Ritu Kumar

ABOUTRITU KUMAR Birth November 11, 1944 Place of Birth Amritsar, Punjab give chase Ritu, LABEL Introduction Ritu Kumar is the largest & most respected clothes designer denounce in India today. Since 1969 she has demonstrable a unique style of her proclaim, reflecting the ancient traditions of Indian inventionsmanship in a contemporaneous vocabulary. Her beneathstanding of ancient designs and the innovative economic consumption of traditional crafts has created a new classicism. The company is renowned for its distinctive use of colors, quality of fabrics, intricate embroideries and a gloriously rich Indian aesthetic.An icon of the Indian Fashion industriousness and a frontrunner in establishing a position for India in the global forum,Ritu Kumars contribution has been impeccable to the path fraternity, both nationally and internationally. With almost five decades of work for display, the designer excels in both traditional and western outfits, thoughethnic attires being her specialty. She was the first women to bring the boutique culture to India, downstairs the figure of speechRitu. The gradual change in the mode scenario has also lead to a change of designs for her grease.She haskept in sync with the varying times and has effectively brought creativity and innovativeness with eachcollection. Ritu holds the status of being a revivalist in the style scenario, which has successfully bridged thegap between conservative and conventional style. Company History Mrs. Kumar became the first woman to introduce the boutique culture in India under the brand name Ritu. Her work is constantly evolving within an aesthetic which is sophisticated both in the eastern and western sense, with ach of her collections making a contemporary statement in a fast changing modern India. The Brand Ritu Kumar has been retailing in Europe and India since 1970s. The products include couture, formal pret accessories and a fashion forward sub brand called LABEL, Ritu Kumar. Cur rently Ritika Pvt. Limited operates two main production centers Gurgaon and Calcutta. Factories are equipped with in? house printing, tailoring, finishing and quality control facilities. It self runs and franchises retail sacks under the label RITU KUMAR.Ritu pioneering work in reviving master craftsmanship has earned her several accolades including the French Honor chevalier des arts et des lettres , a knighthood was awarded to her by French government in recognition of her contribution to Indian textile crafts and her interaction with French fashion world. She has also been graced with Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini award for her achievements and contribution in the field of fashion. Mother Teresa, Birju Maharaj, Pt. Hari Prasad were previous recipients of this prestigious award. COSTUMES AND TEXTILE OF ROYAL INDIAIn October 1999 Christies of London published Ritu Kumars book Costumes and Textiles of Royal India a definitive chronicle of the fib of Indias royal patronage to textile arts down the centuries starting with the historical context of Mohenjo Daro to the present era of vintage royalty. The book is an academic fashion history text which has become a key reference for its field in India. PERSONAL BACKGROUND Ritu Kumar was born on 11th November 1944 in Amritsar, Punjab. A native of Delhi, Ritu graduated fromLady Irwin College in 1964 and did her higher education from Briarcliff College, NY, USA in 1966.Theace designer had a humble beginning in a small village, underweight Kolkata, in 1960, with hand block printers andtwo tablets to flaunt about. With the passage of years, fashion grew and so did her network. From being adesigner to an author, Ritu Kumar has been the master of the game. Her son Ashvin Kumar is director, whose has made films like Road to Ladakh (2002) and short filmLittleTerrorist(2004), which was nominated for the2004Academy Award for Live Action Short Film,and in which she did the costume design. Ritu Kumar is the largest & most resp ected designer brand in India today.Since 1969 she has developed aunique style of her own, reflecting the ancient traditions of Indian craftsmanship in a contemporary vocabulary. Her understanding of ancient designs and the innovative use of traditional crafts has created a new classicism. The company is renowned for its distinctive use of colors, quality of fabrics, intricate embroidies and a gloriously rich Indian aesthetic. ACHIEVEMENT HIGHLIGHTS 1966 Ritus first Boutique opened in Delhi at D3 Defence dependence Link Road, New Delhi. This was thefirst ever boutique in Delhi. 1968 As a celebration of 21 years of Ritu, THE TREE OF LIFE, as audio visual fashion tableau wasmounted, by invitation the Crafts Museum in New Delhi. 1970 A fashion show called the Fashion Mood of the Seventies. It was the very early attempt to bringsome professionalism into the ramp. 1972 Fashion butt against by RITUS BOUTIQUE at the Tollygunge Club, Calcutta. 1974 RITUS BOUTIQUE opens at Bombay. 