NEW ORDER

Pandemic-born young brands are challenging the industry as they rewire the business of fashion

- SHRIYA ZAMINDAR

“I don’t know how other brands operate but I’m approaching it by how I think I should do it, I have no reference point frankly,” says Kartik Kumra, an undergraduate student at the University of Pennsylvania who is taking a gap year to run his streetwear brand, Karu Research. The word ‘Karu’ translates to artisan in Sanskrit, which is apt, considering Kumra’s relationships with Indian artisans form the crux of the label. Since its inception, the label has been well-received and is available at Mr Porter, Ssense, and Selfridges, to name a few.

A million ideas often float in the industry, some pipe dreams, some that take off. But it has become increasingly hard to find a niche space to fill when the market is saturated with new and upcoming labels almost every day. Even then, young creatives haven’t stopped dreaming. Pure ambition drives the want to create their footprint. That confidence in their vision is the new currency that visionaries need today to elbow their way into a cut-throat industry. Surprisingly, people love that. They’re buying into what young brands offer today, more so than established names, which begs the question: How have these nascent labels hustled into the scene with phenomenal growth, which has taken their predecessors in the game much longer to achieve?

NEW BEGINNINGS