Top 50 Indian Clothing Brands — homegrown style, thread by thread (with Founders & Owners)
Heritage designers — artistry, tradition & ownership (1–10)
- Sabyasachi
- Founder / Creative Head: Sabyasachi Mukherjee. Aditya Birla Group
- Owner / Corporate Stake: In 2021, Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Limited (ABFRL) acquired a 51% stake in Sabyasachi Couture. Aditya Birla Group
- What he’s known for: luxury bridal wear, heirloom aesthetics, traditional Indian crafts reimagined.
- Ritu Kumar
- Founder: Ritu Kumar (designer).
- Recent Ownership Change: Reliance Brands acquired a stake (52%) in her business. Vogue Business
- Manish Malhotra
- Founder: Manish Malhotra (designer).
- Recent Ownership Change: Reliance Brands acquired ~40% stake in Manish Malhotra’s brand. Vogue Business
- Anita Dongre
- Founder / Owner: Anita Dongre. She runs several labels (AND, Global Desi, etc) under her fashion house.
- (I didn’t find a recent major takeover/stake sale in sources checked, so as far as publicly known, Anita Dongre remains in control.)
- Tarun Tahiliani
- Founder / Designer: Tarun Tahiliani.
- Ownership: Independent designer brand with investor / corporate relationships in some lines, but founder-led.
- Rohit Bal
- Founder / Proprietor: Rohit Bal. Designer-led.
- Neeta Lulla
- Founder / Owner: Neeta Lulla. Independent (long-established in bridal / costume design).
- Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla
- Founders / Designers: Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.
- Masaba Gupta (House of Masaba)
- Founder: Masaba Gupta.
- Ownership / Corporate Tie-up: Her brand, House of Masaba, has had investor interest. Also listed among labels under Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail in some reports. kittybnk.com
- Rina Dhaka
- Founder / Owner: Rina Dhaka. Independent designer.
Ethnic & festival favourites — ownership & founders (11–20)
- Fabindia
- Founder: John Bissell (an American) in 1960, along with partners. Later, the business structure changed; today, it’s a major branded ethnic / home décor/crafts retailer in India.
- Ownership: It’s a widely held company; one major investor is Nandan Nilekani, who acquired a stake some years ago. The Times of India
- Biba
- Founder: Meena Bindra. The brand has changed hands/management over the years.
- Manyavar
- Founder / Chairman / Owner: Ravi Modi is the founder, and Vedant Fashions is the parent company. Forbes India
- Promoters: Ravi Modi, his wife Shilpi Modi, and Ravi Modi Family Trust. The Times of India
- Soch
- Founder / Owner: Soch is an Indian ethnic wear brand; the specific founder is Less publicly known; likely founder-led / family business. (I couldn’t confirm a major corporate takeover in checked sources.)
- W
- Founder / Owner: Part of a larger Indian fashion conglomerate/brand house; the brand was conceptualised by an in-house team of its parent company. Specific names are less visible in public sources.
- Aurelia
- Similar: corporate brand under an Indian fashion retail company; founder/owner details are less prominently published.
- Global Desi
- Founder: Anita Dongre (her brand). Global Desi is part of her fashion house.
- Raw Mango
- Founders: Sanjay Garg & Radhika Garg. Independent, craft/handloom focused.
- Jaypore
- Owner / Acquisition: Acquired by Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Ltd (ABFRL) in 2019.
- Anavila
- Founder / Owner: Anavila Misra. Independent label focused on linen and minimalism.
High-street labels & mass-market — selected examples with founders/ownership (21–30)
- Raymond
- Founder / Owner: The Raymond Group (a large textile and fashion conglomerate). Corporation ownership: public company with promoters; long history of men’s suiting, etc.
- Van Heusen
- In India, Van Heusen is part of Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail Limited (ABFRL). The global brand Van Heusen is originally owned by Phillips-Van Heusen, but the Indian licensing/operation is under ABFRL. FashionNetwork
- Louis Philippe
- Also ABFRL. Part of Madura Fashion & Lifestyle under ABFRL. kittybnk.com
- Allen Solly
- Also part of ABFRL. FashionNetwork
- Peter England
- Again ABFRL. kittybnk.com
- Blackberrys
- Founder: Narendra Agarwal, Samir Agarwal, etc (family-business beginnings). Ownership: independent brand; some investor funding.
