The object everyone will remember from Countrymade's Spring/Summer 2027 show is a glass flask. It was wrapped at the base in oiled brown leather, buttoned at the neck and hung from a long looped strap, and it swung from the hands and shoulders of the men as they walked. On the glass, etched in typewriter letters, was the line that serves as the collection's thesis: What remains, remembers. Beneath it, Countrymade India is pressed into the hide.
It was a small gesture, and it said everything. Sushant Abrol founded the Indian menswear label in 2019 and has built it on what the house calls nostalgic utility, a language drawn from military silhouettes, Indian craft traditions and narratives of resilience. The flask carries that idea in a single object: a canteen for a soldier who has long since come home, carried now for the memory as much as for the water.
The styling took the thought further. The men wore their hair braided, a choice that felt tender and quietly defiant beside the polished grooming Indian menswear usually favours. A leather case moulded in the shape of a jerrycan was carried by its handle like a valise. Shoes looked broken in, leather looked handled, and every accessory seemed to have a past. That was precisely the point.
Material Memory, the collection's title, is about how clothing changes with time while holding on to the essence of its making. Colours fade, textures shift, structures soften and surfaces transform, yet the stories within them stay. Countrymade embraces these changes as expressions of individuality and craftsmanship, and lets garments show their construction, their layers and their evolving character.
The clothes were cut in linen, silk, cotton and denim. Kantha embroidery, Bakhiya backstitching, patchwork, hand coated colour treatments and bespoke pad stitching form the backbone of the collection, and here craft is structural, built into the construction and character of each piece. Reversible constructions offer several expressions of a single garment. Exposed stitching, controlled fraying and layered surfaces reveal the processes behind them. An oatmeal linen jacket, textured and slubbed, fell loose over a blush shirt and wide trousers in the same cloth. A washed denim jacket arrived traced with contrast stitching in lines, worn with denim trousers cut generously. Structured tailoring met relaxed silhouettes throughout, and the utilitarian edge was softened by tactile fabrics and intricate handwork.
"Material Memory is an exploration of how clothing carries stories through its fabric, construction and the hands that shape it," says Abrol, Founder and Creative Director of Countrymade. "Indian craftsmanship has always been central to Countrymade's design philosophy, and with this collection, we wanted to bring traditional techniques such as Kantha, Bakhiya and hand finished detailing into a contemporary menswear context. For us, the beauty of a garment lies not only in how it looks when it is created, but also in how it evolves over time."
He continues, "Through exposed construction, reversible pieces and textured surfaces, we wanted to celebrate the process of making and the memories that remain embedded within the material. Bringing this collection to Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI is an opportunity to showcase our interpretation of modern Indian menswear while celebrating the craftsmanship that continues to inspire us."
Abrol extends the story well past the runway. An original short film made for the collection is set in an empty studio, where garments begin to move, meet and respond to one another with no human form inside them. It leaves an intriguing question open: is this simply cloth coming to life, or does something of the people who once wore these clothes live on in them? An original soundtrack, What Remains (Material Memory), was produced for the presentation and is now streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music. It opens with footsteps leading into the sounds of a garment factory, and those mechanical rhythms gradually become music. Its lyrics are made entirely of questions about life before and beyond, about becoming and belonging, and about everything that has changed along the way. The song leaves its questions open and asks the listener to sit with what remains.
The collection travelled to New Delhi from Daikanyama in Tokyo, where it was presented from 8 to 11 September 2026. It moved well between the 2 cities. The craft is Indian and the cut speaks to a global wardrobe, and Abrol has found the point where the two meet.
The show felt rustic, worn in and beautiful, with a cosiness that is rare on any runway and a fashion sense sharp enough to carry it. Countrymade is one of the most compelling labels in Indian menswear today, and Sushant Abrol is a designer with real promise. Watch this house closely.
What remains, remembers. So will everyone who was in the room.
TO BE CONTINUED, FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.
This is where the surface ends and the reporting begins.
The complete piece, the full archive, and access to The French Press Circle. Reporting answerable only to its readers.
Already a subscriber ?
Login
Read these on the house, with our compliments.
A selection from the current issue, open to all readers. Read them in full. The rest is one decision away.
