The Kardashians Love Namrata Karad's Bags

Namrata Karad, founder of Ahikoza by BRHAM, opens up about going from working on a Hugo Boss store sales floor to seeing her bags carried by Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Kiara Advani, Kylie Jenner, Khloe Kardashian and other global stars.

IMAGE: Namrata Karad, the designer behind Ahikoza by BRHAM. All photographs: Kind courtesy Namrata Karad

There is something almost poetic about the fact that Namrata Karad's first real taste of luxury came from a handbag she had to work for.

As a college student in Melbourne, Namrata wanted a Chanel 2.55 bag that cost around $4,000 (approximately Rs 3.79 lakhs) at the time. Her father agreed to pay half but only if she earned the other half herself. So she got her first job, working on the sales floor of a Hugo Boss store, saved the money and bought the bag. She still has it.

Years later, that fascination with handbags has taken her somewhere she could not have mapped out at the time.

The founder of Ahikoza by BRHAM now watches her sculptural, logo-free designs make their way onto some of the world’s biggest red carpets, from the Met Gala and Golden Globes to the Grammys.

Her bags -- priced anywhere between Rs 70,000 to Rs 1.15 lakhs -- have been carried by names like Kylie Jenner and Khloe Kardashian and several other Bollywood and Hollywood stars.

Yet, for Namrata, one of the biggest milestones was not seeing a celebrity carry an Ahikoza bag. It was understanding that someone with access to every major luxury house in the world had deliberately chosen an Indian design with no obvious logo.

In a conversation with Rishika Shah/Rediff, Namrata reflects on the journey behind those moments, from working at Hugo Boss and cold-DMing a Victoria's Secret model to building a global label from India -- a luxury brand that does not need to announce itself.

'I Never Chose Bags. Handbags Chose Me'

Ahikoza wasn't part of some carefully mapped-out five-year plan. Namrata came from marketing, advertising and business, later studied the fashion business and gradually found herself drawn towards a gap she saw in the handbag market.

She describes her journey as "destiny, timing, art and science" and admits that learning the technical side of design took longer because she did not come from a traditional design background.

Her father, who initially gave her a "very, very conservative" amount of seed money, eventually became one of her biggest supporters.

'I Earned Half The Money For My First Chanel Bag'

Her relationship with luxury began long before Ahikoza. As a college student in Melbourne, Namrata had her eye on a Chanel 2.55 bag. Her father offered to pay half but there was a catch -- she had to earn the other half.

That meant taking on her first job, working on the sales floor of a Hugo Boss store. She eventually earned the money and bought the Chanel bag.

"I still carry it; it has sentimental value," she says, recalling how the experience introduced her to the world of luxury not just through the product but through the entire experience of buying one.

"I remember talking to the sales staff... the box... the packaging... the ribbon..."

'Always Ask. You Could Actually Get A Yes'

One of Ahikoza's earliest international breaks began with something remarkably simple -- an Instagram DM.

Namrata noticed that Victoria's Secret model Barbara Fialho had liked one of her pictures. She reached out, they developed an Instagram friendship and eventually Namrata asked if she would collaborate with her young brand.

"It kind of took like a couple of months of back and forth... sampling and all of that," she recalls.

For Namrata, the experience became a lesson in taking chances.

"Never underestimate the power of your network," she says. "Be humble enough to reach out."

'Kardashians Were My Real 'Pinch-Me' Moment'

Celebrity placements may now be part of Ahikoza's story but Namrata admits there was one particular moment that felt different.

"I will be a little dorky over here and say it, the Kardashians," she laughs. "When Khloe carried my bag, I had a little bit of a pinch-me moment."

IMAGE: Khloe Kardashian carrying the Amina bag from Ahikoza.

The significance was not simply the Kardashian name. For Namrata, it was the fact that someone who could choose from virtually every luxury house in the world had chosen an Ahikoza bag.

"The fact that they've kind of chosen your silhouette, it doesn't have a logo and you're all the way in India... that means something to me," she says. "It's also a very proud 'made in India' moment for me."

