When Narendra Kumar Dressed Jeff Bezos; He's The Only Indian Designer To Have Created Something Desi For Amazon's Founder

Defining Narendra Kumar In His Own Words

If fashion designer Narendra Kumar could define himself in two words, he’d like to be called a “Story Tailor”. Storytelling has been a part of his journey, from his very first show till date.

If there is any role that you can think of in the fashion industry or even imagine in your wildest dreams, Kumar has done it all. From being India’s first fashion editor to teaching at fashion school, being a photographer to styling films like Fashion and No Smoking, exhibiting at an art show outside Paris, creating Amazon Fashion, being the one who initiated fashion week in India while he was the editor of Elle... the list is endless.

“I am also an award-winning filmmaker, actually India’s only fashion designer-cum-filmmaker to have his own movie as the Best Fashion Film at the Berlin Fashion Film Festival, along with Gucci, Hermes, Burberry and Adidas. We are also India’s only designers to be listed in Esquire's best menswear stores in the world,” he exclaims.

Why The Rear View Doesn't Matter To This Designer?

Such an eventful journey in life requires a book, which Kumar is building presently, but the title is already in place. 'No Rear View', that’s what he plans to call it. “I never look back at what I did yesterday. The title is inspired by the Italian car drivers in the 70s. They used to pull out their rear-view mirrors as they were focused on what was ahead and not what was behind them. My career has always been like that. I never look back,” he says.

Kumar had showcased at Global India Couture Week in Delhi earlier, but in September 2025, he displayed his collection Tamiska at GICW Mumbai. “It was a wonderful opportunity thanks to the great team and fantastic production value of the fashion week. It was a privilege to work with them,” he says. "They achieved the impossible for me this year at GICW."

Tamiska captures the essence of brands like Zara, Vero Moda and Mango and bring it in a soft-Western wear look for young girls in cosmopolitan cities. It is a working woman's wardrobe that lets you look great at work, from Monday to Monday.

No Room for Showstoppers as the Spotlight Is On The Clothes

Kumar is no fan of the showstopper culture in India. He just doesn’t believe in the concept. For him, his clothes are good enough to be the showstopper. However, there was a time when he got inundated with a lot of people who wanted to walk in his shows, including friends or people he was styling in the films, so he started to include them.

“Today, it has evolved from a showstopper to an influencer culture, as they have bigger reach. But it is important to find the right person to wear your garments. You need to find someone who embodies your clothes. Otherwise, it doesn’t make sense to rope in somebody who is just a star,” he explains.

The one celeb in Kumar’s dream list is Snoop Dogg. “I would get him an embroidered bomber jacket, mixed with textile, because he is the cool guy and has the personality to carry such stuff.” Eminem is another popular figure whom the fashion designer would like to dress.

Dressing Jeff Bezos

Recalling the time he dressed Jeff Bezos, he says, “While I was at Amazon, I was informed that Jeff was coming down to sign a 5-billion-dollar cheque and needed to wear something Indian. I said, ‘Okay, send me a photograph.’ They sent me a photograph, and when Jeff comes down and we’re sitting in the changing room, he puts on his clothes, looks at it and says, ‘These really fit me well, my team must have sent you, my measurements. These are perfect.' And I said, ‘No, I have done this based on a photograph I got of yours.' That’s why we are good tailors,” he laughs.

When Jeff came back in 2019, he invited Kumar to his home in Malibu to put together his look for his entire India trip.

“What a great experience to be at his home, where the richest man on Earth then, made tea/coffee for me and my partner at that time. Fantastic! He is so down-to-earth despite being so big.”

The Secret To His Success

Three rules that Narendra Kumar holds close to his heart are: 1. Passion to the point of obsession. 2. Conviction. 3. Evolution.

"You need to be obsessed with what you do," he says. "Conviction of who you are as a person because it colours your passion and gives direction to it. I believe very strongly in evolution because I need to meet the times that I'm living in and not take it back to the time where I was living. I need to be around and be relevant. If not, I need to pack up."

According to the fashion designer, the younger talent in India is fantastic. "I have seen fashion from the very beginning, where 80 per cent was ethnic wear and 20 per cent was Western wear. Then, we went through a phase when Indian designers needed validation from the West, so they started doing Western clothes.

"But now, we see such a good amalgamation of pride in Indian garments and textiles, and global silhouettes. Otherwise, we were just limited to ethnic clothing," he adds.

Size Doesn't Matter, Mindset Does

The fashion designer's philosophy is simple: he dresses the mind and not the body.

If there is something Kumar would want to change about people's outlook towards fashion, it would be for the media to see design for the sake of design. "A lot of our fashion was defined by wedding wear, but weddings are not the only occasions in our lives," he explains with a hint of practicality.

Among the Indian trendsetters, he'd rate Saif Ali Khan and Ranveer Singh on the top. "Due to social media, it's hard to define trends. I'd love to see more people in refined tailored clothing and not just embroidered ones. I thought Saif Ali Khan had good taste. Ranveer Singh is very flamboyant. Both different, yet good. I like to dress people differently."

Advice For Budding Designers

"You need to know AI. Without AI, you are finished," he says. "The future is about storytelling and each individual has a unique story. So, it matters how you craft your story."

There's absolutely no rear view in Kumar's life and every day brings with it a new opportunity.

"All our fashion has always been about how we're changing as a society, and my role as a fashion designer is to capture the spirit of the times. All of us live in silos. For me, my friends were cooks, investment bankers, chefs, dancers, filmmakers, realtors, and my job was to understand what they were thinking about, to tie all the dots of society together and then present it as a show. That is capturing the zeitgeist."

Published on: Sunday, October 05, 2025, 09:24 AM IST