The object everyone will remember from Countrymade's Spring/Summer 2027 show is a glass flask. It was wrapped at the base in oiled brown leather, buttoned at the neck and hung from a long looped strap, and it swung from the hands and shoulders of the men as they walked. On the glass, etched in typewriter letters, was the line that serves as the collection's thesis: What remains, remembers. Beneath it, Countrymade India is pressed into the hide.
It was a small gesture, and it said everything. Sushant Abrol founded the Indian menswear label in 2019 and has built it on what the house calls nostalgic utility, a language drawn from military silhouettes, Indian craft traditions and narratives of resilience. The flask carries that idea in a single object: a canteen for a soldier who has long since come home, carried now for the memory as much as for the water.
The styling took the thought further. The men wore their hair braided, a choice that felt tender and quietly defiant beside the polished grooming Indian menswear usually favours. A leather case moulded in the shape of a jerrycan was carried by its handle like a valise. Shoes looked broken in, leather looked handled, and every accessory seemed to have a past. That was precisely the point.
Material Memory, the collection's title, is about how clothing changes with time while holding on to the essence of its making. Colours fade, textures shift, structures soften and surfaces transform, yet the stories within them stay. Countrymade embraces these changes as expressions of individuality and craftsmanship, and lets garments show their construction, their layers and their evolving character.
The clothes were cut in linen, silk, cotton and denim. Kantha embroidery, Bakhiya backstitching, patchwork, hand coated colour treatments and bespoke pad stitching form the backbone of the collection, and here craft is structural, built into the construction and character of each piece. Reversible constructions offer several expressions of a single garment. Exposed stitching, controlled fraying and layered surfaces reveal the processes behind them. An oatmeal linen jacket, textured and slubbed, fell loose over a blush shirt and wide trousers in the same cloth. A washed denim jacket arrived traced with contrast stitching in lines, worn with denim trousers cut generously. Structured tailoring met relaxed silhouettes throughout, and the utilitarian edge was softened by tactile fabrics and intricate handwork.
"Material Memory is an exploration of how clothing carries stories through its fabric, construction and the hands that shape it," says Abrol, Founder and Creative Director of Countrymade. "Indian craftsmanship has always been central to Countrymade's design philosophy, and with this collection, we wanted to bring traditional techniques such as Kantha, Bakhiya and hand finished detailing into a contemporary menswear context. For us, the beauty of a garment lies not only in how it looks when it is created, but also in how it evolves over time."
He continues, "Through exposed construction, reversible pieces and textured surfaces, we wanted to celebrate the process of making and the memories that remain embedded within the material. Bringing this collection to Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI is an opportunity to showcase our interpretation of modern Indian menswear while celebrating the craftsmanship that continues to inspire us."
Abrol extends the story well past the runway. An original short film made for the collection is set in an empty studio, where garments begin to move, meet and respond to one another with no human form inside them. It leaves an intriguing question open: is this simply cloth coming to life, or does something of the people who once wore these clothes live on in them? An original soundtrack, What Remains (Material Memory), was produced for the presentation and is now streaming on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube Music. It opens with footsteps leading into the sounds of a garment factory, and those mechanical rhythms gradually become music. Its lyrics are made entirely of questions about life before and beyond, about becoming and belonging, and about everything that has changed along the way. The song leaves its questions open and asks the listener to sit with what remains.
The collection travelled to New Delhi from Daikanyama in Tokyo, where it was presented from 8 to 11 September 2026. It moved well between the 2 cities. The craft is Indian and the cut speaks to a global wardrobe, and Abrol has found the point where the two meet.
The show felt rustic, worn in and beautiful, with a cosiness that is rare on any runway and a fashion sense sharp enough to carry it. Countrymade is one of the most compelling labels in Indian menswear today, and Sushant Abrol is a designer with real promise. Watch this house closely.
What remains, remembers. So will everyone who was in the room.
TO BE CONTINUED, FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.
This is where the surface ends and the reporting begins.
The complete piece, the full archive, and access to The French Press Circle. Reporting answerable only to its readers.
Already a subscriber ?
Login
Read these on the house, with our compliments.
A selection from the current issue, open to all readers. Read them in full. The rest is one decision away.
