Kartik Research Spring 2025 Menswear Collection

“Building a brand around cultural identity can be dangerous.” Kartik Kumra was in a reflective mood during a showroom appointment after his runway debut at Paris Fashion Week.

Kumra was studying economics at the University of Pennsylvania when he founded Kartik Research, then called Karu Research, in 2020. The idea then was to offer one-off pieces created in collaboration with or showcasing Indian craftsmanship. There were other brands, especially in the United States, in the same aesthetic space, but Delhi-born Kumra could offer the real thing. These were not replicas of traditional kantha textiles or Indian embroideries, which have become commonplace in luxury and contemporary menswear over the past decade; they came from the source. “Everything you see here has no electricity in the fabric production process,” Kumra said. “Every fabric you see was produced by someone else. I have all these guys on my WhatsApp.

Kumra was a semi-finalist for the 2023 LVMH Prize and participated in the official menswear calendar of Paris Fashion Week in January. His first catwalk show this season was followed by a presentation. Kartik Research is now available at 52 stores including Mr. Porter, SSENSE, Dover Street Market Paris and Selfridges. For someone who built a label based on instinct rather than industry connections, Kumra is doing quite well for itself.

“I was an enthusiast, I resold things and all that, and when I went to DSM as more of a fan, my main comment was: why is there no Indian brand here?” Kumra scaled his business slowly but deliberately. Spring 2025 is his seventh collection, “but the fourth real season,” he said. He works on two collections per year plus two exclusive Mr. Porter capsules. He has gained a legion of fans, especially in New York, for his relaxed proportions and impeccable looks. This is the kind of clothing – slow fashion, artisan-made, refined but not pretentious, and, let’s face it, with a good backstory – that menswear heads search the world (and the internet) for.

What has changed since his college days with the growth of his business, says Kumra, is his sense of responsibility. After his presentation in January, he was invited as a young entrepreneur to a dinner with ministers of the Indian cabinet. The evening provided some self-reflection: “There was no real pressure when I was a small brand, but we are the only Indian brand on this platform,” said Kumra. “It’s a responsibility to maybe not be so romantic with our stories.” So far, the direction at Kartik Research has included shooting lookbooks in dreamy palaces and “tapping into the tropes of India,” but Kumra now understands that while his culture is integral to his identity and that of his label, he can also be broader in its interpretation. and portrayal, especially as his brand continues to grow globally. “This time I looked a lot at documentary photographers, the uniforms of local craftsmen, and studied religious pilgrimages,” he said.