House of Three is where fashion, interiors and cultural memory converge
House of Three was founded as a cultural design house that bridges fashion, interiors, and storytelling through India’s craft vocabulary, evolving into a purpose-driven practice rooted in sustainability, artisanship, and narrative depth. In an interview with Fibre2Fashion, Founder and Designer Sounak Sen Barat highlights that the brand redefines contemporary Indian tailoring and luxury by reclaiming heritage with modern restraint, focusing on intention, provenance, and confidence while shaping a global aesthetic on its own terms.
What was the founding vision behind House of Three, and how has it evolved since inception?
House of Three began as a design lab rooted in the belief that India’s craft vocabulary can shape a contemporary global aesthetic. The idea was never to make clothes alone, but to build a cultural design house: one that moves fluidly between fashion, interiors, art, and storytelling.
Over the years, this vision has matured from a purely aesthetic pursuit into a purpose-driven one: honouring heritage, elevating artisanship, and creating objects and spaces that feel both timeless and quietly radical.
What role does sustainability play in your material sourcing and production choices?
Sustainability, for us, is not a trend but a way of thinking. It begins with choosing natural, low-impact materials, collaborating with handloom clusters, and producing in small, deliberate batches.
We prioritise ethically made fabrics and processes that minimise waste, whether through upcycling trims or developing modular interiors designed to endure for generations.
At its core, sustainability is about responsibility and authenticity. When craft is done right, it is inherently sustainable.
What challenges have you faced in maintaining craftsmanship at scale?
Craftsmanship demands time, intention, and human skill, qualities that resist mass production. The challenge has been to preserve the intimacy of handwork while meeting growing demand.
We address this by building long-term relationships with artisans, investing in training, and keeping production intentionally limited. For us, scale is not about volume but about depth. It means expanding excellence without diluting the soul of the craft.
Your label spans apparel and interiors: from jackets, saris and gowns to full-scale interior environments. How do you maintain a cohesive brand ethos across such different craft domains?
Whether we are designing a sari or a hotel lounge, the grammar remains the same: restraint, precision, craft, and cultural memory. The medium may change, but the ethic does not.
We approach every project by asking the same questions. What is the story? Where does the material come from? How does it honour heritage while serving the future? This consistency is what binds our worlds of fashion and interiors.
With collections such as Kalgi, Sattva, Agami, and the brand’s interiors line, how do you decide which medium, fashion or interiors, is most appropriate for a particular design narrative or cultural inspiration?
The narrative determines the medium. Some stories demand movement and fluidity and take the form of garments. Others call for permanence, scale, or spatial emotion and become interiors.
Kalgi’s opulence, for instance, required the intimacy of clothing, while our interior projects often explore structure and architectural rhythm that are better expressed through space.
We simply listen to what the story wants to become.
What were the key cultural and style references that shaped your take on Indian tailoring from the 1950s to 2025?
I traced the arc of Indian masculinity from the post-Independence gentleman who rebuilt a nation with discipline and dignity to the new-age Indian man who is global yet rooted.
The 1950s and 1960s were defined by practicality, restraint, and resilience. The 1970s and 1980s brought confidence. The 1990s introduced aspiration. Today, there is a return to authenticity. This evolving timeline became the spine of our tailoring language.
How did you reinterpret the ‘Boxwala’ gentleman for today while keeping his classic elegance intact?
The ‘Boxwala’ man embodies integrity, discretion, intellect, and understated charm. We reinterpret these qualities through modern silhouettes, lighter constructions, Indian fabrics, and a quieter sense of luxury.
It is not nostalgia but continuity. The essence remains while the expression evolves.
What challenges and opportunities do you see in reviving premium suiting at a time when casualwear dominates?
The challenge is cultural. Comfort has become synonymous with informality, yet the opportunity lies in redefining comfort itself. Today’s suits are lighter, softer, more breathable, and far more versatile. Clients are rediscovering the power of a structured garment that moves like a second skin.
In a world seeking meaning and gravitas, a well-made suit is returning as a marker of intention.
How does House of Three reclaim Indian tailoring elements like the cummerbund and checks and give them a modern edge?
We do not treat them as exotic accents. We treat them as origins. The kamar bandh, Bengali checks, and summer suiting fabrics are part of our everyday heritage.
We refine proportions, evolve textures, simplify palettes, and pair them with global tailoring techniques. The result is something contemporary yet unmistakably Indian in intellect and identity.
What does the suit represent for Indian men today, and how do you see luxury suiting evolving next?
For Indian men today, a suit symbolises intention and the desire to present oneself with clarity and respect. It is no longer about formality but about identity.
Looking ahead, luxury suiting will become more personalised, culturally rooted, and emotionally meaningful. Expect lighter constructions, indigenous fabrics, heirloom-quality details, and silhouettes that are tailored to Indian proportions.
What emerging trends do you think will redefine the future of contemporary fashion in India?
We are entering an era of cultural reclamation. Indian designers are moving beyond embellishment toward structural craft, textile innovation, and narrative depth.
Expect a surge in responsible luxury, gender-fluid tailoring, hybrid clothing that balances comfort with gravitas, and a renewed focus on provenance. Above all, expect confidence, with India shaping global design on its own terms.
