Blending nostalgia with modern elegance, designer Karan Torani has carved a niche by weaving India’s cultural stories into contemporary fashion. Known for his intricate hand-painted motifs, lyrical prints, and silhouettes that echo old-world charm, Torani’s work celebrates heritage with a fresh, youthful touch. Recently, he brought his signature aesthetic and perspective on design to the YFLO session Style Speaks Strategy, where he spoke about AI, fashion, and the future of Indian textiles.
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How do you feel being in Hyderabad?
Hyderabad has always been exciting for me. Even before Mumbai, we realised this city had stronger purchasing power, but more than that, people here are true patrons of fashion. The women aren’t just collectors, they understand craft, culture, and stories. As a Delhi designer, I see the same rootedness at home, but in Mumbai it often gets lost. Hyderabad preserves it beautifully. I truly believe it has the potential to become India’s next creative superpower, which is why it has always been a special market for me.
Your brand carries nostalgia and storytelling. How do you balance that with buyer’s appeal?
One big myth is that the youth only wants the future. The truth is they’re overwhelmed by constant change — technology, science, communication. What they crave is grounding, something that connects them to their past and roots. Everyone tells them where to go, but not where they come from. That’s why nostalgia resonates. I don’t call myself ‘fusion’ or ‘India-modern’. I’m simply an Indian designer telling Indian stories. With Torani, whether it’s a middle-class memory or mythology, we keep it authentic, never westernised. The youth love it because the West doesn’t have culture the way India does.
AI is everywhere today. How is it influencing fashion and textiles?
AI is definitely influencing fashion. Like any technology, it has pros and cons. Yes, it can copy ideas and replace human creativity, but it also makes processes faster and simpler — even something like drafting an email. The key is balance: using AI as a tool without cutting away human worth and talent.
What are your thoughts on India’s handloom sector?
Handlooms don’t need to compete with fast fashion, they belong to a different league. It’s like comparing gold with brass. Brass is mass-produced and disposable. Gold is preserved and passed down. Handlooms are gold. Luxury today is about what cannot be mass-produced, and Indian handlooms are exactly that. Global brands look to India because their craft cultures are lost, while ours survive. The problem is, we undervalue our own. A Kolhapuri chappal worth Rs 600 should be Rs 6,000 if artisans were given respect and support. The future lies in nurturing our own soil, not plucking flowers from someone else’s garden.
Some say Indian fashion isn’t ‘modern’ or ‘global.’ What do you have to say?
I disagree. Look at the saree, it’s the most versatile garment in the world. It can be styled across cultures, occasions, and moods. Power, elegance, sensuality, the saree embodies transformation like no other garment. The problem is we confine Indian clothes to festivals. But a malmal kurta, patola scarf, or Kolhapuri chappal is daily culture. The saree doesn’t need a jacket to be cool, the jacket needs the saree. That’s the misconception we must break.
Has Torani become an archive of Indian stories?
Yes, intentionally so. Fashion, especially luxury fashion, must elevate culture. Every collection of mine is personal. Even if imperfect, I own it because the intent is honest. Torani is built on four pillars: People, Planet, Places, and the Past. People empower artisans. Places honour the regions we draw from. Planet emphasises slow fashion and mindful consumption. Past celebrates roots and mythology. That’s why Torani feels like a storybook, it’s designed to preserve and narrate our past.
Where do you draw your inspiration from personally?
I’m Sindhi, and my forefathers were from Tharparkar in modern-day Pakistan. My grandmother preserved a Sindhi choga, an oversized jacket worn by saints, which inspired my first collection. It’s an archival treasure that connects me to my roots. Inspiration doesn’t only come from royalty. It can come from home — a mother’s mangalsutra, a grandmother’s trunk, a forgotten fabric. Every craft in India, from ajrakh to patola to Banarasi, carries centuries of vision. The fact that something created hundreds of years ago still moves us today is the true power of Indian fashion — memory woven into fabric.