ritu kumar design philosophy

Everything about Ritu Kumar is fiercely Indian. Mainly, after decades of having nobody to answer to but herself, Kumar has now saddled herself with other stakeholders. SINCE 2014, SHE along with son Amrish Kumar (now CEO of Ritu Kumar) focussed on expanding reach and depth. But, as Tahiliani says, You cannot judge her [Kumar] just by the size of her business because as the first great revivalist designer of our times, shes had the most impact and is a person driven by a very different purpose of craft and morenot just numbers.. Since the company was built on patronage of craftspeople, it has made a significant impact in creating employment in underdeveloped areas. A lot lies behind this growth spurt, but chief among the reasons is a Rs 100 crore infusion that happened because the Kumars sold a stake in their company to Everstone Capital in 2014. Kumar also has far fewer stores65 to Dongres 291. To go with this campaign, she has started a line of clothing known as The Revivalist. Chevalier des arts et des letters (knight of the order of arts and letters) is a prestigious award that has been bestowed on Ritu Kumar by the French Government for her revival of traditional crafts. In the last six months alone, there has been an aggressive push to grow, with eight new franchise appointees in places as diverse as Dubai, Mauritius, Siliguri, Ghaziabad, Guwahati, and Vadodara. India has so many crafts and textiles that we are spoilt for choice!. Equally, the Ritu Kumar tag is what Kumar is banking on to draw customers to her other two brands, Ri and Label. Label is the breakout, catering to a more modern aesthetic with clothing that includes T-shirts, embellished bomber jackets, and jumpsuits. Not only has she made a lasting impression on the fashion scape, but has also kept the ball rolling, setting new benchmarks along the way. She has a background in art history and museology. Think of it like this. Her brand Ritu Kumar has been actively trading in India as well as Europe since 1970. To succeed as employers of the future, leaders will need to walk the talk and pivot their business model and organisational design in time. She has been credited with the ushering of the boutique culture in India. Since Ritus company was founded on the patronage of craftsmen, the company has played an instrumental role in providing jobs to people living in the undeveloped areas of India. Most recently, she was awarded the Achievement Award at the Loreal Paris Femina Women's Awards. Crafting everyday luxury transmitted, cached or otherwise used, except with the prior written permission of Verve magazine. Step into any Indian wedding, or formal event, and almost everyone will be dressed in traditional outfits. Every time I go into a textile area, it is an adventure and a discovery. The designer discovered Ranihatis embroiders in the early 1970s living in the outskirts of Calcutta and provided them with a workspace in their own native environment making them more comfortable while they work. And where is that store today, I ask, hoping to go there and feel some of the history. Hes growing new sales channels for it while pushing the needle on marketing and brand-building. Ri seems to be more niche positioning than anything; its the bridal line of Ritu Kumar. It would be weird if we saw things the same way.. She has started a series of video campaigns called Beautiful Hands, based out of Kolkata, which garners support for indigenous craftsmen and their crafts. A self-described art history student who began her adventure as a textile researcher, Kumar is aware that she is widely acknowledged as being the pioneer of womens fashion in India. To verify, just follow the link in the message. With a democratic design philosophy, Label focuses on the quality of the fabrics and getting younger minds into the collections. Your Email id is required to create a new Ritu Kumar online account. Check your child's IQ: How many ladders are needed to reach the top? Kumar is often described as the torchbearer of the revival movement and she lives up to the title whether the results are commercially viable or otherwise. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, YouTube & Instagram to never miss an update from Fortune India. Today her brand has grown to retail through ninety three stores across the country. Ritu Kumar for Padma Shri Award 2013 (Image: idiva). An impressive number of winners have emerged from amongst these contestants putting India on the beauty map. Ritu Kumars list of patrons includes the whos who of India. Then a rookie in the fashion world (he had just returned from Paris where he had studied fashion designing for two years), Rodricks remembers being fascinated by Kumars Tree of Life show, which included the history and technique of crafts like kalamkari and chikankari. And what about the woman causing so much talk? On the one hand, theres Western designer wear, which comes with a somewhat alien aesthetic. (A