Four emerging South Asian designers talk about the routes their practice is taking

When the designer Dhruv Bandil joined the MA Womenswear course at Central Saint Martins (CSM) in London, one of his course leaders told them that it was just a course and not to get caught up in the discourse around it. Wise advice for young designers, but in the larger fashion bubble the university has its lore of producing the best designers the industry has seen like Alexander McQueen, Phoebe Philo, and Craig Green—Dior’s Jonathan Anderson had his sights set on it until he was rejected. 

 

It’s also difficult to ignore its legacy of South Asian designers walking through its doors like Ashish, Gaurav Gupta, Akshat Bansal, and Kallol Datta. It’s a rigorous course where you’re propelled to delve deep into your identity, says Dhruv who is one among the new lifeblood emerging from the hallways of CSM. Bazaar India takes a look at four young South Asian designers who have recently graduated or are about to, and the routes their emerging design practice is taking.

KAI GHATTAURA (22, Menswear) AND TASNIM CHOWDHURY (23, Womenswear), MA Graduating

Class of 2026 

I catch friends Kai and Tasnim as they work on their precollection. They laugh recalling working together on an upcycling installation called ‘Pink Friday’, which is a design language that has continued in both their work. Kai says his work wouldn’t have turned out this way if he wasn’t in CSM. “Here, it’s about your vision, which is pushed to its maximum,” he asserts. “That’s why I think more ‘designers’ come out of here.”

Harper’s Bazaar: How was your time at Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton? 

Kai Ghattaura: We had placements at multiple fashion houses—I did six months at LV, three at Namacheko, and six months at Aaron Esh. That year I made a lot of friends and went out more, which incidentally inspired my work with clothes that are ripped or have a previous life, because I myself am not pristine or clean! I was working in the men’s textile accessories team for Pharrell’s first show at LV and it’s so interesting to have a celebrity as a creative director. The result—I think the whole team agreed—is a less stressful atmosphere.

HB: Tasnim, you worked with Priya Ahluwalia during placement year, who also upcycles. Is that why you chose to work with her? 

Tasnim Chowdhury: In my first and second year, with lockdown, I was thinking how I could use materials in my house. I found one of my grandma’s old saris and started looking at my family’s photo albums, and how the transition from South Asian clothing to Western clothing affected people who migrated from Bangladesh to London. I wanted to pay homage to that because coming from a tropical country to London, you feel you have to change the way you dress to fit in. So, I did a shirt project, where I dyed the clothes with avocado skin to bring out a mauve-pink colour. I layered it with organza that I had at my house, and I dyed it. At Ahluwalia, I learnt how to work with reusable materials for an entire collection and also incorporate culture in a genuine way.

HB: How does advocacy come to play in your work?

TC: When I did that pink shirt focusing on the demolishing of Banglatown or Brick Lane, I was feeling hopeless. It was my way of releasing my emotions. It’s the same with my BA collection—my sister joined the Arsenal Women’s Supporters club after stopping to play at thirteen, where she started advocating for more South Asian representation in football, which is a very British sport. The idea of being South Asian and being out of British culture. But with fast fashion, it’s almost like I don’t want anything to do with the industry. How can I go into the industry without causing more problems to people or the environment? KG: My garments are all made from naturally found materials—my accessories were made from sticks and scrap metal, which were then treated. I’m trying to recontextualise luxury—one of the jackets for my collection was made entirely out of Hessian, which is from jute, one of the cheapest fabrics. I don’t see it ever presented in fashion and is considered low class and undesirable. It’s a technique I developed using offcuts from the garment and hand-pulling them into the raw fibre to create this massive fur.

HB: How would you describe your design process? 

KG: I have a new process for my postgraduation. I don’t want to think about clothes for the next three months. I’m going to focus into developing this technique, as point of view is important before thinking about the end product. Because fashion is inherently selfish, why does this work need to exist? TC: I do a quick styling session with clothes I have at home. Recently, I was looking at jackets, shirts, and tie that my dad used to wear when he worked at a restaurant after he moved to the UK. I wanted to merge heavy silhouettes, like trench coat to a subtle fabric, like a sari. I made a brown shirt from an old sari.

