Ritu Kumar is one the first fashion labels that India saw when this nascent industry was finding its feet in the country. While in college in the 1960s, Ritu Kumar happened to be in Serampore, a small village in West Bengal where she discovered a small colony of hand-block printers who were out of work. Ritu started an enterprise and gave those craftsmen new designs. She has many firsts to her credit in the Indian fashion industry. Amongst many, she was the first designer to get the Kantha craft from Bengal into high fashion craftsmanship.
Ritu Kumar is the proud recipient of the fourth highest civilian honour, the Padma Shri for her exceptional and distinguished service in the field of fashion, textile, and craftsmanship in 2013.
The veteran designer’s son, Amrish Kumar is the managing director and the creative director of the label and its sister brands. Amrish explains the brand’s corporate structure, “As we built more brands we also turned our focus toward a more contemporary design vocabulary. I have helmed the creative direction for all our brands in this journey. Mrs Ritu Kumar continues her work in design and is now focussed on projects which require deeper development. These tend to be textile revival areas where her skill and experience is unparalleled.”
The House of Ritu Kumar encapsulates sister brands. LABEL, the brand’s pret-a-porter line was launched in 2002, in 2019 Ritu Kumar Home was introduced and in 2021 Ritu Kumar launched ‘Aarke’.
The winter/festive 2022 collection from Ritu Kumar is created out of sophisticated textiles that is better explained by Amrish, “Textile sophistication comes from a period of research. It requires two processes. First, experimentation of prints, embroidery, warp/weft and so on. The second is the understanding of the inherent properties of the fibre and their ability to be moulded. Finally, the result evokes a sense of heritage and sophistication. Our aesthetics and the work of our teams pay obeisance to the age old narrative and art history of our country and its craft.”
La Dolce Vita by Ritu Kumar
Though the craftsmanship and textiles are rooted in tradition, the silhouettes have a blend of modernity. Amrish explains, “For its new collection, the brand has taken inspiration from Italian black and white glamour and infused it into its trademark heritage of Indian beauty. The signature craftsmanship allied with textile sophistication makes the season a gorgeous blend of these cultures. It has more fuss-free ensembles, dresses, deeper necklines, and flowing cuts – the outfits are classics that transcend time and trend.”
La Dolce Vita by Ritu Kumar
Lots of silk organza and velvet are used in the collection. The Wedding wear line includes occasional wear that includes ensembles for cocktail night, sangeet, traditional trousseau. We also see some easy-breezy kaftans, suits and coordinated sets. La Dolce Vita is elucidated further by Amrish as, “‘The Sweet Life’ is a collection of vintage romance with trappings of travel chic and destination weddings. Through the spirit of this collection, Ritu Kumar has created ensembles which resonate with the wardrobe essentials of a new-age bride. The latest collection has an array of ensembles, ranging from cocktail dresses to traditional wedding attire, all with a hint of new.”
In this collection we see the evolution of the brand with the changing times. The changing concerns of women in their relationship to their wardrobe is addressed by taking into consideration shifting climate, politics and norms of acceptability. The collection has pushed for the evolution of Indian crafts to integrate them into contemporary schemes of fashion. “La Dolce Vita collection is inspired from Italian black and white glamour that is infused with the trademark heritage of Indian beauty, making the season a gorgeous blend of these cultures,” adds Amrish Kumar.
Rich with embellishments using traditional zardozi and aari tikki embroideries, the beautiful collection uses handwoven silk Banarasi brocades. Traditional zardozi embroideries have been used alongside Rajasthani ‘gota’ embroidery to create contemporary styles.
Text by Jaydeep Ghosh
Image Courtesy: RI Ritu Kumar
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