classic Ritu Kumar outfit could cost anything from Rs 3,000 to Rs 25,000, while Ri bridal wear starts at Rs 25,000 or so and goes up to close to Rs 5 lakh. We believed the time was right for the company to move to a faster growth model, says Kumar. For instance, we did veer towards getting completely western for a while. Ask her what skills she admires and she waxes eloquent about the embroidery of Varanasi and the handprinted block designs of Bengal. (Unlike fashion shows these days, which are largely 15 minutes of loud music and movie stars, shows then ran for as much as 90 minutes.) We serve personalized stories based on the selected city, What to do when your partner keeps talking about your ex, Love Capsule: How the return of my school crush made me lose my true love, Dhanush and Aishwaryaas relationship timeline, Daddy issues: The unspoken trauma in relationships, Zodiac signs who are the most supportive colleagues, Here's what Jennifer Lopez eats for her breakfast, lunch and dinner, Coronavirus: New sign of Omicron's BA.5 subvariant in those vaccinated or boosted; can be 'extremely painful', I have never been to a gym and I dont use equipment to workout, reveals Milind Soman, Dementia: THESE lifestyle habits can help to reduce your risk, according to study, Coronavirus: Study finds smoking increases risk of death from COVID, Nutritionist shares astonishing health benefits of bananas. The videos catalogue the behind-the-scenes of Ritu Kumars collections i.e. She has also been bestowed with the prestigious award of "Chevalier des arts et des lettres" by the French government. From these humble beginnings, she has transcended to owning 35 high-end stores across 14 cities in the country. A weekly guide to the biggest developments in health, medicine and wellbeing delivered to your inbox. A Ritu Kumar piece, in many ways, is a state of mind. Her more recent line of clothing caters to the contemporary Indian woman, her inspiration draws on Indias fashion heritage meeting the changing needs of the new generation. Her product offerings include couture as well as formal prt accessories. Her idols are freedom fighter and socialist reformer Kamaladevi Chattopadhyay and cultural activist Pupul Jayakar. She invited some designers, but says the only one who came for it was Ritu Kumar. Several international celebrities have also worn and praised her work. Categories: Fashion Cults, Fashion Designers, Tags: Indian fashion designers, Ritu Kumar, 2003-2022 Utsavpedia All rights reserved | AN INITIATIVE BY UTSAV FASHION, http://www.ritukumar.com/rk-suits/classic-suits. That means needing to have an eye firmly on profit and margins. Her campaign, Beautiful Hands, encourages the purchase of garments and accessories that showcase ethnic Indian styles of embroidery. Her background in art history and museology has inspired her line of clothing designs and ensembles. Claimed to be the first designer to introduce boutique culture in India, Ritu Kumar is one of Indias finest fashion designers. From a foosball table handcrafted by Princess Margarets son to sunglasses with a ruby teardrop, and cufflinks with every colour of the rainbow, here are some of the most precious curios. Shes the first to have done pret bridal wear; to bring craft to the cities; she is an inspiration. Rodricks echoes that. Since 1969, it has developed a unique style of its own, reflecting the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship in a contemporary vocabulary. Yet sensibilities steeped in Indian design, ethnic wear and womens wear run deep. Uncheck box to unsubscribe from receiving Emails & SMS on latest promotions, styling tips, trends & SALE offers. Sample some of the differences. We are now working on an Ikat revival which is coming in another year., Notes and anecdotes In many ways, that defines Ritu Kumar the designer. Dongre gives full credit to Kumar. Required field are marked*. The necessity to be fresh does not wash away the desire to revisit the grassroots. He says that Kumar, when she started out, was the only woman addressing the practicalities of what other women want as opposed to men catering to womens fantasies. In the past couple of years, they have added manpower (eight management-level professionals, including the COO and head of online business), upgraded processes, expanded to 65 stores (from 34 before), and boosted revenue by an average of 25% annually to Rs 200 crore this year. Ritus business started from humble beginnings and it is amazing to see where her handwork and determination has landed her today. Designer Wendell Rodricks recalls the first Ritu Kumar fashion show he attended in the late 1980s, in Mumbais Fort district. Im a designer of textiles. Obviously shes way more than thatbut Im not going to argue with the first lady of Indian fashion. Mehta underlines his point by saying that any large city would have its share of Ritu Kumar stores because, despite the changes sweeping across the country, India is still conservative