The young Indian designer shaking things up at London Fashion Week

Name: Juderic Braganza

Profession: Part-time fashion designer, full-time diva

Education: Master’s in Fashion Design, Central Saint Martins (class of 2025), LVMH Scholar

Location: London, United Kingdom

Why you should care: The Central Saint Martins graduate show has long been known as the launchpad of designers to look out for in the fashion world. What do John Galliano, Alexander McQueen, Stella McCartney, and Harris Reed—creative directors of legacy fashion houses like Givenchy, Christian Dior, Chloé, and Nina Ricci—all have in common? They all started their journey into fashion on this very stage. Joining this rich sartorial and creative legacy is Mumbai-raised fashion designer Juderic Braganza, whose maiden collection was part of the CSM graduate showcase, on day one of this season’s London Fashion Week. Made entirely from end-of-mill fabrics and vintage outfits Braganza thrifted in Europe, the collection had roots in the tenets of circular fashion and was a visible paean to the women he grew up with.

What inspired his collection: “The community of Goan immigrants who came to Bombay sometime in the ’50s and the ’60s without a lot of money and resources. The women in my life are from that era. They were glamorous and knew how to celebrate and have a good time despite the powers that be. Coming into the course, I realised that I wanted to empower, be bold, brave, and courageous through my clothes. And when I went back to my roots, I realised that I got that attitude from these women, whether I was taking scraps of fabric and turning them into a skirt or partying up the entire block until 3 am. It’s this kind of joy in the face of scarcity that motivated me to use that in my fashion practice.”

His favourite look from the collection: “The last look, which is actually a 1980s wedding dress from Versailles. It resonated with my Portuguese and Catholic heritage. I opened up the dress and then used elements of it to make a headpiece and a cape, with additional boning details. And so it completely transformed from this frumpy, campy piece to this strange, folkloric creature.”

Four words to describe the Braganza muse: “Bold, glamorous, aware, colourful.”

What inspired him to pursue fashion: “I used to watch these videos with Tim Blanks; I think the name of that YouTube channel was Style.com back in the day. And he would talk about Galliano and McQueen and all these designers who had their roots in subculture. And I always, always wanted to be a part of that world. Of course, Mumbai has its own beautiful subculture, but I wanted to expand my horizons.”

What about London appeals most to him: “London is always brimming with potential. It’s open to the sort of experimentation that I genuinely wanted to be a part of.”

What he will miss most about being a student: “I'm going to miss this ecosystem that CSM has, which is basically like an art village. Once you leave this beautiful place, ninety per cent of the real world is not going to understand what you do. But this university teaches you how to technically defend your own work and build a community of people who you can move forward with.”

His favourite London spots: “Brick Lane and Westminster Abbey. I’m not a super-religious person, but I’ve always been appreciative of architecture. I love big, gigantic Gothic buildings that are filled with ornaments and history. And Brick Lane, definitely, because of their vintage shops. I am just a sucker for thrifting.”

A fashion house he hopes to work for: “Vivienne Westwood by Andreas Kronthaler. Or Dior.”

A house he hopes to head some day: “Halston or Christian Lacroix.”

His design Gods: “Alexander McQueen and Hussein Chalayan. People with humble beginnings, a distinct point of view in fashion, and [a consideration for] the humanitarian aspect of everything.”

The most played on Spotify when preparing for this show: “I am a big pop person. From Kylie Minogue to Chappell Roan and of course Lady Gaga. With a splash of The Bleachers because I love soft rock.”

His last read: “I love reading classic literature. I most recently read Dangers of Smoking in Bed by Mariana Enriquez. I also write, and although I do not like poetry, people say my writing style is poetic.”