Six female South Asian designers rethinking everyday dressing
From Paris to Boston, these female founders from the Indian diaspora design for women like themselves, with tailoring, craft and wardrobes made for the truly jetsetting
Working with upcycled fabrics from LVMH-owned Nona Source, Rescha Paris fuses the sensual, razor-sharp tailoring of French fashion with the colors, textures and craft of India. Founded by Indo-French designer Charlotte Chowdhury — who worked at Jacquemus and Grace Wales Bonner, and grew up between Kolkata and Paris — the label's muse is a woman at the extremity of straddling two cultures. Its latest collection, inspired by textile specialist Krishna Riboud, was showcased off-schedule during Paris Men's Fashion Week. The brand is best known for signature knit and beaded bras, sheer micro-sequinned skirts, mohair jacquard sweaters, raw silk bomber jackets and bindi-embroidered bags.
Launched earlier this year with an off-schedule capsule presentation during Paris Fashion Week, Kanika Agarwal's eponymous brand is a tour de force of elevated staples. Having grown up in New Delhi and studied in New York and Paris, Agarwal cut her teeth in the tailoring ateliers of Yves Saint Laurent under Anthony Vaccarello. A masterful tailor, her work draws inspiration from the pared-back serenity of Maharani Gayatri Devi and Mohammed Ali Jinnah. The result is a wardrobe made entirely in India comprising navy woollen coats, unisex jackets with silk-satin linings, silk dresses with floral beadwork, melton capes and georgette tops with flutter sleeves. Essentials for a woman who invests in bespoke pieces built to last.
Imagine a night out in Paris in the winter: a woman of color, in a blue-knit sweater with brazen mirrorwork, paired with the sheerest tinted stockings and cinched at the waist with an organza cummerbund, makes her way back home from the club. That’s the Gundi Studios’ muse. Founded by creative director Natasha Sumant in New York City in 2019, Gundi Studios says they celebrate the misfits and outsiders of society. Drawing inspiration from Indian craft traditions like zardozi and beading, and working with bold, inventive silhouettes, the label creates quirky everyday staples that can be styled for any occasion. Its Spring-Summer '27 collection, presented in October at the label's new Marais store, took inspiration from American art collector Peggy Guggenheim. The result: richly clashing textures, including knitted dresses embroidered with conch shells, bandhani skirts in sheer organza, and draped chanderi and eri silk tops sourced, woven and dyed in India.
Few South Asian-origin brands today are working around sustainable textile innovation like Arth Atelier. Founded in Boston by Tamanna Mullen, the label is built on the dual foundation of craft and sustainability, working entirely with regenerative fibres and fully traceable supply chains. Working with chikankari and aari craft clusters, its latest Fall collection brings structured blazers and wide-leg trousers alongside soft embroidered knits in earthy oatmeal and grey, lifted by powder pink and delicate blue. A standout is a layered apron top in experimental banana fibre, a biodegradable, vegan alternative to silk, joined by organic wool cardigans with aari work and hand-pleated twill windbreakers.
Founded in 2023 by couple Aditi Sahoo and Kewal Gala, from New Delhi and Mumbai respectively, Margene grew from a bond over shared backgrounds as students at Central Saint Martins. Having worked at storied houses like Phoebe Philo, Burberry, JW Anderson and Marc Jacobs, the London-based ready-to-wear label makes wardrobes built to stand the test of time. Rooted in experimental design elements — think sculptural flyaway collars, jersey tanks draped like dupattas and shredded-organza embroideries on sandals and bandeaus — the brand takes its name from the extra seam allowance built into Savile Row garments.
Indian-American designer Sheena Sood’s Brooklyn-based label Abacaxi brings a technicolor sensibility to everyday dressing, drawing on her Indian roots, a background in visual art and a fascination with textiles gathered on her travels around the world. Think acid-bright tie-dye, reversible jackets, wrap skirts and playful Y2K-inspired silhouettes, punctuated with Indian craft techniques like mirrorwork, embroidery and 3D beading. Working with artisans across India, Peru and Mexico, Sood combines traditional handcraft with a distinctly contemporary, globally minded wardrobe. Sustainability and versatility are central to the label, with plant-dyed fabrics, regenerative cotton and adaptable designs that can be worn in multiple ways.
