Indian streetwear moved beyond counterculture remarkably fast, considering the first Yeezy and Nike Air Max only arrived in the country in 2015. Within a few years, homegrown labels have been able to land a sizeable audience that’s willing to engage with trends and seek out limited-edition drops. Kolkata siblings Srishti and Yuvraj Gourisaria recognised the possibilities of a nascent streetwear market early on. Their new label, KNN Calcutta, balances streetwear and luxury, and caters to buyers who are keen on hypebeast clothing and homegrown alternatives.
“We had started talking about building a brand called KNN since our early years in school, and to be honest, I don’t even remember the exact day or year we decided on the name KNN Calcutta,” Srishti shares. The siblings had launched two amateur collections early this year and recently dropped their AfterParty collection — a line of sweatshirts, graphic tees, graphic printed jackets etc. Olympian P.V Sindhu was recently seen in a printed sweatshirt by KNN Calcutta.
“We plan to curate an upscale streetwear brand that blends the lines between exclusivity, community, comfort and luxury,” Yuvraj says. My Kolkata spoke to this young entrepreneur duo to find out what KNN means, streetwear’s appeal, their approach to sustainability and their influences. Excerpts from the conversation…
My Kolkata: Why did you name your brand KNN Calcutta?
Srishti and Yuvraj: We hail from a family with deep roots in the fashion industry. Our family has ethnic wear businesses named Kanchana and Kanchana Next. We grew up around colour wheels and fabric swatches, and we owe our interest and passion to our foundation. We wanted to keep our brand connected to our family business in whatever way possible. So, KNN Calcutta is an ode to the same; it’s an abbreviation of our family business, KaNchaNa.
Tell us about the AfterParty collection
Yuvraj: It’s our debut collection and was curated to establish some patterns and KNN-centric themes. It is a pivotal collection in terms of projecting the direction of our brand. All our future collections will have something we call owner’s details, which are the patent design elements shaping our brand. Hence, the AfterParty collection serves as a foundation for our future ones.
When did you realise streetwear has takers in the country and in Kolkata?
Srishti: An extremely new yet budding industry, streetwear is really taking off in India! We are actually glad that this revolution has come by at the perfect time for us to launch our brand. We had heard of international streetwear brands while growing up, but did not find a lot of Indian ones. So, we always thought we might have the first-mover advantage. But by the time we were positioned to launch our own label, multiple streetwear brands had cropped up. This helped create awareness and a sense of community for the streetwear industry in general. So it all worked out for the best!
Tell us a little about your approach to sustainability and conscious fashion
Srishti: We are trying to be as sustainable as possible. But as a brand, we aren’t aiming towards zero-waste manufacturing or using only recycled materials as of yet. We source our materials domestically and try to use as many natural fabrics as possible, over synthetic ones. We maintain a healthy and safe working environment for our workers and make sure to steer clear of the evils of fast fashion like underpaying or demanding longer hours.
Tell us about your production. Are your units based in Kolkata?
Yuvraj: We have imported specific materials for specific designs from all over, but the manufacturing and assembling had to happen close to home so we could regularly follow up, be involved and be a phone call away.
What are some of your design influences?
Yuvraj: We are constantly getting inspired from things around us. We look at things from a fashion and art perspective and try to translate them into our pieces. For example, the inspiration could come from a certain NFT or even from the packaging of a random European chocolate. Actually, both the above-mentioned influences have been used in our pieces, let us know if you can figure out which ones they are!
How do you feel about Kolkata’s luxury fashion market?
Srishti and Yuvraj: We definitely feel that there is a luxury fashion market in Kolkata and it is ever-expanding. However, there is a gap in the market between the demand for high-quality luxury products and the domestic ability to supply them, not just in Kolkata but across the country. This creates a vacuum for foreign brands to swoop in and profit from this market gap. We are thus aiming to establish an upscale streetwear brand where the language is streetwear, but with elements of luxury and exclusivity.
What are your plans with the brand? Do you plan on scaling up?
Srishti and Yuvraj: Yes, of course. We aim to establish a global brand presence. We are taking baby steps every day to ultimately reach that goal. For now, we are focusing on the Indian market. We just launched the label two months ago, so we’re working on establishing ourselves in the country by selling via multiple multi-designer streetwear stores and popular Indian websites that promote hype culture. We are really excited to have begun this journey and can’t wait to see where all it takes us!
