Kunsquad: Three rebels. One vision. Zero rules.

What happens when late-night debates, scribbles on tissue paper, and a whole lot of artistic rebellion collide? You get Kunsquad… India’s streetwear label with soul, born in Bhubaneswar, raised on conviction, and built by a trio that refuses to play it safe.

Enter fashion mavericks Priyabrata Mohapatra, Pallabi Sarangi, and Abhishekh Deo, the creative misfits who turned a casual conversation into a full-blown cultural movement. With backgrounds spanning commerce, fashion, and visual storytelling, they’re proof that when brains and instinct meet, magic happens.

Forget boardrooms and seed rounds. These three built Kunsquad from scratch, literally. No investors, no hype, just handcrafted samples, obsessive ideation, and grit. What started as mood-boards and mood swings, Kunsquad is now one of India’s freshest street labels, challenging the boundaries between fashion and art, one drop at a time.

Priyabrata handles the grind with business precision, Pallabi plays creative conscience and peacemaker, and Abhishekh turns visuals into vibes. Disagreements? Plenty. But as they’ll tell you, it’s in those messy moments that the brand sharpens its edge.

Kunsquad is bold but thoughtful, rooted in Odisha’s craft traditions while drawing from global street culture. From reimagining Pattachitra in edgy silhouettes to fashion-meets-art collections inspired by African rock motifs, their drops aren’t just clothes… they’re wearable archives.

Ask them what is one of their biggest “aha” moments? Well, it’s watching strangers rock their designs at street fests and spotting celebrities casually donning Kunsquad in paparazzi shots. Another? Hosting Bhubaneswar’s first-of-its-kind fashion-and-culture showcase and owning the city’s creative stage.

With a flagship experience space in the pipeline and hush-hush collabs on the horizon, the trio through Kunsquad is shaping a movement. For Kunsquad doesn’t follow trends; it carves its own lane, loud and proud.

Always fashion-forward with a sixth sense for digging out emerging style an fashion mavericks, TheGlitz salutes Kunsquad, the home-grown rebel squad where craft gets gritty, creativity runs wild, and fashion doesn’t whisper… it shouts ‘art’ vociferously.

Over To The Kunsquad Fashion Maverick Trio –  Priyabrata Mohapatra, Pallabi Sarangi and Abhishekh Deo

Let’s rewind a bit… how did the three of you meet and decide to start Kunsquad? Was there a ‘Eureka!’ moment?

Honestly, there wasn’t some grand “Eureka!” moment. It started with conversations—unfiltered, late-night kind of talks about the kind of work we wanted to do, what was missing in the fashion space, and how we never really fit into the conventional mold. We came from different backgrounds—fashion, business, visual storytelling—but we shared this hunger to create something that felt personal, experimental, and unapologetically expressive.

What began as casual brainstorming slowly turned into moodboards, samples, ideas scribbled on tissue papers. There were no investors, no fancy setups—just belief and relentless effort. We didn’t even know what it would become, we just kept showing up, experimenting, making mistakes, and somewhere along the way, Kunsquad started taking shape. Not just as a brand, but as a mindset.

Kunsquad is such a fresh, dynamic name! What does it mean to each of you, and how did you land on it?

“Kuns” means art in Afrikaans, and “squad” stands for the team behind it. Together, Kunsquad represents a collective of artists, dreamers, and doers who are building something bigger than fashion. The name came to us naturally—we always saw this brand as a creative force driven by a strong team, not just one person’s vision. It’s about the art we create and the people who make it happen.

You all come from diverse backgrounds… commerce, fashion, visual storytelling. How do your individual strengths complement each other in day-to-day work? Who takes the lead when there’s a creative vs. business crossroads?

It’s actually our biggest strength. One of us thrives in storytelling and direction, another in design and aesthetics, while the third brings clarity and structure through business strategy. When creativity and commerce clash, we always come back to the brand’s vision.

Be honest 🙂 Do you ever disagree on ideas? Who plays the peacemaker when things get heated? Any memorable disagreements that ended up helping the brand?

Definitely! Disagreements are part of the creative process! We’ve had our share of intense debates—over campaign visuals, fabric selections, pricing strategy—you name it. Pallabi often plays the peacemaker, balancing emotion with logic. One major disagreement actually helped us define the visual tone of our Pattachitra project. We were split between keeping it raw vs. polished, and in the end, we blended both, creating something even stronger.

What were some of the biggest challenges you faced while launching Kunsquad… from initial days to now? And how did you overcome them?

Starting Kunsquad 4 years ago was one of the hardest things we’ve ever done because streetwear barely existed here (in Bhubaneswar) — no one really understood it, and there were no production units making this kind of clothing. We had to figure everything out from scratch, working with local karigars across Odisha. Today, people are more open to the idea, but the gap is still there and we show up every single day to bridge it. One big step was building our own production unit, so now we have full creative control and can deliver the kind of pieces we truly believe in.

You’ve all had unique career paths. What was the biggest “aha!” moment where you felt… yes, this is working, Kunsquad is really taking off?

One big “aha!” moment was when we were at a streetwear fest, and people who had only seen our work online finally got to touch and try on the pieces. The response was overwhelming—everyone kept talking about the quality, the fit, the detailing. Some even said it felt way more premium than they expected.

Tell us about a milestone that felt surreal… maybe the first time you saw someone wear your design or an unexpected shout-out?

Seeing a stranger confidently wear Kunsquad in a completely different city was wild! But even more surreal was when few celebrities really ordered pieces for themselves and we found out it was real only when we see viral paparazzis spotted pictures , haha.. Also we organised a first of its kind fashion and culture event at Bhubaneswar, whose response and the aura was stunning. This event really created the buzz we needed at the city.

Who or what inspires the Kunsquad aesthetic? Do art, culture, or travel influence your work?

Absolutely, all of it. From ancient African rock art in our San Petra collection to Indian Pattachitra in our latest drop, we’re obsessed with culture and storytelling. Travel helps us think beyond borders, but we’re equally inspired by our roots. Kunsquad is where we make wearable art.

What’s next for Kunsquad? Are you planning new collections, collaborations, maybe even a flagship store? Give us the scoop!

So much is brewing! We’re currently working on spreading the buzz of Pattachitra collection nationwide. A flagship space is definitely on our minds, not just a store, but an experience center where fashion meets culture. 

And yes, some surprise collaborations are coming, can’t reveal too much yet, but they’re going to be big.