These Indian-origin international brands will help you embrace your personal style

When it comes to fashion, we’ve had to keep up with quite a few trends, whether it’s the bold brat season trend or the demure summer style. These viral trends quickly evolve into full-fledged fashion movements, and keeping up with them can be a challenge. So, we’ve found fashion brands that will help you stay on top of all the trends and offer amazing collections that also allow you to embrace your personal style.

Label: Lobomar- @lobomar__
Based in: London, Amsterdam
Founder(s): Marcella Lobo and Marco Lobo
Launch year: 2020 

Twins Marcella and Marco, born to Indian-Italian parents, built Lobomar- by placing their parallel cultures at the core of their creative vision. The brand makes use of carefully sourced saris from Mumbai (shoutout to their aunt!) to create stunning pieces that combine statement T-shirts with oh-so-chic pleats of cotton and silk saris. Talk about a cultural mashup. 

Label: Rescha @rescha.paris
Based in: Paris
Founder(s): Charlotte Chowdhury
Launch year: 2022

Rescha—derived from the word ‘resha’, meaning yarn in Hindi—is a brand that mixes Indian and French vibes—they’ve got carroty gamcha-inspired trousers and even pieces that reflect
French silhouettes decorated with jazzy zardozi work. The founder takes great care to work with local artisans and use dead stock to contribute towards sustainability.

Label: Gundi Studios™ @gundistudios
Based in: New York
Founder(s): Natasha Sumant
Launch year: 2018

Think ‘secular pants’ (yes, they are Benarasi brocade pants accentuated with religious symbols) and sheer chiffon-draped dresses (total hot summer sari vibes). Well, this atelier is winning big time by combining trendy streetwear with traditional craftsmanship (embellished bomber jacket, chunri detailed dresses, etc!).

Label: Ahluwalia
Based in: London
Founder(s): Priya Ahluwalia
Launch year: @ahluwalia

Peppy prints, savvy designs, and conscious production come together to make Ahluwalia one of the hottest labels to keep your eyes on. The designer’s grad collection shot her to instant fame after she made the entire line out of repurposed fabrics (a big slay). Since then, she’s built and expanded her brand to include menswear, womenswear, and footwear.

Label: Harri @harri_ks
​​​​​​​Based in: London
Founder(s): Harri KS
Launch year: 2020

Remember when Sam Smith broke the Internet when he wore an inflatable latex suit to the 2023 Brit Awards? The viral garment was the brainchild of London-based designer Harikrishnan Keezhathil Surendran Pillai (aka Harri KS) whose works feature a play on proportions, with blown-up silhouettes and distorted forms. His collections, primarily made of latex, makes a case for avant-garde rooted in sculptural fashion.

Label: Roopa Pemmaraju @rpnewyork
​​​​​​​Based in: New York
Founder(s): Roopa Pemmaraju
Launch year: 2012

Pemmaraju’s eponymous label was born in Australia and uses traditional techniques and artworks from around the globe to create one-of-a-kind pieces you can hand down to your children. The designer places both artisans and sustainable practices at the core of her brand and it’s paid off.

This article originally appeared in Cosmopolitan India's July-August 2024 issue.

Lead image credits: Ahluwalia.

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