Few designers in India boast the kind of national presence and timeless appeal of Ritu Kumar. Her eponymous label is one of the most renowned brands in the country—known for its delicately embellished Indian wear, western wear influenced by an Indian aesthetic, and home décor created with the classic richness of Indian crafts. Since 1969, Ritu Kumar’s label has developed a unique style of its own, strongly reflective of its Indian heritage while using a contemporary vocabulary to spread its message. Her knowledge of design and innovative use of traditional crafts have put her in a class of her own.
With a distinctive use of colours, high quality fabrics, intricate embroideries and ethnic appeal, the brand has grown to over 90 retail stores across the country along with offering worldwide shipping. These include stores that sell the designer’s traditional line, the modern and stylish Label Ritu Kumar for Western trendy pieces and the distinctive Ritu Kumar Home for interiors. Ritu Kumar’s charter involves pushing boundaries and forging alliances with talented designers across the world to create a unique and sophisticated product that caters to a wide range of clientele.
For its latest offering, Amrish Kumar, Managing Director and Creative Director of Ritu Kumar, has launched aarké on 25 March. He says this reasonably priced collection is, “rooted in tradition fused with a modern spirit and is meant for every woman that dresses with Indian sensibilities.” Essentially, aarké caters to women looking for affordable designer wear for daily use. Conceptualised and envisioned by Amrish Kumar, the foundations of aarké are based on their strong design team and the core sensibilities of the brand. Aiming to ensure quality, credibility and affordability, this collection includes kurtas, kurtis, dresses, suit-sets, tops and bottoms, to fit the various needs of multi-tasking urban women.
“An aarké woman for us is one that lives in the moment yet is rooted in Indian sensibilities, is a multi-tasker, and someone who does not shy away from stating her preferences in what she wears. With aarké we aim to reach a wider audience for whom design, quality and a sensible price point are of utmost importance,” explains Kumar.
Kumar is a second-generation entrepreneur, who was tasked with the challenge to grow an already successful ‘boutique’ business, into a pan-India women’s apparel company with brands spanning global fashion, Indian contemporary and Indian couture brands. Over the years, he has developed the infrastructure and functional verticals of India’s only designer wear brand which produces at scale. He also helms the brand building and marketing of Ritu Kumar and all its verticals. After successfully raising funds from Everstone Capital in 2013, Kumar took on the role of CEO, and became responsible for the day-to-day operations of the brand across multiple functions which included design, supply chain, e-commerce and operations.
In the last five years, the company has grown from strength to strength across India while consistently expanding the brands’ online presence in key markets of USA, UK and the Middle East to become one of the most recognized women’s fashion apparel brands in the world. Simultaneously, Kumar has successfully transformed the company from a largely promoter-run set-up into an institutionalized, professionally run organization while driving innovations and winning accolades along the way. Kumar’s efforts have been recognized by the Economic Times which named him one of India’s Top 40 under 40 at the prestigious India Inc.’s Business Leaders Awards 2018.
Kumar has now launched aarké, which aims to bridge the gap between designer wear and accessible price points. Inspired by the ‘magical smell of rain, flowers, a quiet nook where a whimsical woman resides adorned with kohl and silver jewellery’; the creations of aarké have a distinctively earthy appeal.
Produced in India and made with natural fibres, the brand offers a multitude of designs at competitive prices, and provides the perfect wardrobe solution for everyday fashion requirements—elegant yet relaxed. With prices starting from Rs 1,500, the brand is currently sold only on its website www.aarke.in. However, plans are afoot to retail on large fashion aggregator websites soon. Launching exclusively online was a conscious decision made by the team to ensure the widest possible reach in every corner of the country and abroad. The brand can be followed on its social media accounts to stay updated with the latest news it has to offer.
The writer is a lawyer who pens lifestyle articles for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com. She can be contacted on nooranand@gmail.com.