A New Silhouette

In November 2025, the runway show celebrating 150 years of Mayo College in Ajmer was distinctly different.

- -Benu Joshi Routh

Ritwik Khanna (26)

Creative director, Rkive City

Conceived by alumnus Ritwik Khanna’s research and design house Rkive City, which specialises in the revival of post-consumer textile waste, it reimagined discarded school uniforms and archival materials into new garments: Pachranga double-pleated shorts were reimagined from end-of-life sun-faded tents sourced from the school storerooms. Reworked patina coins served as buttons on jackets and trench coats, and reclaimed brass keys were repurposed as bow tie pins. Additionally, old sweatshirts were reconstructed as sports blazers, featuring back embroidery in zari threads representing the Mayo College crest.

The pieces, which blended heritage with reconstruction, evoked nostalgia among alumni, students, teachers, and parents. Amid loud cheers, the show received a standing ovation and rave reviews.

Khanna has always known and valued what it takes to be a maker. He traces his origins to Amritsar, an industrial textile town, where his grandfather was in the dyeing business and his father owned a weaving unit creating special blends of cashmere and wool for scarves and shawls. His early life, though, included exposure to the darker side of manufacturing: "As a child, while visiting the dyeing unit with masks on, I would always question why the workers were knee-deep in chemicals, which clearly was not good for them."