HB: What are your plans after graduating? 

TC: I want to go into the industry. When I worked with Ahluwalia and at Lueder, both were into sustainability and thinking about what you stand for, which I admire. I will still be making my own stuff. KG: I’m planning on building a brand. I’ve never felt so bored by the industry. Building your own brand gives you a chance to have a positive impact on the industry and the planet— even at a small scale. I’m doing a show in September, and the funding is coming from external sponsors, not within fashion, which signals a more unexpected outcome.

JUDE BRAGANZA, 27, MA Womenswear

Class of 2025

Jude feels he was destined to be a designer. “As a kid I bullied my parents into buying me Barbies and I would wrap handkerchiefs around the dolls because I thought they weren’t glamorous enough,” he laughs. “I would also wrap around fabric and pretend I was a statue of a saint in a baroque church.” The designer, who initially forayed into commerce before design, adores Halston for his draping. Add to that the folklore-ish aura of cowboy boots and you have his MA collection. It’s not surprising he’s inspired by the likes of Pierre et Gilles, Vivienne Westwood, Margiela, and pop divas like Madonna and Lady Gaga, considering he enjoys stirring up the idea of “taste” through deconstruction where selvedge fabric is hand-stitched with intricate vintage lace.

HB: What was it like as a student in CSM? 

Jude Braganza: After upscaling my label—Matcha Pret— and releasing a collection, which got orders worldwide, I got the confidence to apply to CSM. It’s like an art village full of amazing creative people who you collaborate and build a community with. I made some amazing LCF friends, like James who’s modelled for me—he’s one of my muses. He has such a soft face, and an amazing attitude. That represents the Jude Braganza person—this sensitive person who appreciates grunge and rebellion.

HB: Your clothes exude the spirit of going out and partying—does that influence your work?

JB: It’s a very Goan thing to have a birthday celebration of a three-year-old kid, where the kid is fast asleep by 9pm and the party goes on till 3am. One of my grandmas with Irish-Scottish heritage had Catholic beliefs. She would talk about Our Lady of Lourdes with very demure, soft faced, white veiled images of Mary. My Goan side of family would talk about Our Lady of Vailankanni, and statues in the Baroque churches in Goa and Bombay. I have included both in my design, so with a white draped dress, there’ll be jewel tones and shimmery silks. It’s coexistence in a way.

HB: You’ve mentioned your Goan heritage propelled you to upcycle.

JB: Pieces have been done in zero-waste pattern so that least scraps are produced. In my Indo-Portuguese household of Goan immigrants, this culture of making do and still enjoying life is glamorous yet resourceful—that’s the definition of circular fashion. I’m always drawn to glamour and flowy materials like silk and satin that drape beautifully. Structure is added with thicker fabrics like jacquard and velvets. I’ve fallen in love with lace—there’s delicateness and sensuality.

HB: What makes you construct your garments in ways it moulds according to the body?

JB: I used to be a heavier person and was treated differently then. I make my garments size-inclusive as I want to make the world a better place for 2016 Jude—he didn’t get the love he deserved.

HB: In one of the looks in your MA collection, you converted the sleeves to ear flaps for headgear. Was the beading referring to flowers worn in front of the face in more North Indian weddings? 

JB: The beading was originally at the back of the dress, but I placed it near the jaw because it looked like canine teeth—dangerous and wonderfully strange. The bridal influences came from rage as I, as a queer person in India, was not allowed to marry, and was told multiple times that everybody will get married and forget about me. So, I subverted the trope of the bride to an androgynous person. The end-of-year collection came from a place of celebrating that non-conformity—so you’d have this ripped, men’s tanked top with a swirly organza dress draped around. Although I am a womenswear designer, I worked for menswear brands, and like playing with masculinity and femininity in my work.

