Menswear Gets A Twist

Right after his show at Paris Fashion Week, Bazaar India catches up with designer Kartik Kumra about his new collection and plans for the future.

- JISHNU BANDYOPADHYAY

Just hours after showcasing his Spring 2025 collection at Paris Fashion Week, designer Kartik Kumra exudes his usual calm. Far from a college project, Kartik Research is all grown up now. When asked how this collection was born, he dives right in, “The inspiration for this season was the election cycle and the sociopolitical flux. Governance and authoritarianism were constantly on my mind. I wanted to create something that offered a bit of escape and hope.” Over the past four months, Kumra immersed himself in documentaries about pilgrimages, analysing and observing the uniforms people wear on these journeys. “From the idea of uniforms,” he continues, “we also explored the concept of modern Indian workwear—what it means and where it’s headed.” Photographs and vintage documents spanning the Indian subcontinent filled his mood board. “There was a Quentin de Briey series on Ladakh, in particular, that really captivated me.”