Meet Sumati Jalan

For Sumati Jalan, clothing has always been more than a way of dressing. It is one of the most immediate ways people experience culture, identity and place.When she returned to Bihar after nearly two decades away, she found herself questioning the gap between the state’s remarkable creative legacy and the way it was commonly perceived. Rather than responding through nostalgia or preservation alone, she chose to respond through design—creating contemporary clothing that reflects where it comes from without being confined by it.Her perspective continues to shape Bihart today. Every collection is guided by the belief that thoughtful design can make everyday dressing feel effortless, while quietly expanding how people see Bihar, its craft traditions and its place within contemporary Indian design.

Our Belief

Clothing occupies a silent but significant place in everyday life. It is one of the few things we interact with from morning until night, yet it is often expected to perform without demanding attention.

The clothes we wear most aren’t always the loudest or the newest. They’re the ones that fit our lives so naturally that choosing them becomes second nature. That’s what we design for. We create garments that become familiar through repeated wear—pieces that move easily across different moments and remain relevant over time. Rather than designing for occasions or trends, we design for the everyday, believing the clothes worn most often are ultimately the most meaningful.

Our Approach

Every Bihart garment begins with material. Before a silhouette is drawn or a pattern is developed, we spend time understanding the fabric itself- how it breathes, how it falls, how it softens with wear, and how it responds to repeated use .At Bihart we refine proportions repeatedly until a garment feels natural on the body.  We believe comfort is not something added at the end of the design process; it is built into every decision from the beginning. Patterns are refined repeatedly until the garment feels intuitive on the body, allowing thoughtful design to reveal itself through ease rather than excess.For us, craft isn’t decoration.It’s a way of thinking.

The Principle of Reduction

We believe good design is an exercise in reduction. Instead of beginning with decoration, we begin with purpose, questioning whether every seam, pocket, panel and proportion genuinely improves the experience of wearing the garment.

 If it doesn’t, it doesn’t belong.

This process of refinement creates clothing that feels effortless rather than overdesigned. By stripping away the unnecessary, we allow the fabric, silhouette and construction to do the work. The result is a collection that adapts naturally to different people, places and routines, supporting personal style without competing with it.

Designed To Last

Fashion often rewards novelty, but we are more interested in permanence. We believe the true value of a garment is revealed through repeated wear—when it becomes familiar, travels often, softens with time, and seamlessly earns its place in a wardrobe. A meaningful collection is rarely built around impulse purchases; it grows gradually through pieces that continue to feel relevant long after they are first worn.

Our story is one of passion, perseverance, and a relentless pursuit of excellence. It’s a story that continues to evolve, shaped by the people who choose our products and the journeys they take. As we move forward, we are committed to staying true to our roots while embracing new challenges and opportunities.

We believe that the key to success lies in staying connected to our customers. Your feedback and stories inspire us to keep innovating and improving. We’re not just creating products; we’re building a community of individuals who value quality, style, and authenticity.

Drawing From Bihar

Bihart’s design philosophy is contemporary, but its perspective is shaped by Bihar. We are interested in the region not as a source of nostalgia, but as a place of remarkable textile knowledge that continues to educate the way we think about clothing today. Alongside traditions such as Sujani, Extra Weft, Appliqué and Sikki, we see generations of technical understanding that deserve to evolve rather than remain unchanged. Our role is not to recreate these practices exactly as they once existed, but to explore how they can find renewed relevance through contemporary design.For us, craft isn’t separate from design. It’s one of the ways design thinks.

Our Practice

Thoughtful clothing demands thoughtful making.Our work is built around long-term relationships with artisan communities, deliberate production, and materials chosen for their ability to endure rather than simply appear new. These are not independent sustainability initiatives or marketing commitments,  they are principles that shape every decision we make. Bihart believes the quality of a garment is determined as much by how it is made as by how it looks, and that good design carries a responsibility beyond aesthetics.

Looking Ahead

We don’t see Bihart as a finished point of view, but as an evolving conversation about clothing. Every collection is an opportunity to better understand the relationship between material, form and everyday use, refining what we make through observation rather than excess.

As our work grows, our ambition remains unchanged: to create clothing that earns its place in people’s lives through comfort, longevity and thoughtful design. We are interested in garments that are worn often, cared for over time and remembered because they became indispensable.

Getting dressed may be an everyday act. We believe it deserves extraordinary thought.