Kilchu
Named after founder Akanksha Rathore’s hometown in Rajasthan, Kilchu is a tangible manifestation of the native people's confidence and comfort that they live with. While the label is immediately recognisable by its woven stripes, checkered patterns (resembling the quintessential Indian 'rumal'), and roomy silhouettes, it's the innate smartness the clothes carry that makes you want to stay and explore the breadth of the label.
Founded in 2019, Kilchu is a lifestyle brand that focuses on clothing, footwear, and bags for men and women. While their primary design language leans toward straight, boxy shapes that might suggest a purely laid-back feel, for those seeking pieces that can curate different expressions, Kilchu’s pieces aren't far behind on ‘versatility’. When paired right, their designs easily transition from relaxed, casual looks to semi-formal ensembles. For example, their corduroy pants and cotton trousers work as soft workwear, as do their gingham box tops, reversible button-up blazers, and indigo sakura kaftans. This duality is also carried in their footwear, which ranges from 60s-inspired block heels to classic leather derby shoes.
The ethos of the brand can be traced back to the founder’s travels and stays across India. The exploration of fabrics and crafts with communities across the country forms a key foundation of the brand. From this as the starting point, the importance of construction and silhouette emerges. The brand continues its commitment to these principles by partnering with weavers in Bengal, Bihar, and Karnataka.
The result is clothing designed to sit naturally on the body, including designs that might often be deemed too complicated for conventional making. Sharply angled yokes, expertly executed pleats and gathers, and asymmetrical patterns reveal the deft hands behind the brand’s craftsmanship. Such tailoring skills, that pritoritize precision, also makes it ideal for Kilchu to operate on a made-to-order model, which not only allows the brand to accommodate a customer’s exact size details but also ensures the elimination of dead stock, a slow fashion principle that Akanksha adopted right from the early days of the brand.
Kilchu successfully balances the emerging and valuable space between artisan-driven craft and modern, versatile wear, ensuring neither element overpowers the other. Without the need for excess or overt display, it’s in the underlying details that the true value of the clothing reveals itself — in its provenance (community roots), its technical quality (deft hands and precision), and its longevity (made-to-order).
