The Low-Key Architect Du Jour

The behind-the-scenes name making some of today's most compelling spaces.

This weekend one of the buzziest store openings in New York is the first flagship of Kartik Research, the homegrown label founded by Kartik Kumra when he was still a student at the University of Pennsylvania. Originally founded as Karu Research, the line’s progression from an experimental learning process that documented Kumra’s own journey from clothing enthusiast to full-fledged fashion entrepreneur.

After graduating college in 2022, he pursued the brand in earnest, already having the support of a steady customer base and stockists that range from SSENSE and MR PORTER to Dover Street Market and BOON THE SHOP. And although the label is no stranger to pop-ups and installations, its first proper flagship required a certain vision to bring the brand’s unique sensibilities into a permanent physical space.