Kavita Gupta becomes first Indian to be appointed in the Fashion Institute of Technology's board

When Kavita Gupta speaks about fashion, she doesn’t speak in terms of trends, silhouettes, or seasonal relevance. She speaks about systems, authorship, and power. Her appointment to the International Leadership Board of the Fashion Institute of Technology (FIT), New York—making her the first Indian to hold the position—signals more than personal achievement. It represents a structural shift in how Indian craftsmanship and cultural influence are positioned within one of the world’s most influential fashion institutions.

FIT rarely invites external leaders into its global advisory and cultural strategy ecosystem, which makes Gupta’s appointment particularly significant. Her mandate focuses on strengthening cultural exchange, expanding creative education across borders, and building pathways between Indian textile institutions, artisans, and the global fashion industry. At a time when Indian craftsmanship is deeply embedded in luxury supply chains but still fighting for equal authorship, Gupta’s role arrives at a pivotal moment.

For Gupta, however, this milestone is part of a much larger continuum. Her career has never been confined to one industry. As a UN Innovation Award winner for co-creating the world’s first Green Bond, an early crypto investor with over 250 global investments, an International Emmys Board member, and a lecturer at institutions including Stanford, MIT, and Columbia, she has consistently operated at the intersection of capital, culture, and systems.

“I’ve never really experienced my career as separate chapters,” she says. “Finance, technology, film, and now fashion have all felt connected by one underlying theme, which is value. In finance, I learned how capital moves and how systems determine who scales and who does not. In technology I became deeply interested in ownership and attribution. Film taught me that narrative decides what the world pays attention to.”

It is this structural lens that defines how she approaches fashion today. “When I look at fashion, I don’t see just clothing or seasonal collections. I see a living ecosystem. I see people, intellectual property, labour, identity, and national influence. Fashion shapes perception, and perception shapes opportunity.”

Her focus on elevating Indian creative ecosystems emerged gradually, shaped by years of observing how global systems function. While working on Green Bonds long before sustainability became an industry buzzword, she witnessed firsthand how intentional capital allocation could shape entire sectors. At the same time, she noticed a quiet but persistent imbalance.

“Indian craftsmanship was everywhere in global luxury, yet rarely acknowledged in authorship,” she explains. “That gap felt structural. It was not about talent. It was about systems. We had extraordinary depth, but we lacked coordinated institutional support and global positioning.”

Her appointment to FIT’s International Leadership Board now gives her the platform to address that imbalance directly. Her work will include building collaborations between institutions such as the Chanakya School of Design and FIT, expanding Indian representation at New York Fashion Week, and developing a curriculum that integrates heritage craftsmanship with sustainability and emerging technology.

But Gupta is clear that visibility alone is not enough. The deeper work lies in redefining perception and authority.

“Indian craft has often been seen as decorative or exotic rather than intellectual or foundational,” she says. “What is interesting is that India is already at the global centre. The techniques, the labour, the craftsmanship have long been embedded in international luxury supply chains. The work was presented as novelty rather than acknowledged authorship.”

Her approach focuses on long-term structural change: opening boardrooms alongside runways, unlocking new forms of capital for artisans, and fostering meaningful global collaboration. “Advocacy cannot stop at cultural appreciation,” she says. “It must move into structural change.”

For Gupta, the most rewarding moments are the quiet shifts that signal lasting transformation. “When an Indian designer is positioned as an authority rather than a cultural ambassador, when an artisan is recognised as a collaborator rather than anonymous labour, those moments signal that we are moving beyond symbolism into structure.”

As global fashion increasingly turns toward authenticity, sustainability, and heritage, Kavita Gupta’s appointment is not just symbolic; it is strategic. It marks the beginning of a new chapter where Indian craftsmanship is no longer simply admired, but recognised, credited, and positioned exactly where it belongs: at the centre of the global fashion narrative.