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The largest fashion event in India, the Lakme Fashion Week, celebrated its 25th anniversary of the milestone. For years it has been the space in which Indian designers, both veterans and newcomers who shake, create and innovate things.
After a long journey from Los Angeles to Mumbai, I fell on the couch in the Delphin suite of the Taj Mahal Palace Hotel Taj Mahal Palace and snapped at the royal view of the closely overcrowded goal in India in the middle of the breathtaking background of the Arab Sea.
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“I am on duty for the week,” my gentle voice of my butler Raj against the sharp cacophony of horn horns, street artists and the chatter of street sellers and passers -by could be heard.
At that moment I knew that I was finally at home. There is nothing better than the Indian hospitality. And there is definitely nothing else that is comparable to Mumbai’s soul. I woke up to an unusual feeling of excitement. The model landscape in India had put a long way and I was here to record everything.
A few years ago, none of my western Couture fans of Sabyasachi, Gaurav Guppa or Rahul Mishra heard. Indian fashion designers could not be found anywhere in the international scene.
But nowadays these names are at the top of the tongues of fashion buyers and collectors in Paris, New York and even LA, where celebrities attract their designs at Hollywood events.
Mishra, a designer based in Delhi, made his first entry into global fashion when he premiered his collection in Paris Couture Week in 2020 not only for him, but also for every fashion designer from India.
Sabyasachi, who presented his first collection in 2002 in the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai in 2002, is one of the most famous Indian luxury brands with a flagship shop in New York and Western Fashionistas, which, according to his fusion design, that according to his fusion design and high jewelry, which made his first collection.
My first station was Amit Aggarwal; In cooperation with nothing futurism, the collection brought them into fashion. Aggarwal, known for its characteristic sculptured silhouettes, played with shapes and textures and contained unexpected curtains, cut jackets and asymmetrical hemls. Aggarwal is best to combine traditional Indian craftsmanship with modern designs, and this collection was no different – with its modern new interpretations of vintage Banarasi textiles.
In Falguni Shane Peacock, Falguni and Shane Peacock showed their collections on large runways such as London and New York. They all dressed by Kim Kardashian to Lady Gaga and equipped costumes for almost 30 music videos, including Beyoncé. The red carpets in Cannes or the Met Gala are not a stranger for their talent. I was looking forward to your collection for the Indian market.
Your show in Mumbai didn’t disappoint. From machoulier minis to numerous body suits, it was about submitting a glamorous statement. The crowd was included in a tilted Bollywood veteran Karan Johar in a neat black ensemble.
Rahul Mishras Spring 2025 Couture Show in Paris was the city’s conversation, so I was excited to see his show in Mumbai and to present his even line at the final of the Lakmé Fashion Week.
As expected from Mishra, the collection was only about exceptional craftsmanship and creativity with beautiful textures, complicated details and rich colors that shouted. Bandhani is, for example, a traditional Indian tie dye print from Gujarat. The mating with a contemporary silhouette was another example of Mishra’s ability to effortlessly mix textile traditions and modern trends.
In Mumbai’s legendary goal of India, the British fashion house Vivienne Westwood organized its first show in the country. The venue was the background for Dior’s pre-fall show case in 2023 and the expectations of Westwood’s show were high.
The focus for Vivienne Westwood was Indian craftsmanship; In this case, a collaboration with craftsmen and weavers in Madhya Pradesh, India, to obtain the Chanderi silk for this special capsule collection.
It was exciting to see how Westwood developed modern interpretations of the Chanderi fabric, especially for their characteristic corset dresses. However, some believed that the show wanted it more and maybe not faithful to the rebellious spirit of the designer.
All eyes were paired for the daughter-in-law of the Ambanis, Radhika, in her archive corset from Westwood’s portrait collection in 1990, matching a traditional Chandage scoree.
Mumbai, the maximum city, was lost but happily found again. I came, I saw and I reluctantly drive again. But this experience has rekindled my admiration for her dynamic spirit and creativity.
When Mishra, Sabyasachi and Guppa continue to conquer the international fashion level, it is time for the talented designers of India to finally be recognized as an international artist instead of being referred to bridal and ethnic clothes. Pay attention to the Indian fashion will conquer the world by storm. Namaste from my British Airways back to Los Angeles.
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