Fashion / South Asian Mother-Daughter/Mother-Son Fashion Designer Duos Building Powerful Brands

South Asian Mother-Daughter/Mother-Son Fashion Designer Duos Building Powerful Brands

Fashion May 06, 2024

by Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

Mother’s Day is around the corner, and it’s a special time when you’re able to celebrate the mothers or mother figures in your life and much more. While you should do this all the time (yes, I’m throwing some shade here), Mother’s Day is a great time to show some extra gratitude and appreciation to moms around the world for all that they do for their loved ones. Part of what a mother does is encourage her child to do their best self, and it’s always so exciting when mothers and their children are able to share the same interests to build their futures together!

Often, when I think about Mother’s Day, I think about the relationship between a mother and a child, which is so beautiful. A mother can nurture and inspire her children to shoot for the stars. But how exciting is it when you share a passion for something and get to make waves together?

Therefore, in honour of Mother’s Day, we are shining the spotlight on iconic South Asian mother-daughter and mother-son duos who have taken the fashion world by storm! These dynamic duos demonstrate how strong family bonds can be and showcase fabulously talented individuals who have been able to build successful brands over the years.

Sujata Kamath and Prajakta Kamath

**Mother-Daughter/Mother-Son Fashion Designer Duos: Sujata (right) and her daughter (left) are looking fashionable as ever!** Photo Credit: www.instagram.com

Sujata and Prajakta Kamath are a mother-daughter duo who first made their mark on the fashion world back in 2006, and have been absolutely slaying ever since! Times of India notes that Sujata’s “…background of jewellery designing” sparked her daughter, Prajakta’s interest in fashion. The two eventually took the leap to open their own business, Ssoundarya Mantra. What is unique about the brand that they built is that it brought together traditional and modern designs and they have the skillset to style the entire family, from clothing to accessories. Even more interesting is that they provide “…novel embellishments like ‘Old is Gold’ wherein old saris are transformed into new ones by adding varied motifs to the original” garment. Time has only made their designs better, and I am excited to see what they come up with next!

Sonia Suri and Ishita Suri

Sonia Suri and Ishita Suri founded Gauri Designer Apparels has been a labour of love for this mother-daughter duo! The brand began over 15 years ago, according to Hindustan Times as, “an Indian clothing brand with distinct expertise in creating fashion that can be worn on different occasions.” After their humble beginnings, they launched their online store last year and recently celebrated the one year anniversary on April 2024. Over the years, the pieces created have been meticulously crafted to be “…modern timeless pieces which can be worn on any occasion right from work to evening wear.” The purpose of this is to help reduce the amount of clothing women need to purchase, which helps promote a more sustainable mindset. In addition, what I love about this brand is that they “…provide high quality fashion at affordable prices which is suitable for all body types”. You won’t want to sleep on this thoughtful and talented mother-daughter duo or their designs!

Ritu Kumar and Amrish Kumar

**Mother-Daughter/Mother-Son Fashion Designer Duos: Ritu Kumar & Amrish Kumar.** Photo Credit: lifestyle.livemint.com

Ritu Kumar is a legend in the fashion industry. LinkedIn highlights that “she began her career in 1969, starting with just four hand blog printers and two tables in small village areas near Kolkata (Used to be Calcutta). [Since then,] her brand name Ritu has grown to retail through 93 stores all over the world.” Then, in 2002, she and her son, Amrish Kumar, began taking his mother’s brand in a different direction with “Label.”

According to CNBC, “For Amrish, who is now the CEO of the Ritu Kumar company, it was important to modernize the brand and cater to a younger, more international consumer.” In fact, the brand is described as being “…inspired by shapes and designs from Paris.”

What I love about this relationship is that Ritu is that despite her involvement with the brand, she is quick to give her son kudos for his vision and efforts in making Label more appealing to younger generations. In fact, Ritu shared that “Label is her son’s baby: “He has done a futuristic job.””

Sonal Kisnadwala and Karnika Kisnadwala

Sonal Kisnadwala and her daughter, Karnika Kisnadwala, joined forces in 2020 to create something truly unique. Why they may not be designers themselves, they joined forces to create a platform that celebrates South Asian artisans. The two founded an e-commerce store, which was inspired by Sonal’s “…devotion to female empowerment, social causes and original handloom fashion, the result being the artisanal brand KAANJJ.” According to Vogue, the two decided to launch the online store as they felt “…there was nothing that catered to South Asian cultures and traditions for a global audience, even though there are more than 20 million of us living outside India.” The forward-thinking mother-daughter team has their sights sets on closing “…the gap between the East and West by providing a platform for upcoming or emerging designers and artisans as well as well established ones. There is something for everyone at Kaanjj, from time-honoured to contemporary designs, traditional pieces to fusion, pyjamas to black-tie outfits.”

Not only can you feel good about purchasing beautiful and sustainable pieces from local talents, your money also goes toward a great cause. Sonal’s background in social work inspired her to want “make sure there was a way for me to continue to support women and children who have been abandoned by their families.” As such, a part of your purchase will support “Shishur Sevay, a model inclusive home for orphans and disabled children in Kolkata.”

I absolutely love that this duo is creating spaces for South Asian culture and talents to flourish and they are giving back to communities in need. What more could you ask for?

Main Image Photo Credit: www.pexels.com

Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

Author

Devika (@goberdhan.devika) is an MA graduate who specialized in Political Science at York University. Her passion and research throughout her graduate studies pushed her to learn about and unpack hot button issues. Thus, since starting at ANOKHI in 2016, she has written extensively about many challe...

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South Asian Mother-Daughter/Mother-Son Fashion Designer Duos Building Powerful Brands

by Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

Devika Goberdhan | Features Editor - Fashion

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