HB: You are the first Indian to win the LVMH Grand Prix. How did it help you in your final year?

JB: Definitely helped me pay part of my student loan and gave me more breathing space to experiment. The encouragement from the mentors from the LVMH family gives you confidence to continue.

HB: You just graduated—what are your next steps?

JB: I can’t wait to work at a luxury fashion house, because I want to learn, so I have been job hunting. My pre-collection show for Mercedez-Benz fashion week in Prague, courtesy Harper’s Bazaar Prague, is coming up. A future dream involves reviving a fashion house that no longer exists like Halston or the couture side of a house like Christian Lacroix.

DHRUV BANDIL, 29, MA Womenswear,

Class of 2024

Bandil was working with artisans in his hometown in Morena, Madhya Pradesh, for his new collection when he picked up the call. The designer who graduated last year creating a psychedelic collection inspired by temple sculptures and Indian modern art, is spending his time between London and India.

HB: When did you realise you were interested in fashion? 

Dhruv Bandil: Being from a small town, we didn’t have knowledge about brands—fashion, for me, was rather related to expression. As a child, I used to dip T-shirts in paint and fold them into a block to colour walls—looks really cool.

HB: What made you choose CSM after NIFT? 

DB: I was so attached to CSM (laughs) that I only applied there for Womenswear. Otherwise, I wasn’t eager to do postgraduation. Before that, I worked with Manish Arora for a few years. Before CSM, I made the Threshold of Vrindavan Widows collection. I usually visit Vrindavan every three-four months. One day, I was helping a widow to her ashram, and we talked about how after a certain age they don’t feel relatable at home, so they come here to experience sisterhood. In the collection, I referred to how they were looking forward to merging with the almighty, so I used a lot of starburst images merging, in this structured silhouette with the material I developed.

HB: Considering how much you draw from art, did you visit a lot of museums in London? 

DB: I feel I’ve been to every museum multiple times. I was quite interested in Gerhard Richter and his ‘Cage’ series—it was on display at Tate, and I used to sit in that room for hours. I was inspired by Jamini Roy for his work ethic during his last years when he was painting 20 artworks a day, and how he took Kalighat pats and modified them for a global stage. During my MA collection, I highlighted jewellery in white over coloured garments—that’s how Roy used to do it.

HB: What materials do you like working with?

DB: Before going to CSM, I had a couple of free months, and I made a few sportswear for myself. I worked with a lot of jerseys. There was this fabric unit in Delhi, which was shutting down. I picked up everything I could. London has very limited shops with good fabrics, so I made everything, and every garment in the graduate collection has material which is dyed and embroidered. I produced the collection in two weeks! My flatmates and CSM friends from different courses were helping. Some people from NIFT who were in London, would help me out in the studio. What looks like a purple tie-dye pant, is a boiler suit tied around the waist, and we made it in a way that it looks like arms hanging around the pants.

HB: How did winning the L’Oreal Pro Creative Award help you? 

DB: Honestly, when I went to CSM, I wanted to win the award—and that goes for everyone. I was listening to people discussing it since the first month, and they were guessing who might showcase at LFW this year. This is quite a competitive course because only half of the people get to showcase their collection in the graduating show and they award one person. So, it was quite a selfassuring moment for me to win, and be recognised by Katie Grand and Sarah Mower for my work. It helps you monetarily as well.

HB: What are you working on currently and what are your plans for the future? 

JB: I have my own collection ready. I never sketch in the beginning, otherwise you’re just too linear—it’s more about exploring what could work together and then coming up with a collection. It’s an extension of the previous collection but with more details and energy. I am inspired by streetwear. In my last collection, I exaggerated the laces in shoes.

This article first appeared in the August-September 2025 issue of Harper's Bazaar India 

Lead image: Dhruv Bandil; All images: Courtesy Kal Ghattaura, Tasnim Chowdhury, Jude Braganza, and Dhruv Bandil
 

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