in terms of what is deemed appropriate for young women to wear. Tahiliani is not the only designer with Kumar tales. The premise of this clothing line is to resurrect traditional Indian crafts and integrate them into mainstream fashion. She lived in Delhi later where she graduated in 1964 from the Lady Irwin College. The material on this site may not be reproduced, distributed, ETimes is an Entertainment, TV & Lifestyle industry's promotional website and carries advertorials and native advertising. Recipient of the Padma Shri Award in 2013, Ritu Kumar as a brand appeals to many patrons who are avidly interested in ancient arts and crafts molded into contemporary fashion items. Whether it has to do with expanding her retail network, creating brands to appeal to different sections, or knowing when to say yes to smart money, Kumar has managed to sew together a pretty solid outfit . She has been working with the craftsmen in Kolkata since the beginning. The store will not work correctly in the case when cookies are disabled. Pretty much everybody who is anybody has worn a Ritu Kumar; that includes royalty from India and the world (Princess Diana included), Miss India contestants, film and theatre personalities, and many more besides. Fashion, says Kumar, is almost organic. And thats why a Ritu Kumar piece is different things to different people; it could be a block-printed saree, a satin lehenga, or a ghagra with zardozi embroidery. In 1998, she received two awards; the Outstanding Women Entrepreneur Award by PHD Chamber of Commerce and the National Institute of Fashions Lifetime Achievement Award. The problem with the Ritu Kumar brand is that its not a big draw for the younger crowd. Her contemporary spin on traditional designs have been smartly incorporated into silhouettes that are fresh and reinvented with every season. After decades of revivalism, countless seasons on the runways and unforgettable trend-setting statements, Ritu Kumar is still set on fashion domination. I had never met her personally before that but she was still encouraging, supportive, recalls Dongre. Shes exactly what the Ritu Kumar brand is about. Kaur is inherently Indian in her background and upbringing, but is also a name in the American entertainment world, where she has found roles in shows such as Homeland. In 2000, she was awarded the Kingfisher Group of Industries Lifetime Achievement Award. One of them is the Padma Shri Award she received in 2013 for her distinguished services to the Indian fashion industry. She is one of the pioneers of Indian fusion garments and has thus been honored with many prestigious awards and accolades. The thing about a Ritu Kumar outfit is that its classic to the point where you can wear it to your own wedding, someone elses wedding, as well as at your daughters wedding, says Zaveri. The discerning connoisseur is asking tough questions about how responsibly luxury products are manufactured, leaving brands little choice but to embrace sustainable practices. Her business was set up in a small village close to Kolkata in 1960 with a few block printers and two tables. Preferring to work with fabrics like silk, cotton, and leather, Ritu Kumars outfits are stunning in their richness, elegance, and intricacy of embroidery. The company sources the finest fabrics and craftsmanship from across the country thereby reviving great textile skills and providing employment to hundreds of artisans. For the best experience on our site, be sure to turn on Javascript in your browser. In 2002, Ritu launched her companys sub brand called LABEL in partnership with her son Amrish Kumar which targeted the foreign and local fashion markets alike with their traditional yet contemporary fashion oriented outfits. From that tiny room in Defence Colony to 65 stores spread across the country (with a couple abroad as well), from four or five block-printers in Calcutta and one designer (Kumar herself) to more than a dozen designers in the country plus more from abroad, from one eponymous label to three Kumar has left her mark on Indian fashion.Over the years, she has also collected many awards, including the Padma Shri. Ritu was also awarded the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini for her contribution to the field of fashion. Our target audience is increasing. But if the designer name is big enough, there are takers despite prohibitive price tags. I see myself as an editor of new collections, she says. Except, says the inimitable Ritu Kumar, it all started in a one-room makeshift store in an apartment near a railway crossing in 1969. Almost 20 years into the new millennium, the Padma Shri awardee finds her pride of place in the wardrobes of not just the young who live on bite-sized, Insta-friendly fashion notes, but the style-wise as well who like to have fun with fashion, with a contemporary aesthetic thats firmly rooted in the sartorial legacy of the parent brand.

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