Look Within 

Seek Within

akaaro is the continuously growing and evolving voice of contemporary Indian textiles. It interprets clothing in a fresh, new contemporary manner by drawing inspiration, not from tradition, but from harmony and balance; handcrafting each garment from yarn to a finished piece of luxurious clothing.

akaaro, meaning the alphabet a in sanskrit, focuses on textile as the starting point of the design process. The brand experiments with Indian textile to create an expression of relevance in an ecosystem that is vast, varied, and global yet individualistic. Being a conceptual brand, born from balance, rooted yet ever-changing, akaaro fits into every wardrobe to explore and express the inner depths, personal story and life’s journey of its wearer.

Founded by Gaurav Jai Gupta, akaaro innovates Indian textiles by designing and developing original fabrics in-house at the studio-workshop in New Delhi and engineered garments that are one-of-a-kind timeless & experiential classics.

Gaurav Jai Gupta

At the onset of Gaurav Jai Gupta's career , a commission for the Design Lab , Central Saint Martin's school of Design London as a trend forecaster for the year 2006-2007 was soon followed by successful collaborations with Jimmy Choo, Duro Owlu London and Heimstone Paris. He became the first Indian designer to be commissioned by The Woolmark Company to launch the Cool wool Menswear collection for Raymonds in India in 2014.

A trained fashion and textile designer from Chelsea College of Art and Design London and National Institute of Fashion Technology New Delhi along with being on an exchange programme at ANAT Paris; his passion for clothing gave birth to AKAARO in 2010, with a noteworthy debut at Wills Lifestyle Debut where he was dubbed as find of the week.

Gaurav was invited to co-curate and showcase his work at the BUNKA salon in Tokyo alongside Dato Jimmy Choo in the year 2009 by the University of the Arts London . His work has been showcased extensively in India and internationally including the RMIT University Australia and Alchemy Festival London. His work also sits in the research archives of the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. He currently lives and works in Delhi and continues to do his research and experimentation to develop a unique aesthetic. He is the only fashion designer to be featured SOLO on the cover of INDIA TODAY.

Awards

• Grazia young fashion award 2011
• Designer of the year award: International Apparel Federation Mexico 2011
• British Council & Elle Creative Entrepreneur award finalist 2010
• Vogue Fashion Fund 2013 (Top Five)
• Woolmark Prize Finalist (India, Pakistan & Middle East) 2015-16 & 2014-15