We were in conversation with Riya Gupta the designer of Studio Rigu with their signature eclectic, bold and fun creations. Bold prints in easy to wear silhouettes are their idea of elevated everyday luxury. 

WESH: Tell us about the story behind your brand? What inspired you to start this venture?

Fashion and spent my college years in London simultaneously gaining a wide range of experience under the guidance of different designers including Giles Deacon, Manish Arora and Jade kang. My foray into Fashion began at a very early age. After returning to my hometown, I realised a lack in the availability of comfortable, formal wear for the modern woman. There was a sudden shift in the Indian demographics and a need for a Modern, updated wardrobe for the Conscious woman This gap drew my attention and hence, gave birth to Studio RIGU. We began interacting with our friends and family and found out the difficulties they face in finding well fitted, formal clothes with a thoughtful design. Thus, Transcending trends, Independent and modern, our aim was to provide transformative clothes to meet the everyday needs of the globetrotting woman. We decided to tap this niche segment to create ‘Everyday Luxury’ with a modern sensibility, by incorporating calculated yet eccentric minimalism and thoughtful detailing

WESH: What is the core vision and mission of your brand, and how do you hope to impact your target audience?

The woman, our customer and her growing needs are our driving force. We also believe in a slow fashion production method. We are a made-to-order brand, focusing on reducing our carbon footprint and inventory loss, through custom fits. All the prints that you see are unique and created thoughtfully. We use our garment and embroidery waste as trims to finish the clothes as well as have collaborated with like minded businesses to weave our waste into fabric. Each piece is made with a lot of love and care. Through our vision, we wish to educate and encourage the customer to invest in statement pieces which will last them generations and avoid trends.

WESH: What is the inspiration behind your product line? Are there specific themes, materials, or concepts that influence your designs?

We focus on re-emergence and celebration and the overall vibe is dressed. Each collection has a feminine and polished edge, while staying true to our euphoric vibe. Each collection begins with an inspiration that drives the colour palette, the print and the Mood for the collection. All our prints are hand drawn and then digitally tweaked. We create 8-9 new prints which are unique to our brand. They are then tested on our stunning vegan silk fabrication. To compliment the colours of the season we chose contrasting colours for our ombre which are then hand-tied and dyed. Moreover, we also enhance each design with thoughtful artisanal embroidery.

WESH: How do you engage with your community of customers and supporters? Is community involvement important to your brand?

We believe in engaging with all our customers. AS we are a made to order brand, we speak to each customer when an order is placed. We understand the diverse body types, physiques and needs of the customer, The clothing should be an extension to their personality and hence, we aim to achieve that by having an open communication. We actively collaborate with craftsmen and creatives from our community for collative upliftment and encouragement.

WESH: What are your aspirations for the future of your brand? Are there any upcoming projects, collaborations, or expansions on the horizon?

For the future, we aspire to grow the brand internationally and expand our reach. We are looking to do a few previews of the brand in Europe as well as The US. We also want to collaborate with creatives from other countries.

WESH: How does your brand approach sustainability and ethical practices in terms of production, materials, and business operations?

We do not prefer to promote our brand as a sustainable brand because more than sustainable, it’s thoughtful design. Thoughtful design is a core ideal which is quite literally weaved through our each collection as we use handloom fabrics sourced from weaving communities in India as well as newer sustainable fabrics such as Cupro (also known as vegan silk), Organic denim, organic cotton, bamboo silk, bamboo cotton and banana cotton. Our desire to re-interpret and update ancient practices of textile design to appeal to a global and modern customer, have led us to look at techniques like, tie and dye, batik printing and block printing. Our pieces are hand tie and dyed and carry imperfections which is a characteristic of the craftsmanship. We work with craft clusters in Rajasthan and re-interpret the designs to silhouettes which are versatile.