India is having a moment on the Paris men’s runways this season.
The week kicked off with Louis Vuitton’s bombastic display at the Pompidou Center celebrating Indian sartorialism, and ended with Indian designer Kartik Kumra making his runway debut on the official Paris calendar with an intimate show on Sunday for his Kartik Research label.
Fresh off the opening of his first overseas store in New York City, Kumra has gained a cult following among style aficionados seeking handcrafted clothes that telegraph an individual approach.
The coed collection offered a direct line to the streets of India: it was inspired by the designer’s field trips around the country to meet the craftspeople who work on his collections. “You see just odd things in India that have some sort of elegance to them, or like a flamboyance to them,” he told WWD.
He was struck by a man in Gujarat who had ripped the buttons off his shirt and threaded it with a silver necklace instead. The designer reprised the idea with a silver chain trim on a collarless chocolate suede jacket.
Linen jackets came lined with floral-patterned Banarasi silk, or embroidered with contrast stitching. One was layered with a block-printed shirt and pants in mismatched prints, channeling an instinctive approach to dressing that Kumra sees as an antidote to the prevailing minimalism trend in menswear.
“This is a real alternative to what a lot of other brands are presenting, or what you find in stores. It’s really a very human idea on what a wardrobe can be,” he said.
The collection was full of collectible pieces, from upcycled jeans embellished with patchwork at the knees, to a lavishly embroidered natural linen chore coat. Alongside a broader women’s assortment, Kumra introduced full leather pieces and collaborated with Converse on suede versions of its classic Chuck Taylors.
Kartik Research designs have been spotted on celebrities including Paul Mescal, Lewis Hamilton and Kendrick Lamar, and are part of Damson Idris’ wardrobe in the summer blockbuster “F1.” With this strong collection, the label’s days as an insider’s secret may be numbered.