Launched by Kartik Kumra when he was just 20 years old, Kartik Research elevates traditional Indian craftsmanship to a global, contemporary stage
- Who is it? Kartik Research is the label of New Delhi-based designer Kartik Kumra, founded with the aim of elevating traditional Indian craftsmanship to a global, contemporary stage
- Why do I want it? Contemporary silhouettes handcrafted by India’s vast network of skilled regional artisans, reinstating a sense of humanness in every garment
- 3. Where can I find it? Kartik Research is available via the label’s own website as well as international stockists such as SSENSE, Mr Porter, Dover Street Market Paris and Ginza, and 10 Corso Como Milan
Who is it? Although Kartik Kumra studied economics at university, he long had his finger on the pulse of the fashion industry. “I’d go to Dover Street Market, Selfridges – all these great stores – and I became a fan of Craig Green, Kiko Kostadinov, all these guys,” he reflects, “but it didn’t make sense to me that there was nothing that referenced the rich textile heritage of India.” When the Covid-19 pandemic sent him home to India from college in the US, Kumra took a leap of faith: in 2021, at just 20 years old, he founded Kartik Research with the aim of elevating traditional Indian craftsmanship to a global, contemporary stage.
The early days of his brand were spend driving across India with his mother (Kumra didn’t yet have his driver’s licence) to visit different craft clusters and build out a production network. “Initially, it wasn’t so much of us supporting artisans, it was more of them supporting me,” he laughs. “But I think because of Covid and business sort of falling out from under their feet.”
Today, some of Kartik Research’s production, including stitching and embroidery, takes place in-house at the brand’s New Delhi-based studio. Other techniques remain deeply regional: to develop the wool outerwear in his latest collection, Kumra worked with artisans located “in a place high up in the hills, where the nearest airport is a ten-hour drive away” as the material is not readily available in India’s warm climate.
If past seasons saw Kumra presenting his collections through runway shows, for Autumn/Winter 2025 he published a book, entitled AMDAVAD, to establish his design ethos and heritage in something more permanent, more tangible. “I wanted to tell a better story of what the representation of art and cultural movements in India can be,” he explains. “So much of what we see is nostalgia-orientated and romanticises poverty. It’s a little tone-deaf at times.” Through the Mr Porter mentorship programme, Kumra connected with stylist Julie Ragolia, who then introduced him to photographer Jeremy Everett. Together, they shot the most recent collection over several days against the backdrop of Le Corbusier-designed buildings in Ahmedabad, which had been off-limits for over a decade – including a cave-turned-art gallery by Bibi Doshi, the Swiss-French architect’s mentee Bibi Doshi. “This was guerrilla style,” he admits. “We technically didn’t have access to the caves so we snuck a camera in.”
Why do I want it? At its core, Kartik Research’s design ethos is about restoring a sense of humanity to each garment. Every textile used – aside from leather – is handwoven in India, using no electricity; 85 per cent of these are developed exclusively for Kartik Research, ensuring the uniqueness of each design. Knitwear, for example, is produced by a woman-run cooperative that grew from 30 to 90 knitters after Kendrick Lamar was photographed wearing a Kartik Research knit. Similarly, Kumra’s denim supply chain taps into a hyper-local market: he sources upcycled jeans from a man who meticulously hand-sorts through discarded stock in India to find Levi’s and Carhartt Pieces.
But this commitment to local craftmanship is never at the expense of design. Kumra’s deep knowledge of fashion history has allowed him to shape these traditional textiles into contemporary, globally relevant silhouettes. A detachable collar on a jacket, crafted from three layers of thin, hand-embroidered cotton, is a nod to the Margiela era of Hermès. The brand’s now signature soft-tailored suiting draws inspiration from early 2000s Yohji Yamamoto, while loose shirting is block-printed by the same artisan used by the Japanese designer himself. “This guy is super hard to get access to, but I just kept knocking on his door,” he laughs. “Eventually he realised I was not going to leave him alone.” Now three years into working with him, Kartik Research is his biggest client, providing him with consistent work year-round.
In keeping with his driving ethos of human connection, Kumra has opened a permanent storefront for Kartik Research in New Delhi and is preparing to launch a second location in New York. “I think if we do want to be a heritage brand, we need to have stores globally,” he explains, “and I think that 20 years from now the landscape is going to be less Eurocentric. And we want to be the first Indian fashion house that does it.”
Where can I find it? Kartik Research is available via the label’s own website as well as at international stockists such as SSENSE, Mr. Porter, Dover Street Market Paris and Ginza, and 10 Corso Como Milan.
