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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now
1From mainstream designers to emerging superstars, we pick our favourites on the current Indian fashion and accessories landscape for cutting-edge, wearable and affordable designs.
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
2Payal Jaggi – In her own words, she’s “a traveller, an epicurean and a connoisseur of everything worth a praise”. A closer look at her relatively young line ‘kinche’ reveals a skilful use of Bengali kantha embroidery on muslin and silk, edgy cuts and an urge to re-use, recycle and reduce carbon footprint. Grab one of her unique vintage jackets hot off the loom – named after a woman of substance and made from fabric that’s 40 to 50 years old. Try as you might, you won’t find a similar piece anywhere in the world. kinche.com
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
2Nida Mahmood – With an innate talent for art, whimsy, kitsch and contrasts, critically acclaimed designer Nida Mahmood creates quirky ensembles and accessories with Indian pop culture at its core, fusing complex and disharmonious elements into a coherent whole. Her bright, edgy and avant-garde designs are as much a work of art as they are desi streetwear cool. No surprise, then, that Lady Gaga was spotted in her design with 1,000 LEDs in 2011, and the V&A chose two of her garments for the India-inspired showcase in 2010. nidamahmood.com
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
4Rina Singh – Early childhood exposure to crafts has a way of defining your interests, and Rina Singh’s influenced her foray into fashion. After accumulating significant field experience, she launched her label ‘Eka’ first abroad and later in the sub-continent, working with rural artisans in Western and Eastern India. Her silhouettes are free-flowing, clutter-free and unrestricted by culture, size, shape or age, using homegrown linen, cotton mul, khadi, silks and wool fabrics. eka.co
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
5Suhani Pittie – She’s young but well-established, inventive but rooted in culture: Pittie is Bollywood’s bijou designer of choice at the Cannes Red Carpets, with a string of awards to her credit including being handpicked to showcase her lines to the British Royal Family. So if you’re mad for wearable and meaningful contemporary Indian jewellery, her eponymous brand is the go-to for semi-precious buys. We’re eyeing the collection from her latest show, ‘Nowhere People’ – a stunning emotional portrayal of the refugee crisis through jewellery. suhanipittie.com
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
6Karishma Shahani – The London-trained designer’s creations are multicultural, experimental and unconventional. Barely five years old, her zero-waste, fair trade label ‘Ka Sha’ integrates simple textiles and materials with eye-catching surface detailing, upcycling every step of the way while also benefitting all kinds of artisans involved in the manufacture, from bead makers to weavers. In her past collections, she has creatively reused vintage banarasi borders, vegetable sacks, waste fabrics and discarded denim to produce striking appliqués and garments. notjustalabel.com
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
7Laksheeta Govil – Starting out with a batch of hand-painted canvas shoes, designer Laksheeta Govil of Fizzy Goblet proves it’s possible to move beyond the conventional, creating fun, experimental everyday wearables and still emerging successful. She cleverly uses iconic Indian textiles in interesting fusions that are easy to maintain with as little as a surface rub at home. We particularly love her bloom and lace broguesters with fabric uppers and her hand-embroidered festive jutti line. fizzygoblet.com
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
8Ujjawal Dubey – There’s something anti-conformist and laidback in his unisex designs, yet still very stylish, individual and Indian. Ujjawal debuted his label ‘Antar Agni’ to much applause at India’s prestigious Lakme Fashion Week in 2014, and also won the Best Upcoming Menswear Designer at Grazia’s Young Fashion Awards in 2015. Deep down he nurtures a love for Indian textiles, explaining that “the label merely helps the fabric speak its language, adding nuance details, smart cuts and relaxed silhouettes – as raw and natural as it gets.” ujjawaldubey.com
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
9Gautam Sinha – Gautam is a NIFT fashion graduate, but one who went against the grain and ventured into leather and accessories. He makes vintage leather luggage, personal accessories and stationery that are uniquely Indian but with a modern twist, delighting customers from Soho to Sydney under the brand name ‘Nappa Dori’, meaning ‘leather and thread’. Look out for his digitally printed laptop bags displaying ancient scenes from the sub-continent, as well as overnighters in handwoven ikkat and leather, and powder-coated metal trunks in eye-popping hues. nappadori.com
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
10Sheena Roy – A young womenswear designer based in Pune and a graduate of Delhi’s NIFT, Sheena Roy collects memories, photographs, local handlooms and traditional crafts on her trips across India, using them to create bohemian-inspired everyday wear that tells stories of the sub-continent’s forgotten arts and crafts. Through her ‘Liberate The Saree’ capsule collection for her label ‘Mogra’, she has transformed traditional sarees from various parts of the country into wearable Western wear and successfully introduced them into global wardrobes. mogradesigns.com
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
11Sangeeta Boochra – With a nod to her Rajasthani roots, a childhood passion for designing jewellery and seeking inspiration from India’s remotest corners, Sangeeta Boochra fashions tribal, traditional and contemporary pieces in silver for the classically oriented modern woman, working with her trusted team of 250 karigars and artisans around Jaipur. Snap up her revivalist jhumkas and neckpieces, as well as the hair, ankle and hand adornments that have earned her a following among Bollywood’s starriest. silvercentrre.com
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
12Sohel Lalvani – Armed with a wealth of retail experience and buoyed by the rapid success of toniQ (a women’s accessories label that he co-founded with his sister), designer Sohel Lalvani once again tapped into his entrepreneurial side in 2014 with ‘Brocode’, spotting a serious void for affordable, dapper men’s accessories in India. His hyper-cool knitted tie bars, effortlessly suave paisley print pocket squares, high drama bow ties and quirky necklaces have swaggered their way into the wardrobes of India’s hipsters and dandies. thebrocode.in
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
13Shilpa Chavan – With fascinator designs that are bold, daring, artsy, museum-worthy and, most importantly, wearable, Shilpa Chavan has firmly established herself as a biggie among the world’s top milliners. The Central Saint Martins-trained milliner learned the ropes interning at Philip Treacy’s in 2005, captivating runways and harmoniously juxtaposing colours, details and eccentricities in her headpieces. Fast forward to the current year, and her dominance on the Indian catwalk shows no sign of abating. notjustalabel.com
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12 Cutting-Edge Indian Designers To Know Now.
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