Fashion didn’t always feature in designer Ritu Kumar’s future plans. In the 1960s, when post-colonial India was still reeling from a near 150-year-long freeze on its crafts, Kumar, a student of art history and museology, happened to stumble upon a cluster of out-of-work craftsmen in Serampore, a small village in West Bengal. “They specialised in hand-block printing with a repertoire of Indian designs that were already appropriated by England. These designs were being replicated in Lancashire and sent back to India, while the Indian craftsmen were left destitute,” says Kumar. The chance encounter not only resulted in the fashion veteran’s first set of saris which sold out of a grocery store in Kolkata—India, at the time, had no retail infrastructure in place—but also ignited a life-long love for the country’s textile traditions. 

Since then, Kumar, who is often credited with setting the wheels of the Indian fashion industry in motion, has gone on to build a burgeoning empire that comprises five brands and over 90 stores, received countless accolades including the Padma Shri award, and firmly put India’s crafts on the global map—her list of patrons has included the late Princess Diana and her creations have made it to international runways as well as the windows of Bergdorf Goodman and Saks Fifth Avenue in New York. With the most iconic works from her archives on display at ‘India in Fashion: The Impact of Indian Dress and Textiles on the Fashionable Imagination’, the revered designer recounts how her journey, which spans over five illustrious decades, has always been about honouring India’s artisanal heritage. 

How would you describe your aesthetic and its evolution over the years?
I don’t think it’s as much about my personal aesthetic as it is about borrowing from the aesthetics of Indian textiles. What used to happen earlier is that every discipline had a distinct geographic location where it was practised and sold, and there was very little or no intermingling between the techniques of weaving, printing or embroidery. My contribution has been to amalgamate a variety of crafts and to put them into shapes and bodies, which are modern and accessible to the younger population of this nation. 

What inspires you?
The one thing that has continued to inspire me is the richness and diversity of Indian textiles and the fact that the country has had a history of being the supplier of sophisticated textile goods to the world. It was not only to Europe, which we constantly keep hearing about, but Africa, Southeast Asia, Japan and America. There was an alchemy in the colours, and a way of growing cotton and silk, which was very special to our country. I still don’t think I have discovered it all. 

What drew you to block printing? What are some of the other crafts that you’ve loved working with?
I was introduced to the world of handicrafts and textiles in this country through block printing.
From then on it has been a never-ending journey. Our land has thousands of different techniques and handwritings. I have enjoyed working with various crafts such as zardozi, phulkari, amli, kalabattun, folk embroidery, chikankari and more. The beauty is that all of these techniques, in one way or another, draw inspiration from our deep-rooted culture, art, tradition and nature. 

How do you continue to celebrate the country’s crafts while catering to the needs of today’s consumers? What are the challenges you’ve faced when presenting crafts in a contemporary light?
Anything done by hand has always been appreciated and there will always be a place for crafts. You just have to make sure that your collection is created in such a manner that it does justice to the richness and heritage. In India, however, this is not going to be difficult. One can use different fabrics and shapes to modernise the craft, but its intrinsic beauty will always stay. Additionally, I don’t think presenting crafts in a contemporary light is a one-time challenge. As countries grow and populations change, the challenge will continue to exist. 

But India has had a remarkable ability to customise for the whole world whether it’s Tehran, Europe or Japan. We can customise so easily because we are very open to borrowing. What I borrow is perhaps from the millennials—the younger generation looks for different shapes and fabrics but not the aesthetics of any other culture. So, if you mould our crafts and put them together in a way that’s appealing, they will always stay relevant. 

How has the fashion industry changed since you launched your brand? And what has stayed constant?
When I started, there was no fashion industry. In the early years of my life, I worked as a journalist, and I happened to cover the fashion shows in Paris for the Times of India. That’s when I realised that it had absolutely no contextual support in India. However, the country had its own sense of fashion. We were a new generation, fresh out of the independence movement, and I was a part of the very few who went out into the open to reinstate a feeling of identity in Indian apparel. Then came the ‘70s and the ‘80s where there was a little bit of exposure, but fashion shows were still very rare. In the ‘90s, India caught up and we began understanding how the West sold its fashion. Designing the Miss India wardrobes was a very good tool to have to promote crafts, and I did this for almost 20 years. 

Today, I think India has come full circle. Currently, we have a strong fashion handwriting from our own fashion designers for our own population. It’s a phenomenon that has not occurred in any other part of the world because most cultures have given in and adopted a mere Western way of clothing. It’s remarkable that our cycle of fashion follows our traditions and even the climate. We are the only country that wears about 15 to 16 different shades of white depending upon where it comes from. We are also the only country which still clings to unstitched garments, either on their own or layered with other pieces. It’s very special and I’m proud to be a part of it. 

What’s the secret to retaining a brand’s relevance for several decades?
A brand normally is created by a handwriting. That handwriting can start with a paragraph, translate into an essay, further into a chapter and then into a book as well. But essentially the handwriting remains the same even if it takes on many diverse disciplines. If you are true to your handwriting, you will automatically be relevant in what you’re producing.

‘India in Fashion: The Impact of Indian Dress and Textiles on the Fashionable Imagination’

is curated by British author, journalist and costume expert Hamish Bowles, and designed by Patrick Kinmonth with Rooshad Shroff. The exhibit will be on view at Pavilion 1, Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre, Mumbai, until June 4, 2023.