Modern meets heritage

Veteran fashion designer Ritu Kumar, who has been in the fashion industry for over five decades, shared her views on the evolution of clothing in India, saying that fashion changes with time due to the younger generation’s ever-changing needs.

Ritu Kumar presented her breath-taking collection at the Hyundai India Couture Week 2025, in association with Reliance brands, an initiative of FDCI, on Sunday.

From the onset of her career, Kumar has always focused on merging traditional Indian textiles with modern design, and her latest collection at ICW reflected the same.

At the side-lines of the event, Ritu Kumar opened up about the evolution of the fashion industry and said that it’s an ever-evolving phenomenon. “Fashion is an evolving thing. It evolves with civilisations as they grow, and needs are different with the younger generation to what they were at one time. So that we will see (fashion evolution) happening all the time,” said Ritu Kumar.

While many have tried to explain fashion as a reflection of a person’s choices, Kumar believes that it originates from the person’s “instinct” and “understanding” of clothing “Fashion comes from instinct, understanding what clothing suits you,” said Ritu Kumar.

Ritu’s collection Threads of Time: Reimagined at ICW also reflected her definition of fashion. Starting with traditional bridal wear and theme, the designer’s presentation travelled to modern wedding clothing and style.

As the traditional lehengas took away the breath of the viewers, the modern wear added an elegant touch to the collection.