Behno launches campaign in India with Katrina Kaif

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Mar 24, 2023

Sustainable luxury handbag brand Behno has partnered with Bollywood celebrity Katrina Kaif. The brand’s new campaign starting Kaif signifies its increased focus on the Indian market and celebrates its manufacturing units in India. 

Katrina Kaif is not only Behno’s new campaign star, she is also an investor in the label. “When Shivam first reached out to me, I actually knew very little about Behno and then when I met him in person, he walked me through his vision and how he approaches design, and we instantly clicked,” Kaif told Vogue India about the collaboration. “He mentioned that his approach has always been incremental in how he strives to work differently in the fashion industry to change how it operates and slowly find like-minded manufacturers and partners that want to be more holistic and ethical, making my decision not just to be the face of the brand but also encourage it by investing in it.”

The brand is transitioning to manufacturing an even greater amount of its bag components in India. By launching the campaign with Kaif, it is also asserting its focus on retailing in the country as well. 

“The Indian customer is so discerning about where they will carry so much power in where they decide to spend their dollar,” Behno’s founder Shivam Punjya told Vogue India. “The customer is so discerning and they want something that's phenomenal, but they also know the value of things. You see this intrinsically. Like, my mother comes to India, she has a tailor who's is making her things. So she knows what goes into a garment and she's willing to pay for it. But I think what happens is the marketing that happened with fast marketing, so to speak, it's kind of like taking that element out where you don't think about what actually goes into making something. I think the Indian customer is going to be a very powerful customer, and I'm actually really excited about that.”
 
Shivam Punjya launched Behno in 2013, inspired by the Rana Plaza disaster in Bangladesh to promote sustainability in the fashion industry. The brand specialises in classic style leather tote bags and handbags.