Creating superbrands to emerge out of India has long been a dream — and two well-known Indian designers are taking the next step, launching exclusively with Saks on Thursday.
Saks has teamed up with internationally acclaimed designer labels AFEW Rahul Mishra and AK|OK Anamika Khanna, as the brands’ exclusive retail partner in the United States. This isn’t the luxury retailer’s first time partnering with an Indian designer — in March 2023, Saks hosted a limited-time pop-up with Sabyasachi at Saks Fifth Avenue Beverly Hills featuring a special red carpet capsule collection called Cinématique that was curated specifically for the partnership that featured couture, ready-to-wear, accessories and a selection of one-of-a-kind high jewelry pieces.
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“We are thrilled to introduce two globally celebrated brands to Saks’ preeminent luxury assortment,” said Tracy Margolies, chief merchandising officer, Saks. “It is a priority for Saks to foster the discovery of diverse talent and creative voices from across the world. We are excited to partner with Rahul Mishra and Anamika Khanna to offer their refreshing takes on timeless, everyday dressing to Saks customers, and we look forward to celebrating Indian heritage and artistry through these brand launches.”
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“This partnership may be a key ingredient to create a superbrand to come out of India,” Rahul Mishra said in an exclusive conversation with WWD, speaking about the upcoming launch of his one-year-old ready to wear label AFEW (an acronym for Air, Fire, Earth, Water). The label’s spring 2025 collection debuted at Paris Fashion Week last month.
“And by Oct. 17 it is ready for retail in New York. You know there’s been a lot of preparation,” he said, of the collection that features vibrant flowers and hues with prints, embroideries and appliqué surfaces.
Mishra’s designs have received global acclaim since he won the International Woolmark Prize in 2014. The Rahul Mishra prêt-à-porter line has showcased at the Paris Fashion Week from 2014 to 2020 until his foray into high couture as the first Indian designer to be invited to showcase at the haute couture week in 2020.
With AFEW, he said he had a chance to both “return to his love for versatile separates, rooted in comfort and a strong sense of individuality, and to look at a different consumer.”
“This collaboration is looking at scale,” he said. “When you look at scale, there’s a limit to what you can do, but with AFEW, we are envisioning a time ahead of great hope to make India’s first global ready-to-wear brand. This partnership will be a strong pivot. Saks has the most powerful, most organized fashion retail in the world.”
The prices for his collection of 33 items at Saks range from $270-$1,490.
Anamika Khanna, who is one of the top designers in India, agreed that launching with Saks is “a very exciting moment,” she said.
“Stepping into the international space is something we always envisioned is a special moment, and that too with a brand that’s so close to my heart,” she said.
Speaking about the U.S. market, Khanna said that she sees a “whole lot of acceptance to a lot more.”
“The interest in Indian embroidery has been there from a time immemorial, but there’s also the interest in prints and versatility of clothing and lounge wear. It makes it interesting and different — and AK|OK is about just that — comfort and luxury. The idea is to be dressed up comfortably from day to evening with such easy to mix and match options,” she said.
Her collection is nothing if not colorful, and reflecting a change in her own design outlook. “Ivory has been my obsession forever,” she said with a laugh. “But I’m suddenly seeing myself opening up to yellows, blues — the world of color is opening up for me. Fashion is about change, I can’t be stuck,” she said. The prices for her collection of 27 items at Saks ranges from $215-$850.
A collaboration with H&M for India and select countries in September brought Khanna into the limelight. “That collection sold out in 10-11 minutes,” she said. “It was a massive learning experience, you work with different genres you grow that much,” she said.
Both designers have partnered with Reliance Brands Ltd.