Since the launch of his eponymous label in 2012, Udaipur-based Vipul Shah has been on a creative journey to initiate a unique and meaningful dialogue with craft. With his intricately embroidered signature bags featuring mirror work, tassels, fringes, and a splash of vibrant hues, he has been preserving crafts and honouring indigenous savoir-faire with rhythm, patience, and instinct.
This month, at Robb Report India, as we spotlight homegrown Indian brands and their forward-thinking stories, we turn our focus to Shah's bag label that has a loyal fan club, including the likes of Julia Roberts, Malaika Arora, and Frieda Pinto.
"When someone connects with a piece and chooses to wear it, especially on a global platform, it feels like a quiet validation. It reinforces the idea that something deeply rooted in India can resonate across cultures. It’s always special, but also humbling," says the ace designer.
Hailing from a textile business background, Shah's family-owned repository proved to be a vast pool of inspiration and research. His grandfather had a penchant for archiving exquisite textiles and artwork from Afghanistan and Gujarat, and launched Udaipur’s famous Ganesh Emporium in 1984, a place Shah retails out of today. After he returned from the UK, finishing his post-graduation in business studies, the maverick embarked upon a mission to extrapolate these handmade embroidery techniques with his accessories label.
Vipul Shah Bags has always been synonymous with artisan-first, truly Indian designs — indigenous, inclusive, and sustainable. "Taking the India story forward has never felt like a strategy; it’s been instinctive. Growing up within the world of textiles at Ganesh Emporium, there was always a deep respect for craft, history, and the hands behind it. With Vipul Shah Bags, the idea has been to carry that legacy forward in a way that feels relevant today."
India Modern, to him, is all about reframing the craft. "It’s where a centuries-old textile can sit comfortably in a contemporary silhouette. It’s about restraint, authenticity, and allowing the material to speak rather than over-designing it. The balance lies in honouring the past while making it effortless for the present," he adds.
Mindful production practices have been at the core of Vipul Shah Bag's design process, with upcycled fabric sourced from villages in Rajasthan and Gujarat and then used as patchwork. "Upcycling came naturally because we were surrounded by textiles that already had a life and a story. Patchwork became a way of bringing those fragments together into something new. Lately, the exploration has been more nuanced," shares the designer, who has been working with natural dyes more consciously, indigo, kashish, mashpal, and charcoal, applying traditional processes in a more refined and minimal way. There’s also been a shift towards cleaner constructions, where the textile takes precedence over heavy detailing.
At the same time, he is developing a new beadwork collection in bags, inspired by the intricate bead traditions of coastal Gujarat. "The idea is to reinterpret this craft in a more modern, restrained way, where the beadwork feels relevant to today’s design language while still retaining its cultural essence," he quips.
At Vipul Shah atelier, a traditional textile may become a jacket, bag, or modern garment, but the embroidery, weaving, and hand process stay the same. One couldn't help but ask him about the challenges faced while keeping the craft honest yet making it relevant for today’s lifestyle. "That balance is always delicate. The challenge is to not over-modernise in the process of making something contemporary," he says.
For Vipul, the rule has been simple: "Don’t interfere with the soul of the textile." The embroidery, the weave, and the irregularities remain untouched. "The intervention happens around it, in the form, the scale, and the usability. Relevance comes not from changing the craft, but from changing how people interact with it in their everyday lives," he shares.
Vipul notices a shift with the new-age Indian consumers taking pride in investing in homegrown design houses. "There’s definitely been a visible shift. The evolved Indian consumer is far more aware and intentional. There’s a growing pride in choosing Indian design, not as an alternative, but as a first choice. People are looking beyond logos and towards authenticity, process, and story. It’s a quieter, more confident form of luxury," he informs.
Consumers are moving away from overt branding and towards pieces that feel personal and meaningful. "There’s a curiosity now, people want to know where something comes from, who made it, and how it was made. Indian textiles naturally align with this, because they are inherently rich in story and identity," says he.
His atelier has been collaborating with traditional karigars to elevate form and function without compromising authenticity. The ecosystem has always been rooted in trust and continuity. Many of the karigars he works with have been associated with his family for decades through Ganesh Emporium. "There’s an inherent understanding of quality and craft. The process is collaborative rather than directive; it’s about evolving together," he avers.
Being a revivalist who creates a new vocabulary for Indian style, one that is sustainable, inclusive and proudly indigenous, Vipul's creative process is informed by textiles with deep histories that surround him. At Ganesh Emporium, every piece carries a story of region, community, and time. "That naturally informs the way we approach design. There is a sense of responsibility to preserve, but also to reinterpret. The motivation is to ensure these crafts continue to live, not as archives, but as part of contemporary wardrobes and lifestyles," he asserts.
Indian crafts were always handmade, small-batch, and locally sourced-what the world now calls 'sustainable' and 'slow luxury'. "It just wasn’t articulated that way. What is now being called slow luxury globally, handmade, small batch, deeply rooted in craft, has always been intrinsic to India. The difference today is in how it is being positioned and perceived. Indian bags can absolutely stand alongside global ‘it’ bags. What they offer is depth, individuality, and a narrative that mass-produced luxury often cannot replicate," he says.
At Ganesh Emporium, textiles already come with a clear story of region, maker, and tradition. Shah underscores that these textiles were never meant to remain static. They were always part of living traditions, evolving through use and time.