear calendar. With an emphasis on sustainability and cultural preservation, the brand reclaims craft hand embroideries and wovens from handlooms with imperfect beauty that captures nostalgia for something real without losing sophistication. There has been a sense of disconnection from nature to heritage, especially in the digital age, with visible handiwork, Kartik creates an emotional pull, making everything feel a little more human.

Fashion shows today are not necessarily relevant, but I’ve seen lots of pieces that only look good in photos on the runway over the years and then there are clothes that look cooler the closer you get. It was absolutely relevant for the New Delhi–based founder and creative director to be on calendar to understand the kind of energy he transmits that effortlessly cool touch that is balanced with a newness. The show notes stated, “Kumra observed those that surround him, through both his work and during his travels, and concluded that their stylistic choices did not feel engineered.” During a fashion week with dressed celebrities at almost every show, there is a fatigue to that overly engineered look, great for celebrity clickbait, but you would look like a fashion victim just about anywhere outside of fashion week.

India is associated with mass production, and it is an open secret that all luxury houses have had their iconic beading and embroidery done in India. “How to Make it in India” points out that India also has some of the most reputable textiles and craftsmanship. The collection “sees shirts, blazers, and pants embellished with intricate embroidery and beading along with more basic options for every day, that still captures your eye as seen with sneakers in collaboration with Converse. “Crash” kanthal stitching on matka silk textiles made from perforated Mulberry silkworm cocoons by collaborating with expert Kantha embroiderers from the Bengal region. This type of tonal stitching subtly embellishes garments, giving the impression that they are increasingly more complex from a distance, making the intricate weave invisible to the unaided eye.

Staging the collection at the Union de la Jeunesse Internationale, which has carried the brand, shows how the brand resonates with the younger community. This is the same community that doesn’t hesitate to buy vintage or second-hand, and Kartik Research is exactly that, except it’s our future vintage, the pieces we will buy today and keep for years to come.

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