Kartik Research Brings Ancient Indian Handicraft to Baracuta (EXCLUSIVE)
The core tenet of Kartik Research, an artisanal fashion brand based in New Delhi, India, is reintroducing humanness to clothing. Or, in this case, introducing handmade humanness to Baracuta’s enduring, almost-century-old styles of clothing.
A debut collaboration, British heritage label Baracuta gave Kartik Research free reign to add custom touches to its signature items.
“When Baracuta approached me to see if I’d be interested in a collaboration, I thought it was a no-brainer. It was really a question of how do we make such an iconic jacket our own?” Says Kartik Kumra, the founder of Kartik Research. “Luckily, they gave us complete freedom to mess with every element.”
A six-piece collection, releasing on September 27, it includes Baracuta’s famous Harrington jackets (specifically, the G9 and G4 models) alongside a lightweight cotton shirt, loose-fitting black pleated trousers, and a cotton hoodie with exposed raw-cut edge seams, each piece elevated through ancient Indian handicrafts.
“We worked with Godhadi artisans in Gujarat to make hand-quilted jackets, weavers in Himachal to craft their tartan check on Handloom, and Zardozi artisans in Uttar Pradesh who specialize in hand embroidery,” says Kumra, describing artisanal production methods that are increasingly rare to find in fashion but are typical for his brand.
Through hand embroidery and intricate beaded embellishments, the careful craftsmanship of these small producers shines through across the Baracuta collection. However, it’s most clear on the G4 jackets.
Reinterpreted through a handmade patchwork quilt with Kantha embroidery detailing, a striking patterned finish covers the iconic boxy G4 Harrington jacket. Kumra works with a women-owned cooperative from Maharashtra, West India, to develop the colorful quilted fabric, handmade and hand-stitched.
“The colors are vibrant and the quilts are intentionally chaotic. We wanted it to capture the spirit of Delhi in these clothes,” says Kumra. “[The collection was] shot outside my grandmother’s house, with my friends from school, where we actually learned how to play gully cricket.”
Fresh from his Paris Fashion Week debut, a collection that explored the dualities of India’s identity and debuted this Baracuta collection, Kumra is continuing to tell a deeply personal story of his homeland.
