Anamika Khanna’s new playground? A London toy store

For designer Anamika Khanna, her prêt label, AK|OK Anamika Khanna, is the chance to have fun. After her last show at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI in May 2025 had the internet talking for days—courtesy a spaceship-esque set and a collection of deconstructed tailoring and body jewellery—it was clear that with her next collection Khanna would go for growth. Enter, a London debut. For a second time. Back in 2010, Khanna had debuted her label Ana Mika in London. “This time is completely different,” she says in a conversation ahead of her show. Unlike when she was starting out, this time AK|OK was invited to be a part of the London Fashion Week schedule, and while embroidery was always her strength, even with Ana Mika, she’s had over two decades to refine her fit, tailoring, and pattern cutting.

For Anamika Khanna, shows are less about presenting the perfect collection and more about starting a conversation. With AK|OK, the designer has built a universe that prizes ease, individuality, and a sense of freedom—a marked shift from the maximalist bridal couture she is often associated with. Now, she is taking that universe international.

Ahead of her show, the designer speaks about what London means to her, how her sons Viraj and Vishesh (the latter is studying design at Central Saint Martins) question every decision, and why nostalgia is at the heart of this collection. She opens up about her show-day rituals, the silver coin she never goes without, and why she prefers quiet over a post-show party. The result is a portrait of a designer who is reflective, quietly rebellious, and yet is a “nervous wreck” on show day, even after so many years in the business. A sign that growth is always part of the equation—and Anamika Khanna is ready for it.

Does showing your collections ever get easier or is there always pressure before a big reveal?

You know, the more you keep showing, the more people have expectations, the more pressure they put on your head, which means just added pressure I put on myself. So, it never gets easy. It feels like you’re taking a new brand and relaunching yourself every single time. Some people have never heard of you, some people know about you... There are all kinds of expectations. It makes me nervous.

How did the decision to show in London come about?

Vishesh is the one who pushed us into London. It was his idea first—that London is this very cool place, accepting of everything. There’s no judgment, whether in fashion or culture. There is a freedom there, and that’s the reason we chose London. AK|OK seemed to fit there, and London has always, always felt like home to me.

Do you come to London often?

I do, actually. There was a point when I was spending four months of the year in London when I was doing Anamika. And in any case, London just feels like, okay, take a flight and go. The last time I went, it was just for a day.

Hamleys! What made you pick it as the location?

It’s iconic, right? It’s a new space to have a fashion show. There’s an Indian connection. And this whole collection is about nostalgia—that’s the exact feeling I got when I went to Hamleys. It’s more like an emotional thing. Everyone who’s been there has happy memories, whether it’s of their childhood or of taking their own kids. And now there’s Hamleys in India as well, so the connection just felt right. There will be little adjustments to make it more AK|OK-conducive, more modern and interesting.

Did London inspire the collection?

The first phrase that came to my mind was this: “Cool London girl.” There’s a thing about these girls, right? We always talk about them. In our case, maybe she has roots in India. Her grandmother belongs to Rajasthan, and she travels back and discovers something really special in her grandmother’s trunk. What a cool London girl would do with those things is where we are at.

What was on the mood board?

Inspirations from Rajasthan, from the silhouettes to embroideries, but not literal at all. I looked at the angarkha and thought, how would a foreigner or a non-Indian wear it? What would this cool London girl do with it? How would she take an embroidery full of colour and strip it back to just one highlight. I’m looking at it from the lens of a modern, contemporary India.

Who’s buying AK|OK internationally?

All kinds of people. We have very strong Middle East buyers, of course NRI Indians, but also others who are discovering the brand. We’re now at Saks, and soon we’ll be somewhere in London too—I can’t reveal that yet. We’re just starting out, so it’s not going to be defined by any one geography.

What’s it like behind the scenes for you during a show?

I don’t watch my own shows. I’m a nervous wreck. The Indian models don’t come near me because they know I’ll just spot faults. I’m just looking at defects. I hope I’ll be different this time, but yes, I have a problem with everything everywhere.

Do you have a lucky ritual before the show?

My mom always gives me this silver coin before every single show that I’ve done. Every single show. And it stays with me. Wherever I am in the world, it reaches me. I don’t do a show without that.

What’s your favourite moment of show day?

When it’s over. Of course, there will be after-show drinks and celebrations, but I usually manage to slip away before people realise I’m gone. That’s my favourite moment. I don’t want reactions, I don’t want to know if it was good or bad. The minute the runway lights dim, I want to disappear and just be by myself. I love that silence, which is inside me too.

And the next day?

You realise you have nothing to do anymore, so you just dive straight back into work. There is no decompressing, no me-time. The whole build-up of months is gone and you’re already on to the next thing.