This Mumbai-based artist has everyone from Virat Kohli to Nita Ambani as patrons of her wearable art

What is the common thing that ties cricketers Virat Kohli, Dinesh Karthik, and South Indian actress Samantha Ruth Prabhu? Their soft spot for high luxury goods with a touch of personalisation. 

Interestingly, Kanika Ranka Adani, a Mumbai-based artist who runs The Studio Project, is doing just that by giving a creative twist to several products—from expensive bags to passport covers, suitcases to sneakers. 

The entrepreneur dabbled in graphic and fashion design and a short stint with her father's textile business before she started something of her own. 

“I remember painting a pair of shoes for a friend's birthday, and I happened to post it on Snapchat and Instagram, and it picked up overnight. It made me realise that there was a serious gap in the market that was waiting to be addressed,” Adani tells YS Life. 

After working on a few personalisation projects for close friends and family, she took it up as a regular practice in 2017. 

YS Life speaks to Adani to understand her love for wearable art, her creative process, and what makes personalised products from The Studio Project splurge-worthy. 

Passion for personalisation 

Adani was drawn to art at a young age, so much so that she would often pick up the paintbrush and create something. Eventually, her creative interests pushed her to pursue a four-year course in visual arts at the School of The Art Institute of Chicago. 

She says, “Unlike many colleges, my institute didn't require us to choose a particular field of art. For four years, they encouraged us to work with interdisciplinary mediums. So, we were painting, glass blowing, screen printing, figure drawing, and whatnot.”

“This learning made me realise that painting does not only have to be on canvas,” she adds. 

Upon her return to India, Adani attempted to work in a full-time job, but she was meant for other things. “I wanted to do something of my own, which was an amalgamation of fine art and fashion, but something more fast-paced,” she quips. 

And she was struck with the idea of personalisation. 

A report titled The Rise of Affluent India by Goldman Sachs Research predicts the number of affluent consumers in India to rise from about 60 million in 2023 to 100 million by 2027.

These statistics are further corroborated by Bain and Company, which says India's luxury market is likely to expand to 3.5 times its current size—reaching $85 billion to $90 billion—by 2030. 

While personalisation already exists in high luxury brands, like Salvatore Ferragamo, Louis Vuitton, and Goyard—back in 2016, brands were only doing initials and stripes that eventually became common.

“It wasn't personalised anymore; everyone had access to it. I wanted to push that boundary and take the concept of personalisation further—to make that piece of luxury item you purchased truly yours,” she says. 

This practice existed in international markets like the US and Europe, but India did not have any players—an opportunity, Adani decided to cash in, ensuring her aesthetics stood out. 

Adding a creative twist 

Initially, Adani was approached by clients for fun projects like customising canvas shoes. Her first luxury product was a Goyard art clutch, only a month after she launched The Studio Project. 

“Someone took a gamble with me and felt I had formal training in painting. It was purely word of mouth,” she says. 

Today, Adani takes up individual requests, where her clients give their personal high-end luxury products and she customises them. 

She also does brand collaborations, particularly for events like a new collection launch or a Christmas special edition, and has worked with Ferragamo, Charles and Keith, and Ralph Lauren, among others. 

“Recently, Ralph Lauren had a massive gala dinner in Jaipur with the royal family. I was brought in to add an artistic touch and a live customisation angle to its launch,” she adds. 

Adani is also popular with celebrities—who either come to her via social media or after stumbling upon coverage in magazines. In some instances, she says, these public figures had received her customised products as gifts and loved her work. 

While she works across product categories, she highlights that travel bags and passport covers are particularly popular.

“That's how Virat Kohli approached me. I did a matching travel duffle bag and backpack for him. He already had passport covers that were previously gifted to him by someone,” she says. 

Adani also customised a suitcase for Dinesh Karthik. Since the cricketer has twin boys, she did their handprints on the back of the bag with their initials, and the front had the cricketer’s initials. 

“I had requested him to print their hands on a piece of paper with some paint so I could get this accurately done,” she recalls.

Besides Kohli and Karthik, Adani has worked with Samantha Akkenini, Sonam Kapoor, Nita Ambani, and Ayushmann Khurrana. 

Behind the scenes 

It all begins with a client reaching out to her via a message, sharing more details about the product that needs to be personalised. However, Adani insists on seeing a photo of the luxury item to understand its condition. 

“A lot of people give me stuff that they want redoing. Sometimes, it's so worn out that the painting doesn't make sense. It needs restoration as opposed to artwork,” she explains. 

Once she is fully aware of the canvas, she tries to understand if her clients have certain themes in mind. If not, she sends them some reference images. 

“I don't replicate anything because that defeats the purpose. Once I have their product with me, for instance, I take its photos in my studio, and I create digital layouts that have everything to do with position, colour, size, and more,” she explains. 

Adani admits there's often back and forth on the design since she wants her client to be content with their choice. For instance, in Kohli’s case, The Studio Project explored everything from travel stickers, motifs, and vertical stripes but, eventually, went for something timeless. 

“We didn't want to pick specific elements to add on to the bag. The design was a little rustic and classic. I remember doing anywhere between 37-40 design layouts for him,” she recalls. 

Since Adani’s clients come to her for her artistic style, she is particular about being involved in everything—from designing to painting. 

However, the time frame for each piece varies based on the size and complexity of the product that has to be painted, and the number of projects she has at a given point. For example, The Studio Project once did a Louis Vuitton tote that had six to eight Looney Tunes characters on it and took seven to 10 days to finish painting. 

“There's a lot that goes into it—from surface cleaning to applying the base coat and then varnishing. I always ask my clients to come to me with ample time,” she says. 

Of course, each product has a certain value pegged to it with so much precision and attention to detail involved. The Studio Project’s minimum price across product categories is Rs 10,000. The highest has gone up to Rs 2 lakh for larger products like stroller bags since a huge surface area has to be covered. 

“But we also work backwards, unlike many brands. If you have a budget, we try and figure something out accordingly,” she says. 

Future outlook 

Although Adani’s business is making waves, with clients between 18 and 50 years old opting for her products, she has more plans for the future besides continuing her passion for personalisation. 

“I have begun exploring creating different products in different forms. I will continue with consumer products like jackets and home decor. But I am also looking to create my own designs on them and not just customise them as per certain requirements,” shares Adani. 

One can buy these products as is or customise colour combinations, but Adani is clear that the design and style will be completely hers. 

“I would also like to do more installations and experimental pieces for homes and restaurant spaces. It will take a little time since there's a lot of trial and error involved, but I am ready for it,” she says.