New Delhi menswear label Countrymade has unveiled FOUNDRY, its Autumn/Winter 2026 collection, drawing on the physical processes of a metal-casting factory like heat, pressure, erosion, compression, fusion as ways of treating fabric rather than just describing a mood.
Founded in 2019 by designer Sushant Abrol after years in Indian fashion, including a long stint with Rohit Bal, Countrymade has built its identity around military and workwear references and garments that gain character with wear. The label’s origins are personal: its debut collection, ‘Beyond the Clouds,’ followed the death of Abrol’s brother, Squadron Leader Samir Abrol, an Indian Air Force pilot who died in a 2019 fighter-jet crash — a loss that continues to inform the brand’s storytelling.
In FOUNDRY, wool is boiled into new textures, knits are fused with denim to create what the label calls “textile alloys,” and denim itself is patched, layered and eroded. Coated, distressed surfaces mimic the look of heat and wear while retaining the fabric’s original character. The silhouettes stay grounded in workwear staples — chore jackets, truckers, bombers, work shirts and soft blazers — giving the material experimentation a familiar frame.
Indian craft techniques run through the collection: Barmer appliqué, Ikat, Kantha, hand embroidery and patchwork appear alongside stitch lines that trace pressure points and erosion paths. The palette follows heated metal ochre, bronze, oxidised tones, blue, black and charcoal, evoking scorched, industrial surfaces.
The collection sits within Countrymade’s broader “Nostalgic Utility” philosophy, merging military and utilitarian clothing with Indian craftsmanship and Abrol’s personal narrative. As he puts it, he’s interested in how a garment holds memory, and what happens when that memory meets material, giving the piece a reason to exist beyond function.
