Crafting The Future: How These Designers Are Redefining Menswear

Are men winning when it comes to fashion these days? Debatable. But in truth, we’ve all witnessed countless women (including myself) raiding the men’s section, often drawn to the irresistible appeal of oversized silhouettes and pockets big enough to keep our lip gloss safe. Yet, it's not just about comfort or pocket space anymore. Menswear is experiencing a renaissance, particularly in India.

Today, young Indian designers are shaking up the traditional notions of menswear, and a new wave of self-expression is taking root. While the rest of the world might be veering into daring, slouchy tailoring and barely-there details, Indian menswear is charting a different course—one that’s led by our love for craft and culture. The communities that these crafts emerge from have always had men wearing and celebrating these techniques. But today, urban Indian men too have begun to appreciate suzani embroidery and wear chikankari jackets.

Taking this appetite forward are four designers—Barsha Tiwari, Saurabh Maurya, Harsh Agarwal, and Amit Babbar—who have adopted a radical approach to their craft, where proportions, techniques, and ideas move beyond conventional graphs into a new area of self-expression. 

Barsha Tiwari, Kosch

In Indian menswear brand Kosch’s fall/winter campaign, a man stands tall in a hand-embroidered shirt while old black-and-white photographs set against a dusty orange backdrop narrate a proud story—one that touches upon the nuances of Indian culture.

 For Lucknow-based designer Barsha Tiwari, growing up in a craft-rich city meant inspiration was always within reach. But reimagining that heritage into soft tailoring and hand embroideries felt more like a natural extension. “For us, it was never about challenging masculinity,” she says. “It’s about broadening how men express it.” Handcrafted trousers dotted with chikankari and aari work or kota doria shirts with intricate embroidery that resemble delicate lace meant pushing boundaries, but that's the signature offering at Kosch. “These techniques were rarely, if ever, explored in contemporary menswear,” says Tiwari. And this fusion of using multiple crafts in a single piece ties them back to their core belief of togetherness – a value deeply rooted in their name itself.

Saurabh Maurya, Margn

Delhi-based designer Saurabh Maurya’s brand Margn effortlessly cross-pollinates between different cultures and crafts. The brand’s creative nucleus is built on design thinking and exploration. “Knitwear lies at the heart of our journey and reflects our roots, shaped by travel and meaningful connections. For instance, we worked with women artisans of Kullu and Janjheli in Himachal Pradesh, who introduced us to indigenous knitwear and inspired the fusion of craft and functionality,” Maurya says. From hand-knitted puffer gilets to wrinkled shirts and glass bangles from Firozabad, Maurya promises to explore a new craft every season. He believes that craft is poised to lead the conversation, as the industry progresses towards gender-neutral clothing.

Harsh Agarwal, Harago

Harsh Agarawal, founder of Jaipur-based menswear brand Harago, focuses on Indian craftsmanship using menswear as a conduit of expression. “The brand is positioned as menswear, but there are women who buy these clothes and find them very unique and interesting,” he explains. And, while we don’t see men actively shopping in the womenswear section, we are observing a shift where menswear pieces are getting softer and a lot more craft-centric. The designer credits this evolution to the influence of pop culture and social media, which have encouraged men to see fashion as a means of self-expression rather than just functionality. However, he also acknowledges that while interest in artisanal pieces is growing, it’s still not a dominant factor in how wardrobes are curated. “Most of our closets are still filled with fast fashion, but there is a gradual shift towards more conscious consumption,” says Agarwal.

Amit Babbar, Itoh

For menswear designer Amit Babbar, Itoh serves as a channel for introducing a new language of clothing in the Indian menswear market. “Construction and quality of fabric are essential to menswear. I want to create classic silhouettes, not impacted by trends, but ones that can be worn and re-worn,” he says. Itoh specialises in everyday pieces made interesting through construction and tailoring—all handwoven and exclusively created by the artisans of West Bengal. For years now, checks and stripes have been considered menswear staples, but reintegrating them into their capsules as handwoven classics has been exciting for them. “At Itoh we strive to use Indian handwoven fabrics but in a way that is modern and palatable to the young consumers,” says Babbar. Instead of relying on traditional embroideries and colours, the brand focuses on subtle yet effective design techniques like the play of colours and the clever collar-and-placket manoeuvres to make clothing relevant for today’s audience.

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