Kanan Gupta, 21, grew up seeing masterjis take directions from his parents, both fashion designers. “Fashion is in my blood. As a kid, I would love taking rounds of the workshop close to home and ask people working there, questions about fabrics and designs they were working on,” adds the Delhi guy, who launched his clothing brand, Label by KG, two weeks ago.
The USP of the label, he says, is comfort. “There are not many labels or brands on men’s fashion. So, I have started off with all-season shirts for men and have also designed some Western wear shirts for women. I keep my designs simple and elegant. My clothes are for the middle and upper class,” shares Gupta, who holds a business management degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science. Why not a course in fashion designing? “One cannot make a wise decision right after coming out of a school. That’s why I learnt management first, and then I will pursue a Master’s in fashion designing,” adds Gupta, all set to launch his label’s website in a week’s time.
Gupta’s design process begins with exploring the internet to check what’s trending. “Then, I start brainstorming and sketch on paper. After that, I consider potential fabrics and give instructions to my team of 12. We design the garment in different fabrics, and launch the ones that best bring out the design.”
Any fabric he loves fashioning into garments? “Some look good in satin. Others can look extraordinary in organza. One individual defers from the other, in terms of fabric that suits their skin colour, body type, etc. I personally like something out-of-the-box and classy at the same time,” says Gupta, who looks up to designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna.
When things don’t work out, he always turns to his parents for advice. “I launched my label in the pandemic, when the market is a bit slow. Right now, I only operate online. But I plan to open a store in the coming future,” adds Gupta.At present, he is busy working on the winter collection. “I also have a party wear, casual wear collection coming up on my online store.”