Five Bengaluru designers to have on your radar

Bengaluru’s littering of lakes and dense parks won it the title of the Garden City, while its willingness to welcome tech parks made it India’s proud Silicon Valley. And as much as every local will hate to admit, in recent times, Bengaluru has become synonymous with traffic that doesn’t move and roads ridden with potholes. Yet, amid the flip-flopping identities, the city’s sparse but strong pockets of design often get forgotten.

To zhuzh up your shopping list, here is a curation of five brands from the city that bring youth culture closer to craft.

Untamed streetwear

There is no dearth of streetwear labels in India. One quick search will land you in industrial stores that stock limited edition sneakers, play music on vintage record players, and craft graphic tees by the bundle. But, few of these experiences promise the luxury of quality without losing the heart of street culture. It is precisely this gap that pushed Nandan Renukappa, the 23-year-old founder behind Untamed Streetwear, to start his label. “I want to bring the global streetwear experience to India, but in a way that feels local and raw,” he says.

For starters, the brand sells its collection of accessible hoodies and tees from a cart parked in the Central Business District of Bengaluru, bringing its audience out and onto the streets to touch and feel the clothing before copping it.

Since its inception in 2023, the brand also hosts print-your-own-tee workshops, graffiti sessions, and other art-driven activities that invite its community into the process. The clothing itself draws from internet subcultures and slang—pick between varsity-inspired logo tees, micro collections that pay homage to rappers, and hip-hop lords and slogan hoodies that read, “Red flag but heart-shaped.”

Without a fashion school to fall back on, Untamed Streetwears’ founder turns to the blend of cultures he witnesses around him for guidance. He explains, “In Bangalore, we get people from different cities—each with their own taste and style—which pushes me to experiment and create pieces that connect with people and move outside trends. It keeps every drop fresh with culture.”

Knotted

Jasmeet Kaur, the founder of fashion brand Knotted, may not be formally trained in design, but she proudly claims to be family-trained. “My label came to life in 2024, but its story started decades ago with my grandmother’s love for stitching. She made clothing for her community, and my mother learnt from her and passed the skill down to me,” she shares. Kaur crafts modern separates for women who crave light, breathable styles.

You will find ruched gingham dresses, polka-dotted tunics, butter yellow and striped co-ord sets, with a play of trends that doesn’t compromise on comfort. Every piece is equipped with pockets to further functionality and ease of movement, while the fabrics are soft to hold and slip into. Each collection is made in limited batches for women seeking capsule wardrobes that last.

Meanwhile, the packaging includes compostable mailers, organic cotton labels, and “Thank You” cards that grow into magnolia plants.

Every now and then, Kaur seeks escape in natural surroundings to channel new ideas. The brand’s first collection, Eden, was born after a day spent scribbling in Bengaluru’s Cubbon Park, surrounded by a grand canopy of trees. And the label’s latest offering, Orena, is based on the element of water, channelling the fluidity and calm that clothes can bring to its wearer. “People are increasingly leaning into ease and authenticity, and that’s where our brand finds its place, in between modern and nostalgic desires,” the founder adds.

Niharika Vivek

When Onam swirled around in 2025, the classic mix of sari fits and culinary fare on social media was infused with a new kid on the block: The Onam Sadhya handbag. Crafted in pure silk by designer Niharika Vivek for her eponymous fashion label, the clutch’s shape mimics a banana leaf—and that’s only the beginning of the ode to the festival. The handbag is also embroidered with every little dish that appears on the platter—from spicy avial and rasam to the soothing pachadi and thoran—and this festive likeness lifted the unique bag (and the brand) to Instagram virality.

Although Vivek started her clothing label 12 years ago, its recent embrace of Gen Z-first designs is ricocheting the collections to relevance. Think handwoven zari corsets in rich greens and yellows fitted to perfection, and often styled with pouffy boleros that could make the Bridgertons shy. “When we mastered our first corset, it felt unreal, because we knew we had tapped into a fresh segment,” says Vivek.

Having grown up in Bengaluru, the designer often finds herself leaning on the city for inspiration. Whether it’s the ornate temples and antique stores or the yearly Avarekalu festival where farmers and chefs celebrate the hyacinth bean, she recognises a shift in the soul of her hometown. “People want to understand their roots better, and crave knowledge of fabrics. They also see the need to preserve hand- me-downs as a way to hold on to the emotions attached to the clothing,” she explains.

The Summer house

Created by founder-designers Rekha Datla and Shivangini Parihar in 2015, The Summer House takes pride in speaking the language of sustainability well before it became a buzzword. From the very beginning, the clothing label’s social media stood out for interspersing editorial shots with slow fashion learnings, refreshingly free from jargon. Imagine a carousel that illustrates just how often your denims need to be washed, or an advisory on detecting if your clothing is well made by using the quality control “pull test”. Meanwhile, the brand’s weekly newsletters curate playlists that help you slow down. Perhaps this storytelling is what helps The Summer House stand the test of time in a cluttered fashion market. Datla insists it is the brand’s back-to- basics approach: “Good quality has always been our North Star.”

A recent zodiac-inspired collection borrows its vocabulary from the stars and translates it onto the label’s love for neutrals. And, in many ways, the clothing embodies the heart of the city it is born in. “One of my favourite aspects of Bangalore is its dual- natured energy; it can be sleepy and vibrant at the same time,” says Datla, adding: “The quiet streets swept up in a blanket of jacaranda flowers and drizzly evenings perfect for a post dinner stroll.” One look at The Summer House’s collection brings this romantic old-Bangalore charm to life.

Tharangini Studio

Tharangini Studio may stand out amid this curation for more reasons than one. To begin, the brand was established 48 years ago, when Bengaluru was a starkly different space. Founder Lakshmi Srivathsa, a third-generation city-dweller, fell in love with the craft of wooden block printing after witnessing it in Delhi—and decided to carry the spirit back home.

Today, her daughters Singari and Padmini Govind preserve the textile studio in an urban ecosystem by working closely with a family of artisans. In 2025, the studio partnered with designer Indira Varma of clothing label Dhi Earth to launch a line of saris and scarves where the traditional block patterns were deconstructed to create a fresh look. Previously, they have created textiles for Indian brands as well as global names like Dôen, Story MFG, and Anthropologie. The studio also hosts block printing workshops that allow enthusiasts and budding designers to acquaint themselves with a unique library of wooden tools. Presently, Tharangini is in the process of launching an artist residency.

“We have specialised in organic, ethically made handcrafted textiles for many decades now. Even today, ours is the only block print studio in India to have the NEST Ethical Artisan certification for fair trade,” says Padmini, adding that as of 2023, the brand’s manufacturing is entirely carbon neutral.

This article first appeared in Cosmopolitan India's November-December 2025 print edition.

Image credits: Respective brands

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