Inspired & Made in India

ISSUE: 131

Rikki Kher attributes the international success of his menswear brand to the consistent focus on presenting traditional Indian craft and textiles in a modern context

What led to the birth of KARDO?

RK: While running my sourcing business, I started to make some of my own clothes because I couldn’t find things I wanted to wear. People kept commenting and someone I knew and respected a lot for his business acumen, suggested I start the brand. The direction he suggested is not close to what the brand stands for now, but I am grateful to him for a number of reasons. So, in 2013, I started KARDO, a high-quality, contemporary menswear brand.

How do you balance the commercial and creative aspects of your work?

RK: I always wanted this to be a business, so I knew that the creative part would be a maximum of 30% of the process. I didn’t want to make things that people couldn’t wear or would not buy, just to be in ‘fashion’. The commercial side is very tough. There is so much great competition and we are far away from the centers of fashion, so sometimes we feel a little remote, but this can play to our advantage as we are not influenced by others and only by the craft textiles that we develop and find.

How do you market and distribute your products? 

RK: In India, we sell at our showroom in Delhi, and online. Globally, we sell wholesale through our agents in NY, London, and France, and online. We are currently stocked in more than 40 stores in the USA, Japan, UK, France, Spain, and Russia. While we don’t have our own stores abroad, this will be the next step. The challenges are finance, location, and managing them along with our HQ in Delhi. It would require a much bigger team and the costs are high.

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