India is home to the world’s largest youth population, but the international perception of Indian streetwear has historically been narrow — or non-existent. Now, the tide is turning: consumers within and outside the country are paying attention to the growing number of homegrown Indian streetwear labels that bring forth an elevated vision rooted in community, craft and innovation.
“While we have more eyes on India than ever, Indians themselves are starting to understand their own worth,” say Mriga Kapadiya and Amrit Kumar, co-founders of cultural platform and women-led Indian brand NorBlack NorWhite (NBNW), which applied the centuries-old tie-dye technique of bandhani to Nike’s sporty silhouettes for a collaboration last summer. (Nike said the capsule introduced “new communities to colors and patterns steeped in Indian culture”.)
Eponymous streetwear label founder Dhruv Kapoor showcased his Spring/Summer 2026 collection at Milan Fashion Week this year, featuring a reimagining of foundational Indian garments like vests and petticoats as outerwear. The designer points to a persistent perception of India as “a mass manufacturer” in European fashion circles, which is increasingly being debunked. “They are sometimes surprised by the quality and design we offer,” he says.
Indeed, attitudes are shifting. With Indian couturiers like Gaurav Gupta and Rahul Mishra becoming mainstays at global fashion weeks, Indian labels are finally being taken more seriously. India’s apparel sector is growing at a rapid compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10% to 12%, projected to reach between $130 and $150 billion by 2030, making it one of the fastest-growing markets globally, according to Indian strategy consultancy Redseer.
India’s millennia-old textile heritage, a vast network of highly skilled artisans and the innovative fusion of traditional crafts with modern silhouettes are unique selling points when it comes to streetwear. But exceptional quality and distinctive designs are not the only factors driving the expansion. “Eighty percent of our customers are people who identify as women, and many of them are of color,” says Kumar. “NBNW resonates with artists, creatives, immigrants and those from the Global South diaspora because we share our story and point of view for us, by us.” Ritwik Khanna’s artisanal streetwear brand Rkive City is currently teaming up with Kartik Kumra’s Kartik Research to introduce upcycled denim into its collections. “To eliminate virgin denim and rely solely on vintage materials, even for a single brand — that’s a win,” Khanna says.
Going global
With a steadily flourishing customer base outside the country, too, Indian streetwear labels are gearing up to meet the moment. “About 40% of our buyers are international,” says Prakhar Chauhan, founder of streetwear label Prxkhxr, which has previously collaborated with LA-based brand The Hundreds and Indian handcrafted sneaker brand Gully Labs. Chauhan has built an authentic community around his brand with behind-the-scenes snippets and work-in-progress photos on Reddit. This alternative growth path has allowed him to generate steady worldwide demand without a physical presence abroad.
Indian streetwear brands are ensuring that global thinking and strategizing are baked into their brand strategies, by partnering with international luxury department stores and collaborations with legacy street and activewear labels. Kapoor, who plans to show in New York next year, is already retailing at scale via Anthropologie.
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“The goal is not to be an Indian brand going global, but an inherently global brand from India,” says Khanna. Rkive City, which is stocked by Galeries Lafayette, is set to launch outposts across India and beyond that will deconstruct and reconstruct discarded garments, starting in 2026.
“In the last couple of years, we’ve had a lot more international orders than ever before,” says Avni Aneja, who founded collaborative sports and streetwear venture Six5Six with her brother Ambar Aneja in 2018. “We’ve been constantly shipping across borders, working with sports leagues and celebrity stylists abroad.”
A volatile market
Running an Indian streetwear brand with global aspirations comes with its challenges. Evolving international export regulations and saturated markets ruled by legacy giants such as Supreme, Stüssy, Off-White and Kith are major deterrents. India currently faces a 50% tariff on exports to the US, the highest among major textile, apparel and footwear exporting countries in Asia.
This is shaping channel and merchandising strategies. “Pre-pandemic, when we were a business-to-business brand, we had an agent in Paris and Shanghai [and] a network of around 14 stores in Europe and China,” recalls unisex streetwear label Huemn’s Pranav Kirti Misra. “Now, we’ve pulled back on that.” Focusing on direct-to-consumer (DTC) helps the brand bypass tariff inflation and market volatility abroad, he says. Misra is also focused on creating “cultural moments within India for the world”. Huemn staged its standalone SS26 presentation, which starred women’s cricket captain Harmanpreet Kaur, who closed the show, right after India’s victory over South Africa in the ICC Women’s Cricket World Cup in November.
Siddhant Sabharwal co-founded Indian premium streetwear brand Bluorng with Mokam Singh in 2020. Rather than rushing overseas, Sabharwal wants the brand to achieve national dominance first: it currently has five stores across Delhi, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Hyderabad and Gurugram. “We have a large community of people who live abroad and buy our clothes, but international bricks-and-mortar expansion is not on our mind at the moment,” he says. By adopting a digital-first foundation, Bluorng is scaling swiftly. Strategic influencer content is helping to ignite a passionate community and spur DTC sales, Sabharwal says.
A major limitation facing Indian labels is the absence of sufficient international coverage for domestic shows. Unlike in New York, London, Paris and Milan, Indian fashion weeks — namely Lakmé Fashion Week and India Couture Week, both held in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) — lack consistent reporting by global media due to a focus on traditional wear and a lack of cohesive branding.
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Culture and collaboration
Indian labels are also vulnerable to a global dampening in sneaker hype. “People are not as crazy about coveted streetwear items like [Nike] Jordans anymore,” notes Sam Chhabra of emerging streetwear brand Evemen. This disillusionment has resulted in Gen Z buyers from within and beyond the country demanding streetwear that adds more to their closets than mere virality. “Another regular streetwear label without a story doesn’t cut it anymore.”
Dhruv Khurana, founder of avant-garde streetwear label Almost Gods, believes merchandising is key to sustaining a business in a geopolitically volatile market. “I want to build a global business, but it must be profitable no matter what. That’s where collaborations with G-shock for watches or the ceramic candles that we make come in,” Khurana says. Merchandise and spin-off labels help these brands stay afloat through market fluctuations, offering recession-proof purchase options for the generally younger customer base interested in streetwear. Kumar agrees, having revamped their gift shop this September, which features bindi bundles, artisanal incense holders and madras check bows. Kapoor launched a sub-brand, Kapoor 2.0, with a more democratic price point, just before the newly imposed tariffs caused a dip in sales.
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NBNW’s former head designer and creative producer Deeksha Bhutani is building an organic community around the subculture. Titled At The Market (ATM), it is a creative collective co-founded with footwear designer, stylist and musician Yatin Srivastava, who has previously collaborated with Gully Labs. ATM aims to be “a microcosm of culture and collaboration”, says Bhutani. Inspired by their multidisciplinary backgrounds, it seeks to recontextualize fashion, design and art, while creating a supportive space where new creatives can realize their full potential.
Over 800 homegrown digital-first fashion brands have launched in India since 2019, Redseer reports. According to the India Brand Equity Foundation (IBEF), a trust established by the Indian Department of Commerce, the growing local apparel market will increase from $106.9 billion in 2023 to $146.3 billion by 2032, at a CAGR of 4%. Regardless of the surrounding uncertainty, creatives with strong visions remain determined. Khurana affirms: “Our time is here.”