1975 She started a company called Kalamkari Designs Pvt. Ltd. jointly with her husband. Franchiseswere also started with Harrods London, Liberty, andLondon for brief periods. 1985 The ZARDOZI COLLECTION of traditional soften was exhibited at the festival of India in the USA. Ritus boutique was by this time was renamed simply as- RITU. 1990 Established RITU a shop within a shop at Paris, as an ongoing promotion of India 1994 Ritu was approached by Femina Miss India to professionalize the wardrobes for the finalists of thecontestants. 1998 Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Institute of Fashion Technology. Ritu wasappointed on the get along of Governors at NIFT. Outstanding Women Entrepreneur Award by the PHD-Chamber of Commerce. 2000 Lifetime achievement award set by Kingfisher Group. 2002 Launch of first sub brand Ritu Kumar Label. 2004 Selected as the President of FDCI board. Designer of the year 2004 by F Awards. 2006 Bridal collection at the Lycra MTV Awards. Glam Womenswear(India) Award by Tuscan VerveZoom Glan Awards. 2007 Opened Ritu Kumars outlet in New York. 2008 Awarded knighthood for contribution to Arts & Letters by the French government (Life Time Achievement Award).EARLY BEGINNING Concept development In the after-hours 1960s India was going through profound changes plastics had replaced mud, brass and silverfactory produced papers and woods took the place of sophisticated handicrafts and nylons displaced anancient hereditary pattern of cotton and silk. It was not only a battle between tradition and modernity it was also aconfrontation of lifestyles and determine. During this time, a small group who had benefited from unique opportunities of study and travel began tosee the depth of the craft and design heritage of their own landed estate.They discovered that India was areservoir of delicate skills. In an attempt to merge their international experiences together with the skills oftheir people, they became aware that contemporar y designers must revitalize their own roots and identity. This was essential to take Indian creativity out into the world in such a way that benefited both craftsmenand the modern consumer. Starting of the estimate Ritu began with hand block printers and two tablets in a small village near Kolkata. Mrs. Kumar became the first woman to introduce the boutique culture in India under the brand name Ritu.Her work is constantly evolving within an aesthetic which is sophisticated both in the eastern and western sense, with each of her collections making a contemporary statement in a fast changing modern India. Capital contribution less than Rs. 10,000 (estimated figure) TURNING POINT Snapshots of struggle phase She initially set about many problems for her business as she was a woman entrepreneur, which was a rare phenomenon. Confronted with the challenges associated with trying to build a designer business in a country facing infrastructural woes.Uninterrupted power, superior quality, and advanced skills were not easily available in India during the time. Promotional strategies 1. No commodity production in beginning due to overlook of infrastructure. 2. Diversification rather than expansion. 3. Pioneered the term fashion in the Indian context. 4. Customer satisfaction. 5. Created an image of a reliable company. 6. Importance of hand-made products. 7. The mix and match of the Indian and western wear. move aroundTO SUCCESS Entrepreneurial traits 1. Determination She was determined to build up Ritu Kumars Boutique. . Confidence Started business in relatively new innovative field. Her confidence was laudably when comparing with the challenges that she has faced. 3. Motivation Employee feedbacks. Performance checks. Work place principles. 4. Risk Taker Mrs. Kumar became the first woman to introduce the boutique culture in India underthe brand name Ritu. 5. Innovative She was the one who put forth the importance of hand-made products as it can be as cost-effective as machine-made clothes and even to a greater extent gorgeous than those. Principles and policy of enterprisePut forth the importance of hand-made products as it can be as cost-effective as machine-made clothes andeven more gorgeous than those. Ritu Kumar with her team up of committed designers has come a long way. She has worked mainly on cotton, silk and leather and produced some of the countrys most magnificentgarments. Ritu Kumars specialty is traditional Indian clothes, which highlights on the textile andembroidery heritage of India. But the mix and match of the Indian and western wear also holds a primeposition in her work.CONTRIBUTION Ethics and corporate social responsibility By displace forth the idea of hand made products she has employed many people, especially the women andthe lower segments, mostly in villages. She had also tried to keep the Indian values and ethics high, whichcan be seen throughout her work. Ritu has pioneered the term fashion in the Indian context, and more importantlyhas demonstrated that hand made products can be as fat and even moreglamorous than those made by the machine.