Countrymade Material Memory Brings Kantha, Bakhiya and Exposed Construction to Lakmé Fashion Week After Tokyo
Sushant Abrol’s Spring/Summer 2027 menswear collection asks how clothing carries memory, with a short film and an original soundtrack alongside
Indian menswear label Countrymade, founded by designer Sushant Abrol, presented its Spring/Summer 2027 collection, Countrymade Material Memory, at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI in New Delhi. The collection is rooted in India’s textile heritage and the label’s signature approach to nostalgic utility. It brings traditional craftsmanship, contemporary tailoring and utilitarian silhouettes together to ask how clothing, memory and transformation are connected, using intricate hand techniques, textured surfaces and carefully built garments.
A Label Built on Utility and Craft
Founded in 2019, Countrymade has built a design identity that draws on military silhouettes, Indian craft traditions and stories of resilience. With Countrymade Material Memory, the label looks at how garments carry traces of where they came from, the hands that made them and the changes they go through over time. In this approach to Indian menswear, traditional techniques are not just decoration. They are part of the construction, character and storytelling of each garment.
Countrymade Material Memory: Clothing That Evolves
At the heart of Countrymade Material Memory is the idea that clothing changes with time while keeping the essence of how it was made. Colours fade, textures shift, structures soften and surfaces transform, but the stories inside them remain. Instead of hiding those changes, Countrymade embraces them as expressions of individuality and craftsmanship. The collection looks at the beauty of imperfection, and lets garments show their construction, layers and changing character through details that celebrate both the material and the maker.
Kantha, Bakhiya and Pad Stitching
Countrymade Material Memory is crafted across linen, silk, cotton and denim, and it pairs traditional Indian textile techniques with contemporary tailoring and workwear-inspired silhouettes. Kantha embroidery, Bakhiya backstitching, patchwork, hand-coated colour treatments and bespoke pad stitching are part of the design story, and they point to the precision and artistry of Indian craftsmanship. Reversible constructions give a single garment more than one expression, while exposed stitching, controlled fraying and layered surfaces show the processes behind it.
Craft Techniques in Countrymade Material Memory
Fabrics and Constructions in Countrymade Material Memory
The collection also shows how Countrymade’s approach to contemporary Indian dressing is evolving, with functionality, craftsmanship and individual expression sitting together. Structured tailoring meets relaxed silhouettes, and utilitarian influences are softened through tactile fabrics and intricate handwork. By putting traditional craft practices in conversation with modern garment construction, Countrymade Material Memory offers menswear rooted in Indian design sensibilities and relevant to a global audience.
A Short Film and an Original Soundtrack
The story continues beyond the clothes. Countrymade has also unveiled an original short film made for Countrymade Material Memory, and an original soundtrack produced for the presentation.
The Short Film
Set in an empty studio, it follows garments that begin to move, meet and respond to each other without a human form. It asks whether this is merely cloth coming to life, or whether something of those who once wore the garments lives on inside them.
The Soundtrack
“What Remains (Material Memory)” is streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music. It begins with footsteps that lead into the sounds of a garment factory, and gradually turns mechanical rhythms into music.
The film reflects on the invisible presence of memory and the emotional lives of objects. The soundtrack’s lyrics unfold entirely through questions about life before and beyond, the process of becoming, belonging and everything that has changed along the way. Instead of offering answers, it invites the audience to reflect on what remains.
In Sushant Abrol’s Words
From Tokyo to New Delhi
Countrymade Material Memory was previously presented in Daikanyama, Tokyo, from 8 to 11 September 2026, and then came to the runway in New Delhi. The Countrymade Spring/Summer 2027 collection was showcased at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI on 17 October 2026 at Taj Palace, New Delhi. The showcase reflected the label’s aim of making menswear that honours its cultural and artisanal roots while exploring new possibilities in silhouette, construction and material expression.
The Collection’s Journey
Through Countrymade Material Memory, the label offers a thoughtful view of modern Indian menswear, in which heritage is not just preserved but continually reimagined. By keeping the techniques, textures and processes of garment making visible, the collection celebrates the relationship between the past and the present and puts Indian craftsmanship at the centre of a contemporary design story.
At a Glance
Quick Answers
What is Countrymade Material Memory?
Countrymade’s Spring/Summer 2027 menswear collection by Sushant Abrol, exploring how clothing carries memory through material, craftsmanship and transformation.
When and where was it showcased in Delhi?
On 17 October 2026, at Taj Palace, New Delhi, at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI.
Which crafts feature in it?
Kantha embroidery, Bakhiya backstitching, patchwork, hand-coated colour treatments and bespoke pad stitching.
Where was it shown before Delhi?
In Daikanyama, Tokyo, from 8 to 11 September 2026.
About FDCI
The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) is a non-profit organisation and the apex body of fashion design in India, represented by over 400 members. Its prime objective is to propagate the business of fashion. More at www.fdci.org.