IMAGE: Kylie Jenner carrying the signature Lilian bag at NBA star Karl-Anthony Towns and Jordyn Woods's Malibu wedding.

'Being One-Off Is Easy. Being Consistent Is Where The Tough Stuff Is'

For Namrata, the real achievement isn't getting one celebrity to carry a bag. It is making sure the brand continues to show up.

Ahikoza has, according to Namrata, appeared consistently on major international red carpets over the past three years, including the Met Gala, the Golden Globes and the Grammys.

"I think that's when I realised that it had, you know, made its mark internationally," she says. "Being one-off is easy. Being consistent is where the tough stuff is."

IMAGE: Megan Thee Stallion spotted carrying the Madison bag.

'Behind The Glorified Moment Is So Much Work"

The image of a global celebrity carrying an Ahikoza bag may look effortless. The reality behind it is anything but.

"Oh my goodness. Behind the scenes there was an exhausted mother, a toddler joining her like 2 am... frantic calls because the bag was yet to reach and the deadline was looming," Namrata says, laughing.

She describes it as "a madhouse" involving production schedules, logistics, stylists, press and a team constantly connecting the dots.

"Behind the glorified moment is just so much work."

IMAGE: Alia Bhatt carrying the Amina clutch.

'I Didn't See Anything Which Was A Little More Discreet'

In a luxury market dominated by instantly recognisable monograms and logos, Namrata deliberately went in the opposite direction.

"I just didn't feel the need that good design had to announce itself," she says.

The decision was also personal. Her own style, she explains, is more discreet and she wanted Ahikoza to reflect that sensibility. "I didn't find the need to compete with legacy luxury houses through branding," she says.

For Namrata, the ultimate goal is simple: "It's great design. It's not a logo."

IMAGE: Kareena Kapoor Khan carrying the Amina clutch.

'My Husband And I Are Our Biggest Cheerleaders'

Namrata has built Ahikoza alongside her husband Varun Karad, who comes from a prominent political family. But rather than describing their worlds as competing, she sees them as complementary.

Her husband, she says, brings a different perspective to the business, particularly when it comes to numbers, scaling and entrepreneurship.

"He's helped me become more than a designer; because of him, I'm a better entrepreneur as well," she says.

She is equally clear that Ahikoza's growth has been her own professional journey. "Getting that spotlight because of my husband or his family is just simply not factual," she says, adding that their support has given her space to "get creative and make my own place" without being in anyone's shadow.

IMAGE: Kiara Advani carrying the Junya bag at the airport.

'Time For India Is Now'

Namrata sees Ahikoza's international journey as part of a much bigger shift in how Indian luxury is perceived.

For years, she says, Indian designers felt they had to "earn a place" at global fashion tables. She believes that mindset is changing.

"Made in India was 'uncool' for a very long time," she says. "That's just no longer factual. The time for India is now."

'It's Great Design. It's Not A Logo'

Strip away the celebrity names, the red carpets and the global recognition and Namrata comes back to one thing: Ahikoza's design DNA.

"Consistent, the storytelling, the product and the life it's created for itself," she says when asked what has kept the brand going.

For her, that DNA is built through years of finding the right artisans, manufacturers and retailers and, ultimately, creating a product that can stand on its own.

"No product, no anything, right?" she says. "It's great design. It's not a logo."

IMAGE: Malaika Arora carrying the Sahar bag.

'You're Looking At An Exhausted Mother'

Perhaps the most revealing answer comes when Namrata is asked what people misunderstand about her journey.

Behind the polished celebrity photographs are failed products, customer complaints, review calls, investors, boards, P&Ls and the everyday pressure of running a growing business.

"You're looking at an exhausted mother," she says. "You're looking at years of failed product, customer complaints. These are all sides of the business which you don't display."

And that, perhaps, is the most fitting way to understand Namrata's journey. The girl who once worked on a Hugo Boss sales floor to earn half the money for her dream Chanel bag eventually created a luxury label whose own bags would be chosen by women with access to virtually every luxury house in the world.

As Namrata puts it: "It's not just posting pretty celebrity pictures; it's a business at the end of the day."

Photographs curated by Satish Bodas/Rediff