Designing happened by accident: Amrish Kumar

NEW DELHI - Design aesthetics runs in his genes. So when Amrish Kumar had to step into his mother Ritu Kumar’s territory, the business graduate never gave it a second thought.

“I am a designer by accident. There was a time when we were finding people for a suitable position, we couldn’t find any, so I had to step in,” Amrish told IANS in an interview.

“I had no intention to be a designer, but I was always comfortable with fabrics and colours, as I have grown up with it. Also being from a business school does give you an edge to understand the market, strategies and plan accordingly,” he added.

While Ritu Kumar is known for her couture designs, Amrish calls his style of designing very contemporary and modern which comes under their pret line “Label”.

Amrish has no fashion background. In fact, he completed his MBA in 2005 and when the opportunity came his way, he happily jumped in and gave the business a new direction by launching Label that focuses on young Indian women.

“Our approach is to make the brand more fashion forward, so that the brand reaches well into the market. Our brand makes simple, less traditional yet very contemporary clothes,” said Amrish.

Didn’t you ever feel the burden of being Ritu Kumar’s son?

“There is no competition in the house. It goes without saying that there was certain amount of pressure and a lot more expectations, but what was more difficult was the way of handling the ‘Ritu Kumar’ brand,” he said.

“Today our aim is to help the company grow in size and scope. So we are looking at the opportunities,” he added.

Recently many Hollywood celebrities like Mischa Barton and Mel B were spotted wearing ‘Label’, but Amrish says there is still a long way to go to tap the international celebrity market.

“We still have a long way to go when it comes to dressing Hollywood celebrities. Though we are reaching there, it is a very slow process,” he said.

Normally, Amrish comes across as a shy guy who stays away from media glare, avoids fashion parties and talks very little. When we label him as a shy guy, he admits, “I guess yes, I am a shy guy, what do you think?”

Notwithstanding his shyness, Amrish knows how the business works and has come up with a full-fledged accessories line that includes scarves, bags and footwear to tap the accessory market.