- Indian Terrain
- Founders / Owners: Indian Terrain Fashions Ltd is a listed company; promoters and management with the founder/owners.
- Provogue
- Original Founders: Provogue India Ltd started by Kapil Wadhawan. Ownership has seen changes; the brand has had financial/ownership transitions.
- Spykar
- Founders: Rahul Garodia (?): Spykar was founded by Rahul Garodia. Parts of the company have evolved; independent-ish.
- Numero Uno
- Founders / Owners: Crown Worldwide or Numero Uno’s parent; beginnings in denim pioneer companies in India; multiple stakeholders; less dominated by one person, perhaps.
| # | Brand | Founder(s) / Owner(s) / Parent Company |
|---|
| 31 | Pantaloons | Owned by Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail (ABFRL) under their retail/fashion divisions. It’s a large multi-brand fashion retailer. |
| 32 | Max Fashion | Part of Lifestyle International Pvt. Ltd., which is the retail arm of the Landmark Group (Dubai-based but Indian operations). Founder info not super clear in India; Landmark Group was founded by Micky Jagtiani. |
| 33 | Reliance Trends | Owned by Reliance Retail, which is part of Reliance Industries (Mukesh Ambani’s group). |
| 34 | Zudio | Owned by Trent Ltd., which is a part of the Tata Group. Zudio Partners |
| 35 | Westside | Also owned by Trent Ltd., under the Tata Group. Wikipedia |
| 36 | Lifestyle (brand/Retail chain) | Owned by Landmark Group (Dubai-based group), which runs Lifestyle stores as part of its retail operations in India and Middle East. |
| 37 | Pantaloons’ private labels | Since these are private labels under Pantaloons/ABFRL, their “owner” is ABFRL / the board of Pantaloons. |
| 38 | Kazo | Kazo is an Indian womenswear brand; it is part of the Melange Fashion & Retail Pvt. Ltd. (or under company owned by Ajmera Group). Founder details are less widely publicised. |
| 39 | Shoppers Stop (private labels) | Shoppers Stop Ltd owns its private label brands. Shoppers Stop is a public company; the promoter group includes the K Raheja family and other investors. |
| 40 | Allen Solly / Van Heusen lower-price lines | These are sub-brands/private label lines under Aditya Birla Fashion & Retail (ABFRL) — both Allen Solly and Van Heusen are owned/licensed by ABFRL in India. |
| 41 | Nicobar | Founded by Simran Lal and her husband Raul Rai in 2016. CNBC TV18 |
| 42 | No Nasties | Organic fashion label; founder/ownership: operates as a small sustainable brand. (More research needed for founder names, but it is not part of a big conglomerate.) |
| 43 | Doodlage | Founded by Saaksha & K Shrivastava. It’s an upcycled / sustainable label based in India. (Known publicly for its founders.) |
| 44 | Bunaai | Indian fashion brand focusing on ethnic / contemporary women’s wear. Ownership: privately held; specific founder name less widely publicized. |
| 45 | House of Masaba | Founded by Masaba Gupta. It is her own label. The Times of India |
| 46 | The Loom Story | Founded by Mandira Krishna. It is a handloom-first label, working with artisans. |
| 47 | Bhane / Streetwear Collectives / B Label | These are indie collectives; for e.g., Bhane is a brand based out of Bangalore founded by Arjun Kumar. Others are smaller local names. |
| 48 | Organic basics / small ethical brands | A bunch of small brands fall here; often, the founders are designers/sustainability enthusiasts. Specific ownership for each will vary. |
| 49 | Péro / Grassroot designers | Péro is founded by Sandeep & Archana Kanakia. Also part of the collective of designers focused on craft / slow fashion. |
| 50 | Local ateliers & regional houses | These vary hugely: e.g., Kanchipuram weavers are not a single “brand” but many families; some regional houses are family-run, artisan cooperatives. Ownership is usually local / artisanal. |
