RI. Ritu kumar

Actress @bhumipednekar seen in Ritu Kumar Couture Atima Dress. Atima dress features a layering of techniques, including a kashmiri motif, handblock printing and some very fine aari work. It’s in the colour gheru, traditionaly derived from plant dyes. The colour is recreated to match the traditonal plant based hue. The panel is printed in design from a jamawar shawl with detailing on the neck. The entire piece features fine gold thread work that gives it a bit of a shine. The metallic look is very reminiscent of our older work.. #ritukumarcouture #bhumipednekar

This is the story of how @ritu.ritukumar came to discover what is now known as ZardoziBy the 70s, after l’d begun work with hand-block printers in Serampore, I was looking to embroider my hand-block printed saris with a bit of glitter for Diwali. Serendipitously, I found, in Ranihaati a village across the Ganges, highly gifted craftspeople who were the repository of the craft of embroidery. The work they were doing then was crude and paid by weight. It wasted their inherent skills. So I attempted a revival of their craft. Despite trying my hardest, I could not find the genesis of their original work apart from oral references to Bengali nawabs and their clothing. There were no museums or books that enabled one to see vintage costumes with embroidery, work on styles, or ensembles.Fortunately, I found a collection at The Victoria and Albert Museum in London which came from the Indian installation at the Great Exhibition of 1851. With access to their archives, I could study photographs of royal costumes with gold and silver embroidery and embroidered quilts from Bengal. With these as a source, as a team, we began to replicate them in Ranihaati.Initially, it was difficult to replace the sophistication of the pure gold and silver threads with look-alike materials available locally. So, I went straight to the source and learnt how to replicate the aesthetics of plating yarns with a gold wash in Varanasi. With this and the inherent skills of the embroiderers, like magic, a vast vocabulary of stitches evolved. The collection made with these embroideries worked so well in our small retail outlets in Calcutta, Delhi, and later Bombay, that we could not meet the demand.This process culminated in the 80s when an exhibition of my revival efforts was mounted at the prestigious Lalit Kala Art Gallery in New Delhi. There was no generic name in India at the time for this craft, and the Persian name ZAR, meaning gold, came in handy. I coined the word and named the exhibition ZARDOZI: The Art of Gold. After, it travelled the world as part of The Festivals of India show as India’s prime craft. Today, zardozi embroidery has become the backbone of indigenous bridal fashion

Ritu Kumar Couture Summer’24This season, the silhouettes are beautifully structured with modern draping techniques. It is in a palette ranging from traditional bridal reds to pastels, ivory & beiges, which have been the season’s mainstay.Styled by @zunailimalik Images by @amanwithfilms Video by @filmsbyadya Jewellery by @shriparamanijewels @jobner.in @aquamarine_jewellery @akoyajewels @minerali_store #RituKumarCouture

@ditigoradia in Ritu Kumar Couture This exquisite lehenga, adorned with a Gazal Jacket, is a masterpiece meticulously hand-embroidered to manifest unforgettable opulence.Each intricate stitch is a labor of love, woven skillfully with artistry passed down through generations. The Gazal jacket, with a touch of gold zardozi work, embraces the grace of the traditional Kashmiri design, while the lehenga exudes a timeless elegance adorned with geometric & floral motifs seamlessly creating a blend of tradition and modernity. #ritukumar #ritukumarcouture

Kriti Kharbanda (@kriti.kharbanda )in RituKumar couture for her Mehendi.Kriti chose to wear a floral ensemble: a corset paired with a lehenga and an attached dupatta.Delicate floral motifs grace this summery pastel look, crafted from lightweight tulle with intricate threadwork and silver zari, giving it a lacey, transparent finish. The lehenga is embellished with salma, dabka, zardozi embroidery, and sequins for added elegance.Styled by @stylebyami #RituKumarCouture #KritiKharbanda #PulkitSamrat

| Via @ritu.ritukumar Sushmita Sen’s Miss Universe PhotoshootIn 1993, I struck a deal with the@missindiaorg team to design clothes for the contestants.In 1994, @sushmitasen47 won the Miss India title and went on to win the Miss Universe title in the US. This was a historic moment and one that I was delighted to be part of. As part of my deal with Miss India to create clothes for the contestants, I was tasked with creating her wardrobe as she toured the US and I started sending her suits made out of bandhani and zardozi, kurta-paijamas and saris that were all received really well.When she landed in Delhi after the tour I got a frantic call to come to the Taj Palace. On reaching I learned that the team had scheduled a shoot outside the Taj Mahal the next day but the clothes they got sent were shorts and t-shirts - too skimpy to be worn outside a mausoleum! So, at night we opened up the store and located a pink sari and quickly altered a blouse. We also got hold of some other key pieces and within hours we were ready for the shoot. The shoot turned out to be hectic and poor Sushmita even fainted at one point but the images were worth our toils. To date, I think of her in that pink sari wearing a crown and the UP Police personnel around us clapping with pride! These images were splashed all over the country’s leading publications with credits to us and, more importantly, to the weavers. #RKArchives #missindia #sushmitasen #rkarchives

Ritu Kumar Couture Summer’24This season, the silhouettes are beautifully structured with modern draping techniques. It is in a palette ranging from traditional bridal reds to pastels, ivory & beiges, which have been the season's mainstay.Styled by @zunailimalik Images by @amanwithfilms Video by @filmsbyadya Jewellery by @shriparamanijewels @jobner.in @aquamarine_jewellery @akoyajewels @minerali_store #RituKumarCouture

Ritu Kumar CoutureSummer’24Now live. Styled by @zunailimalik Images by @amanwithfilms Video by @filmsbyadya Jewellery by @shriparamanijewels #ritukumarcouture

Aditi Rao Hydari for Ritu Kumar Couture’23 at India Couture Week.Aditi wears an exquisite lehenga, adorned with a Gazal Jacket, a masterpiece meticulously hand-embroidered to manifest unforgettable opulence.Each intricate stitch is a labor of love, woven skillfully with artistry passed down through generations. The Gazal jacket, with a touch of gold zardozi work, embraces the grace of the traditional Kashmiri design, while the lehenga exudes a timeless elegance adorned with geometric & floral motifs seamlessly creating a blend of tradition and modernity. #RituKumar #ritukumarcouture #aditiraohydari