A Medium of expression – that’s what this label is.
This was my initial thought when I started my conversation with the founders of the label ‘Studio Medium’ at their newly launched store in The Dhanmill, Chattarpur. But after the store visit and a great conversation with founders Riddhi Jain and Dhruv Satija, I came away with a newfound, nuanced understanding of their essence – unbridled exploration of the medium that is textile and its intersection with other mediums.
As a writer working from my home in Kochi, miles away from the brands I write about, witnessing a space like Studio Medium in person was especially thrilling. Kochi has its own charming fashion and lifestyle stores, all innovative in their own way, but stores like Studio Medium’s flagship space are rare. An open studio/retail space where the brand’s garments, framed textile explorations, and a hanging textile installation greet you as you step in. Having followed the label online, it made me realise how I had only a fraction of an idea about their work.
The founders, a couple who met during their time at NID, come from different worlds. Riddhi was from a textile background, while Dhruv was a film student. Like many other creatives I’ve spoken to over the years, including Sreejith Jeevan of Rouka or Aneeth Arora of Pero, this intersectional learning environment often sparks disruptive work. Half fascinated by the studio itself, detailed with pieces used in producing their signature textiles, and fully immersed in conversation with Riddhi and Dhruv, I learned about their journey and brand's story.
As I somehow always seem to find, there was a Kerala connection to Studio Medium. According to Riddhi, the most pivotal turn in her creative journey happened in Kerala, at Aranya Natural, a social initiative by the Tata Trust in Munnar, which empowers specially-abled artists to handcraft Shibori, batik, block, and eco-prints on naturally dyed yarn, textiles and upcycled fabric."
Collaboration is at the core of Studio Medium’s practice. “These collaborations are essential," says Riddhi. "They stretch our imagination and allow us to see our own work from newer perspectives. Working with Aranya pushed us to understand natural dyes not just as colourants but as living materials with their own agency. It taught us precision and intent, both in terms of material and what we communicate with our designs.” This deep connection to process is what makes Studio Medium’s pieces feel alive, each design carrying the heft of collaboration and experimentation.
The same openness to cross-disciplinary exchange was evident during their recent store launch, which included a collaboration with InOrdinary Practice and Caara Food. Dhruv explained, “They brought in how our colours and forms can take on a new dimension with food. Each collaboration helps us think beyond ‘fashion’ and into a fuller, more layered way of making.”
Studio Medium’s design process also resists linearity, leaning instead into experimentation and cross-medium dialogue. Riddhi reflected on this approach, saying, “A lot of our 'now' signature pieces have been born out of this process. Whether it’s the hands-free dress, sleeve dress, shapeshifter, or our kaftans, we don’t always begin with a sketch – we really let the material and its behaviour shape the outcome.” This commitment to organic evolution is evident in their JamBan series, a hybrid of Bandhani and Jamdani, which Riddhi described as a desire to let two traditions speak to each other. “Bandhani is my root, and having grown up in Kolkata, Jamdanis were everywhere. We wanted to see what happens when a tied resist informs a woven motif, or vice versa. The artisans were initially unsure, but once they saw the rhythm and beauty in the collision, they began to improvise. That co-authorship is key to how we work.”
“We wanted to re-look at the existing visual vocabulary for both Jamdani and Bhandani and do something unique to us. We saw them as waves, landscapes, terrains and fields on the canvas of the saree. We moved away from the geometric and more traditional motifs for the JamBan designs. We wanted both the techniques to flow into each other.”Riddhi Jain, Co-founder & Creative Designer, Studio Medium
For Studio Medium, inclusivity is a given, not a concept to be marketed. “Honestly, we don’t feel the need to navigate or subvert these narratives at all,” Riddhi explains. “The sari, and Indian clothing more broadly, has always embodied fluidity across gender, body type, and identity. These aren’t new ideas for us; they’re lived realities. The sari doesn’t ask you to fit into it. It adapts to you. We’re just continuing that lineage, without needing to frame it in borrowed language.”
Their backgrounds in textiles and film also shape their approach to storytelling through garments. “My training in textiles has given me a respect for process, tactility, and time — at Studio Medium, that approach translates into textiles and garments that hold memory, labour, and the inherent quality of a material or a technique at its core,” reflects Riddhi. “Film taught me about narrative structure and editing — it teaches you to let go and focus on what works in the larger scheme of things, but also about atmospheres — how you can tell a story without saying much or by removing rather than adding," adds Dhruv. "At the studio, I often think about how a piece might move, how it might be seen in space, or how it changes when worn. All of that helps in how we communicate through our social media or lookbooks or films about how the store was built.”
The store itself is a sensorial extension of their practice. As Dhruv puts it, “We wanted the store to feel like the studio — to carry the residue of making. The dyeing poles are from our workshop; the steel vessels once held mordants and dyes. Rather than hide the labour, we wanted to honour it. The space is tactile, modular, and open-ended — much like our garments. It invites people to pause, touch, and notice. For us, it’s about a kind of communion — with material, memory, and the act of making.”
As I left the studio, I left with a lot of new learnings from Riddhi and Dhruv. Still, there was a singular clarifying thought: the way Studio Medium as a label understands its own 'medium' deeply, is by allowing cloth, memory, and craft to speak for themselves in tandem without needing to overstate their significance.
Follow Studio Medium here.
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