For designer Charlotte Chowdhury, Rescha is a utopia

Name: Charlotte Chowdhury

Profession: Textile designer and consultant

Location: Paris, France

Why you should know her: This Paris-based designer, who has cut her teeth in the ateliers of Jacquemus and Wales Bonner and consults with major French fashion houses on their textile, image and styling, blends Indo-French nostalgia with contemporary textiles in her label, Rescha Paris. Read: upcycled knit bras, raw silk jackets, and most recently, her first short film, written, directed and styled by her. Yet, Chowdhury is only getting started.

How Rescha Paris was born: “I started Rescha three years ago, just after I turned 30. It was during confinement, and like a lot of people, I began to reflect on what I really wanted to say with my work. At the time I was working full-time at Jacquemus—I had been there for four years, part of the early team. It was such a fun, tight-knit group. I learned so much from Simon [Porte Jacquemus] and his vision—it’s so personal to him, and that made me realise I had my own story to tell too.”

On her multicultural approach to design: “I’m Indian and French. My dad was born in Chittagong and grew up in Kolkata, then moved to Paris when he was 18. My mum is French, and they met at a pizza place. She used to work in fashion show production in Paris in the ’80s and had all these amazing couture pieces at home. My dad worked in finance—after starting out in restaurants, he ended up becoming a broker in the financial district. So, I grew up in this really contrasting environment: sporty Adidas sets and crisp suits on one side, vintage French tailoring and hand-embroidered saris on the other. Rescha is a mix of all of that.”

On her moniker: “The name comes from the Hindi word for yarn—resha—but I added a ‘C’ for Charlotte. It felt right. There are even shops in India called Resha; I’ve seen them in Delhi, and it always makes me smile.”

The first piece she ever made: “It was a knit dress called Paris Peris. It’s kind of a joke, because in French you say Paris like ‘Paree’, and in Hindi people say ‘P-ay-ris’. The dress is knitted—it links back to my grandmother who used to knit a lot—and the colour was this beautiful pink, which felt very Indian. The shape was super sleek, almost like those chic slip dresses from the ’90s. It felt like the right introduction to the brand: something rooted in my background but forward-looking too.”

On miniature bras and micro-bindis: “One of the pieces we’re known for now is the hand-knit bra. It’s made from knit and beads—again, that mix of French handcraft and Indian sparkle. I’ve seen people wear it under a sheer shirt, over a crisp white button-down, or even over a sari blouse. One of my best friends wore hers over a dress to a wedding, like body jewellery. That’s what I love—it’s fun, but it's also timeless.

Another element that’s become really central to Rescha is the bindi motif. I used to wear bindis a lot—just for myself. I always thought, Why do we only wear them one way? So, I started experimenting: placing them differently, embroidering them onto garments. That turned into the bindi dress, the bindi top, the bandana, even a bindi bag. It’s playful, but it’s also a way to reclaim and reinterpret something cultural.”

Where her fabrics come from: “We produce everything using deadstock fabric. I source textiles from Delhi, Kolkata, and markets in Paris, like Montmartre Marché, but we also work with Nona Source—which was started by LVMH to redistribute unused fabrics from big fashion houses. It’s amazing for smaller designers. Sometimes the fabric has these natural imperfections—slubs in the silk, irregular dyeing—and I love that. It reminds you that the piece is handmade. It’s not mass-produced. It has soul. Raw silk is also one of my favourite materials to use—it’s so traditional in India, but I love using it for contemporary silhouettes. We’ve done raw silk bombers, trousers, and gowns in our new collection.”

On her collaboration with Adidas: “I messaged the collab lead from Adidas on Instagram—she’s also called Charlotte—and she invited me for coffee. That’s how it started. I grew up watching Bend It Like Beckham, and that film had such a big impact on me—it was the first time I felt seen, you know? So, I made custom Adidas looks for a short film we shot in Jaipur. I directed it myself. It follows a girl working in a restaurant, just daydreaming of another life. It’s based a bit on my dad’s story.”

On her consultancies: “Alongside Rescha, I also work as a consultant for French couture houses—on textiles, styling, and image. Because of NDAs I can’t name them, but that work supports the brand and lets me keep experimenting creatively. I’ve been lucky to work with some beautiful maisons, including Chanel for textiles. One day, I’d love to do a full collaboration with them. Their approach to preserving artisanship is something I really admire.”

On her brand’s manifesto: “Rescha is my utopia. A space where both of my cultures, which can feel so opposite, can coexist. The French side brings structure and simplicity, and the Indian side brings texture, colour, ornament. I study the details—how garments were dyed, how beads were used, how clothes were cut—and then I collage. Nothing is 100 per cent French or 100 per cent Indian. It’s always a mix. That’s where the beauty is.”