Return to the Runway

The OG of Indian fashion, Ritu Kumar, showed at India Couture Week 2023, reiterating a five-decadelong commitment to Indian craft and textiles

- Geetika Sachdev

The grand matriarch of Indian fashion, Ritu Kumar is currently basking in the adulation of her recent showcase ‘The OG’ at India Couture Week (ICW) 2023. Her return to the runway at ICW after a decade-long hiatus is not just another appearance—it is a testament to her relentless pursuit of reviving Indian textile and craft over five decades.

However, Kumar isn’t too pleased with the word ‘comeback’. Her outings on the ramp, lately, may be far and few, but the veteran fashion designer has been at the forefront of haute couture much before it became a part of India’s vocabulary. “Couture in India translates to bridal wear and party clothes, which we have been designing right from our inception in the 1960s. There have also been fewer couture shows. This was the right time for us to showcase our collection on the runway,” says the Padma Shri awardee.

‘The OG’ is a fitting tribute to Kumar’s design journey that began as a young student of art history and museology in the 1960s. While most of her creations feature modern, contemporary styling, techniques like zardozi kasab embroidery and Kashmir’s kashida work continue to take centre stage. For showstopper-actor Aditi Rao Hydari, an exquisite lehenga paired with a timeless Gazal jacket hand embroidered with gold