From Self-Taught Designer to London Fashion Week: The Journey of Prakhar Rao.

He is the co-founder and creative director of Zero Tolerance, a research-led Indian fashion label redefining heritage through contemporary design. With no formal training in fashion, Prakhar carved his path by immersing himself in the real world of garment making, learning directly from pattern masters, dyers, tailors, and finishing technicians inside Indian manufacturing houses.

By observing techniques, sketching compulsively, and spending years understanding textiles and silhouettes hands-on, he developed a distinct design philosophy rooted in craftsmanship, culture, and storytelling.

Zero Tolerance: Founded in 2020, Rooted in Heritage.
In 2020, Prakhar launched Zero Tolerance, a sustainable fashion label based in Lucknow, India. The brand quickly gained attention for its handcrafted, slow fashion approach and bold stance on cultural representation. A year later, he debuted Proud Browns, a collection that celebrated brown identity and heritage with unapologetic pride.

London Fashion Week Debut: Karm by Zero Tolerance.
In 2024, Prakhar presented his latest collection, Karm, at London Fashion Week, making him one of the emerging Indian designers to watch globally. The collection featured 11 unique handcrafted looks, spotlighting South Asian heritage through a high-fashion lens. The collection was made in direct collaboration with Indian artisans, using handwoven textiles, natural dyes, and century-old embroidery techniques.

“I believe artisans are the soul of Indian fashion. With Karm, I wanted to celebrate their karm, their labor, their legacy, in every stitch.”

Celebrity Endorsements & Cultural Impact.
Prakhar Rao's creations have been worn by global and Indian celebrities including:

- Riz Ahmed (Oscar-winning actor)
- Ananya Panday
- Vijay Deverakonda
- Dulquer Salmaan
- Raftaar
- Nikhil Chinapa

These public figures have worn Zero Tolerance on red carpets, magazine covers, and high-visibility media appearances, strengthening the label’s position in both luxury and streetwear ecosystems.

A Vision for Sustainable, Cultural Fashion in India.
Prakhar’s design ethos is built on sustainability, heritage revival, and research-based storytelling. Every piece is artisan-made, crafted in small batches with minimal waste, using traditional methods that minimize environmental impact.

Zero Tolerance (ZT) is now recognized as one of the most promising ethical fashion brands in India, leading the charge for slow fashion, cultural sustainability, and handcrafted luxury.

1. You’re Keeping Craft Alive.
   Block printing, handweaving, natural dyeing, these aren’t trends. They’re legacies on the verge of extinction. When you buy from us, you fund real enerational artisans. Not factories. Not influencers. Real hands. Real impact.
   
2. You’re Wearing Slow Fashion With Teeth Slow doesn’t mean soft.
   We produce in micro-batches.
   We use what’s already here.
   We waste nothing, from dye runoff to scrap textiles. This isn’t just eco-fashion. This is accountability.
   
3. You’re Making Fashion Political Again.
   Let’s be clear, colonialism didn’t just steal land. It stole style. It whitewashed South Asian luxury into mass-market knockoffs.
   Zero Tolerance exists to reverse that.
   To put our stories, silhouettes, and textiles back on the world stage, where they belong.
   
4. You’re Building a Better Economy
   Fair wages aren’t a bonus, they’re the bare minimum.
   We work with artisans, not above them. Every piece funds education, home repairs, and new generations of makers. Not just product. Purpose.
   
5. You’re Choosing Human Over Machine. Our pieces are handmade.
   Not because it’s romantic, but because it’s right.
   Machines can't replicate emotion.
   The human touch is the highest form of luxury.