Supporting talented artisans around the world via providing them with regular work and showcasing their handmade pieces to global consumers is a conscious endeavour made by Saran Kohli. As this will not only help build communities but also keep their fading trade and generational skills alive.
Founded in 2016, Saran Kohli is a London grown contemporary menswear brand.
Each piece of clothing is made with a focus on quality, wearability, and design. Specialising in tailoring and using traditional methods with a contemporary palette to create timeless and durable garments.
Saran Kohli has been featured in GQ, Esquire, New York Times and Times of India. The list of international celebrities and influencers wearing SK and being styled by Saran himself has grown to include Sachin Tendulkar, Big Narstie, Jay Sean, Ashley Walters (Top Boy), Sadiq Khan (Mayor of London), Lenny Henry, Mumzy Stranger amongst others.
The inspiration behind the label and its collections are an ode to, the Founder and Creative Director of the brand, Saran Kohli’s shared British Indian heritage. Design sensibilities are drawn from both cultures when creating new collections which can be seen in the use of high-quality fabrics, the cuts and the handmade embroidery.
Premium fabrics are sourced from France, Italy, Japan, India, and the UK to make Saran Kohli collections and the production of each ensemble is always completed with the highest standards in tailoring and craftsmanship either in-house in the UK or in production houses in India and Italy.
Such as, avoiding the use of non-synthetic fabrics, revamping, and upcycling existing creations, reusing older stock / leftover fabric and being mindful of what materials are used when packaging products to help lower our carbon footprint. Saran Kohli designs and creates by demand instead of mass producing.
The entrepreneur and visionary behind the brand, Saran Kohli, began his journey at the age of 17 working within his family business of a womenswear fashion house. He interned at Michiko Koshino and Hugo Boss before moving into stylist and sales roles for Banana Republic soon after graduating from London College of Fashion with a B.A (hons) in Fashion Management.
Saran won the Best Newcomer Award in Fashion Design at the prestigious International Asian Fashion Awards in 2011 as the designer’s expertise became apparent to many.
The growing interest and trust among clients allowed Saran to expand within London (UK) and globally in Delhi (India) and New York (USA).
These cities are particularly special to Saran, as he was born in London, spent his childhood in Delhi (before returning to London at the age of 11) and he further trained as a dancer in New York. It is the influences of these cities and the life experiences within them, Saran’s extensive global travels and his love for music and dance that have been injected into the Saran Kohli collections.
Saran is also an acclaimed choreographer and performer. In February 2013, Saran was awarded the Outstanding Award for Concept and Choreography at the prestigious Broadway Dance Centre in New York City. Two years later he was commissioned to produce a dance piece at Europe’s biggest hip-hop theatre, Breakin’ Convention. He choreographed and performed a piece titled “Molecules of a Dream” at the world-renowned Sadler’s Wells Theatre. This further lead to many tours around Europe, including Edinburgh Fringe
As a Creative Director, Saran Kohli has also curated events and commissioned projects for many established brands such as Duchamp, Aquascutum, Dishoom, Topman, Levis, Chivas Regal and Porsche to name a few. Most recently, Saran’s work has crossed over to film and TV including designing over 50 costumes for Marvel Studio’s movie Eternals and being commissioned to produce costumes for the Queen’s Jubilee celebrations held at Windsor castle.
