Indian designers who know how to build a global presence that lasts

As the world wakes up to India and its incomparable craft prowess, it has created a bridge for homegrown brands to make grand international crossovers. The buzziest phrase in Indian fashion right now? Going global. 

Blueprints are all around us: Rahul Mishra holding court on the Paris Couture Week calendar, Gaurav Gupta dressing the likes of Beyoncé and Cardi B, Sabyasachi outselling international brands at stores abroad, and Manish Malhotra’s Dubai takeover.

So far, so good. But the real test is in cultivating the staying power. “Going global can have many iterations, it’s a loaded conversation,” says Anjali Patel Mehta, Founder, Verandah—a conscious resort wear that was last spotted on the cast of cult social satire, The White Lotus. “Are you looking for commercial or editorial success? What’s the category you want to target? Who is your customer? These are important questions to address. It can’t be just PR; you should have something to show for—actual deals, partnerships, and collaborations. Otherwise, it’s all just smoke and mirrors,” adds the designer whose retail presence spans 100 stores, including the likes of Bergdorf Goodman in New York and Joseph in London.

Artisanal clothing brand Kartik Research’s accelerated ascent has made its founder, Kartik Kumra, something of an industry wonder boy—a label he started in the pandemic while still at the University of Pennsylvania, now has a standalone store in New York, shows at Paris Men’s Fashion Week, and is the LVMH Prize 2023 semi-finalist. “It started organically, but making intentional decisions as we grew helped,” Kumra shares. “Some think it’s [global success] just about finding the right agent or paying for PR, but those come way down the line. You have to show a real commitment to what you are pushing. Without imposing yourself on an existing scene, you have to contribute to it.” For Kumra, that means working with Indian craft clusters to rethink heritage with newness. The result has been clothes that everyone—from menswear e-store Mr Porter to rapper Kendrick Lamar—wants. 

MAKING CRAFT RELEVANT 

“You have to make something interesting from the techniques that you have access to,” says Kumra. “With our handmade element, there is always some degree of variation that our partner stores now expect, and use as a selling point.” Fifteen years ago, péro’s Aneeth Arora started on her journey to showcase the finesse of Indian craftsmanship abroad. “But it doesn’t need to scream traditional or ethnic,” reminds Arora. Her inimitable, whimsical take has found her brand a place in over 200 stores globally, collaborations with London’s iconic Liberty Fabrics and Hello Kitty, as well as a unique stronghold in Japan.

Dhruv Kapoor, who showcased at Milan Fashion Week-Womenswear last month, reinterpreted foundational Indian clothing like vests and petticoats into borderless, modern styles through his collection. Kapoor has always looked at craft as propulsion into current and future-thinking contexts. “Over-exoticising, and presenting India as a monolith of heritage rather than pushing fresh ideas,” is Kapoor’s pet peeve. “Global audiences appreciate heritage when it is translated into contemporary language. If it feels like a costume, it will alienate them.” 

SYSTEM RESET 

Craft interpretations aside, its inadequacy to fulfil consignments has historically given Indian brands a bad rap with some global partners. “Indian brands are notorious for not delivering the same quality as their samples, sending incorrect sizing or falling behind on timelines,” admits Arora. This is why Kapoor warns about the trap of expanding too fast, without building internal systems first. “It’s simply not enough to showcase internationally; you need supply chains, PR, and customer service that can scale,” he insists.

Kumra learnt this along the way, as he “started off as very wholesale heavy, which can mess up your cash flow.” Moving from wholesale partnerships to direct-to-consumer is all about timing. Mehta had to “go from zero to 100 overnight,” following big orders from Moda Operandi and Neiman Marcus soon after she launched in 2017. “I was scrambling for two years and—selling out of suitcases while running between New York, Paris, and Miami.” She went back to the drawing board during the pandemic, and relaunched Verandah with a more intentional approach in 2022—a strong infrastructure, production capacity, quality checks, and customer care firmly in place. “PR and storytelling are great, but having a solid backend is the first order of operating in a global market,” she adds. 

As in saying no to stores and PR requests that don’t align with your long-term vision. “Don’t sacrifice your brand’s messaging for short-term gains,” feels Kumra. For some brands, that could mean skipping the mom-and-pop exhibition route and focusing on international trade shows instead. It’s what served Arora well. Season after season, she ensured the brand was present at these shows that take place parallel to fashion weeks in key fashion capitals. “It’s ideal to travel to maximise ‘fashion month’, without skipping seasons. Yes, it’s a big investment, but this kind of consistency leads to visibility,” Arora says. This is where nifty budget planning comes in, too. “Don’t allocate all your budget into a single activation— divide it throughout the year, and scale gradually to avoid mismanagement of funds or a creative burnout,” advises Kapoor.

CREATING CULTURAL CACHE

While sales sustain the business on foreign shores, for Kapoor, it’s a by-product of creating a cultural dialogue. Whether it’s through one’s designs or the experiences they create for their audience abroad. Such as Lovebirds’ community dinner in London after Delhi, or Sabyasachi recreating his maximalist grazing tables and rooted celebrations in Los Angeles, London, and New York. 

Ultimately, what does your brand stand for? What does it say about where you’re from, and more importantly, where you want to go? That is an ongoing conversation. And it’s one that needs to fuel a brand’s global aspirations. As Kapoor says, “Cultural impact should be the real focus. If our work is resonating with audiences beyond borders, sparking conversation, and being worn in contexts we didn’t anticipate, that’s real success.”

All images: The brands

This article was originally published in the November 2025 print edition of Harper's Bazaar India
 

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