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Kartik Kumra’s Favorite Things

When the coronavirus closed college campuses, Kumra left University of Pennsylvania, where he was an economics student, to return home to New Delhi. He started developing Kartik Research, a brand that fuses his passion for streetwear and local Indian artisanal craft. By the time he went back to school, he was running a business. Since then, Kartik Research has been a semifinalist for the LVMH Prize, it recently staged its first runway show at Paris Fashion Week, and opened a store on New York City’s Lower East Side. Kendrick Lamar, Steph Curry, Brad Pitt, and Lewis Hamilton have worn pieces from the collection, which includes jeans, jackets, and shorts that have been hand-embroidered or block-printed. Here, Kumra shares his taste for Carter Young sneakers and William Eggleston photography.

Small Talk

$175

Frog T-Shirt

“I’m a little biased—these are my friends. But they also make some of the best graphic tees in the game. Hand drawn graphics and a really high quality blank. I personally own this one and love wearing it.”

Kartik Research

$675

Checked Shirt

“One of the best shirts we’ve ever made. From a distance, it looks like a check shirt, but close-up you can see it’s actually been block printed. We work with an artisan near Mumbai who specializes in natural dyeing.”

Carter Young x Paracia

$360

Non Safety Boots

“Another friend’s brand. This one keeps getting better every season. This shoe feels weird and wonky in a good way. If it was more refined, it almost wouldn’t work.”

A.Presse

$650

Vintage Cotton-Jersey Zip-Up Hoodie

“I’m conflicted about this one. I would only wear this color with some artificial sun fading. At the same time, just buy it vintage.”

David Zwirner Books

$95

William Eggleston: The Outlands, Selected Works

“All-time great photographer, all-time great photos.”

Casa Bosques Chocolates

$14

Roasted Cashew Bark Chocolate Bar

“I bought this at an overpriced grocery store once. Usually when the graphic design is so good you get suspicious of the quality. But this was pretty good.”

Lemaire

$2,990

Suede Blazer

“You can always trust Lemaire to make a killer outerwear piece every season. This is the one.”

Sage Nation

$835

Index Trousers

“The pattern on these trousers is great. I tried them on in Paris and the pockets are really smartly designed.”

Kiko Kostadinov

$1,370

Inex Nappa Leather Tote Bag

“A technical-looking bag, but the material softens it. I’d imagine it’ll look great after some wear.”

Colbo

$495

Wide Cord Chinos

“I end up buying something every time I’m there—concerning, because they are our neighbors in New York. These corduroy pants capture a Bruce Weber lookbook energy that feels very of the moment.”

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