Srishti

NIIFT Ludhiana
 The pride of India

A little girl from Amritsar who dreamed to be

successful completed her basic academy in Amritsar
& studied various things from various parts of India.
With the ability of minute observation, managed to
gain interest in various artistic forms.
The pride of India
Ritu Kumar is a person who needs no
introduction in fact her work speaks
out for themselves. A little girl from
Amritsar who dreamed to be
successful completed her basic
academy in Amritsar, as well as
studied various things from various
parts of her motherland. With the
ability of minute observation,
managed to gain interest in various
artistic forms of India.
Ritu Kumar is also one of the chosen one to design
outfits for the contestant for Miss India Pageant as
well as the Miss Universe Miss Asia Pacific
participant representing India.
 When I started, being in fashion was a huge challenge. We could not
import a zip or a button or even a piece of elastic as the market was
completely closed. We were cushioned from outside influences; so we were
forced to go back to our roots rather than go to Google for
 Company History
Mrs. Kumar became the first woman to
introduce the boutique culture in India
under the brand name Ritu.
Her work is constantly evolving within an
aesthetic which is sophisticated both in the
eastern and western sense
Brand Ritu Kumar has been retailing in
Europe and India since 1970s.
She has fashion forward sub brand called
LABEL. and Ritu Kumar.
In April 2002 she launched a fragrance
name "the tree of life
Ritu began with hand block printers and
two tables in a small village near
Calcutta, and in the last 28 years, Ritus
team of dedicated workers have
progressed to produce some of the
countrys most exquisite garments and
accessories in cotton, silk and leather.
Ritu has pioneered the term fashion in the
Indian context, and more importantly,
has demonstrated that hand made
products can be as profitable and even
more glamorous than those made by
machine
 Ritu Kumars forte is traditional Indian clothes that draw
heavily on the textile and embroidery heritage of India and
remains classics of their kind. But she evolved another style
for European buyer. Her Indo-West fusion wear has all the
trappings of block prints, embroidery and craft inputs on a
western style.
Ritu has been designing the wardrobes comprising swim-
wear, evening wear, traditional Indian wear, casual wear,
formal evening gowns; of the winning three Miss Indias, for
their participation in the International beauty pageants (Miss
Universe, Miss World & Miss Asia pacific respectively).
At least six of these, to mention a few; Manpreet Brar, Ruchi
Malhotra, Rani Jeyraj and recently Lara Dutta, have won the
award for the Most Outstanding Evening Gown in
International pageants.
Ritu has opened many outlets all over India. Style icons as
late Princess Diana have patronized her outfits. Ritu Kumar
also launched her book Costumes and Textiles of Royal
India which is published by Christies, London.
R & D in Design:
Leather ready-mades and accessories using
traditional techniques The collection
Karabagh launched in 1994.
Development of handloom weaving to suit
ready to wear needs, in Maheshwar, Andhra
Pradesh, Orissa and Tamil Nadu.
Revival of tie/dye in selected areas in Gujarat.
Revival and change of end use of vegetable
printing/painting and dyeing techniques in
Andhra Pradesh.
Research into traditional design motifs to
translate them from traditional uses to leather
and textiles.
Development of a specialized printing unit at
Balabhgarh employing modern techniques of
screen-printing.
Personal Data:
Born in Amritsar, November 11, 1944
Citizenship: INDIAN
Married, Two children.

Education:
Post Graduate Diploma in Museology, 1967, Ashutosh Museum,
CalcuttaAssociate in Arts, 1966, Briarcliff College, Westchester
County, NY, USA
Bachelor of Education. 1965, Lady Irwin College, New Delhi
Bachelor of Science in Home Economics, 1964, Lady Irwin College,
New
Delhi
Intermediate in Science, 1960, Government College, Amritsar
Matriculation, 1958, Sacred Heart Convent, Amritsar

Professional Experience:
Designer of Textiles and Garments
Associations
Membership of Governing / Executive bodies :

All India Handloom Board at the Ministry of Textiles.

Delhi Crafts Council, Delhi Chapter
Divyachhaya Save a Child Trust, Calcutta / Delhi

Board of Governors :

National Institute of Fashion Technology

Collections
I believe in going deep into the
roots of every design to find out its
relevance in the present context. I
also try and visualize whether a
woman
would look elegant in my designs. Its
a lot of hard work. But then this is a
very competitive field and unless you
put in that extra effort you will tag far
behind. Ritu Kumar First City, Aug-
99
 Ritus
Global
Connection
Indian Traditional
Accessories
Ritus Fashion Illustrations
Thank You