Designer Krésha Bajaj grew up around fabrics, fittings and fashion. Her mother, Kintu Bajaj, ran a boutique in Bandra with designer James Ferreira, while her late father, Kishor Bajaj, built a loyal clientele through his bespoke menswear tailoring house, Bada Saab (launched in 1976). For Bajaj, launching a womenswear label felt almost instinctive. Now, over a decade later, she has come full circle with the launch of Krésha Bajaj Homme, a ready-to-wear menswear label inspired by old-world tailoring houses, with the first collection, The Smoking Room. Bajaj reflects on the lessons she inherited from her father, the difference between designing for men and women, and why Indian men are dressing better today.

What are some of your earliest memories of menswear and fittings?
Honestly, my earliest memories are not glamorous at all. They’re very sensory — rolls of fabric everywhere, fittings running late into the evening, masters marking chalk lines onto jackets, conversations around shoulders and proportions and hems. I grew up watching men care deeply about how they looked and how they felt in their clothes. My father always understood that dressing well was not about being flashy, it was about feeling confident, comfortable, and completely yourself.