The real showstopper of Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI? An unofficial feline mascot

Who is fashion week for? Is it still for brands to access buyers and retailers, as was traditionally the case? Is it for designers to push forward their design narrative? Or is it actually a marketing exercise, either for brands themselves or for their corporate sponsors selling everything from luxury cars and lingerie to fabric softener—a chance for the latter to find some kind of virality on social media through a crossover with fashion. At the end of what felt like a fairly quiet fashion season in Delhi and in a year that marked 25 years of Indian fashion weeks, it’s a question that deserves some thought.

One possible answer comes in the fact that, as it has been for a while, the most talked-about shows were not the big-ticket finales but rather the niche, more under-the-radar labels.

Whether it’s the Gen Next show that typically starts the season or simply a group show in the middle of the afternoon, there was still some creativity and excitement to be found. Mostly, from designers who aren’t already doing multiple shows a year or aren’t stretched over numerous sub-brands and collections, which allows them to bring a fresh perspective to what a fashion presentation can look and feel like.

Rather than being created simply for the runway, weddings or Instagram, their clothes are designed to be worn in the world, unfiltered, unmediated. That focus was clear in the shibori-dyed kaftans at Inca, the playful knitwear by Cavia or the ajrakh-print separates by 23°N 69°E, all shows that were received well. There was energy even in the choice of performances—a didgeridoo player at Aseem Kapoor, a dance troupe at Naushad Ali, the always joyful Boombay Djembe Folas at SWGT or a pair of witch-doctor dancers at TIL by Ankur Verma. It’s a reminder of another key role that India’s fashion weeks play: to encourage talent and provide a platform on which they can offer a fresh set of cultural ideals. For the new guard, fashion is a way to engage with people across the supply chain, it’s an outlet for creative collaboration, and it engages with craft lightly, easily, as clothes you can take with you everyday.

Ahead, some of the highlights of the season.

Denim has never been weirder: Anam Husain and Anurag Gupta

If denim has been done to death, Gen Next designer Anam Husain and Anurag Gupta proved there’s scope for more. Husain reimagined upcycled denim through the lens of katputhlis—creating sculpted dresses and skirts structured with boning and metal wire to mimic marionette rigidity. In some pieces, zardozi detailing shimmered through the fabric’s roughness. “I wanted to go more conceptual,” she said. And it showed. The result felt like an ode to craft and control. Meanwhile, Anurag Gupta’s latest took cues from Hokusai’s waves and used Indiwool—a wool denim dyed in indigo using plasma-dye technology, developed by IndigoTex with IIT-Delhi. Gupta sculpted the new fabric into experimental silhouettes that were unmistakably his—boxy yet fluid, and of course, with his oversized gloves.

The champion of circularity: CRCLE by Varshne B

This season, Chennai’s CRCLE by Varshne B took home the R|Elan Circular Design Challenge prize for her alchemy of waste and craft. Think post-consumer fabrics, indigenous textiles like khadi and kala cotton, Weganool from Faborg (a plant-based wool), and leather made from banana crop waste courtesy of Banofi, spun into easy, contemporary, everyday style. Even stainless-steel scraps from factories in Chennai found new life in her accessories. 

The standout accessory: Cat brooch by 23°N 69°E

The unexpected breakout star? A tiny fabric cat. Gen Next designer Anas Shekh’s brooches for 23°N 69°E (spotted pinned on beanies and lapels) were all people could talk about after the show and became the season’s most delightful obsession. Cute, absurd, and totally collectible, this tiny feline was the week’s unofficial mascot.

The best surprise: The ones who walked so others could run at Inca

No one expected it, and that’s what made it perfect. Amit Hansraj’s Inca runway reunited icons—Bhawna Sharma, Carol Gracias, Joey Matthew, Nayanika Chatterjee, Rachel Bayros, Sheetal Mallar—in a rare power lineup that had the crowd cheering like it was 2008 again. It was nostalgia but also a statement: legacy models don’t need a comeback, because they never left.

The most transportive show: Aseem Kapoor 

Aseem Kapoor’s show began with the low hum of a didgeridoo accompanied by the somber swell of a cello, setting the stage for ‘Aakar’, his latest collection, which is inspired by his travels to South America. The garments—his signature embellished vests, long jackets, flowy pants and skirts—translated Peru’s Nazca Lines into embroidery and prints.

For the Gen Z groom: White weddings at Tasva, Arjan Dugal, and Abraham & Thakore

If the 2025 Emmys red carpet proved anything, it’s the return of a white suit jacket. Spotted on dapper dudes like Pedro Pascal and Walton Goggins last month and now on the Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI runway, the non-colour has gone beyond the jacket into the Indian groom’s wardrobe. At Abraham & Thakore there were jackets with notched labels and a texture that highlighted the warp and weft of the fabric. In Tarun Tahiliani’s menswear outing, Tasva, there were luxe brocade jackets in a silvery white but also sherwanis, bandi jackets, and more. Meanwhile, Arjan Dugal added rich embroideries to his sporty, zippable sherwani jackets and blazers, all paired with fluid trousers in the same palette.

The most innovative material: Golden Feathers

If there’s one thing that the R|Elan Circular Design Challenge proves each year, it’s that the future of fashion is circular and sustainable. The runner-up this year was Golden Feathers, a Jaipur-based organisation turning animal waste, specifically chicken feathers, into super-soft, insulated textiles that can be woven with silk and cotton. Founder Radhesh Agrahari sent out kimono tops, A-line dresses, and even tailored jackets made using what he calls a sixth natural fibre.

The inspiration: Starry nights at Nikita Mhaisalkar, 23°N 69°E, and Papa Don’t Preach

Designers were looking to the cosmos and beyond this season with plenty of references to the cosmos. At, 23°N 69°E Mohammed Anas Sheikh’s deft hand with ajrakh dyeing resulted in a co-ord set printed with motifs that resembled the moon and the stars, while Nikita Mhaisalkar sent out eveningwear and even puffer jackets embellished with sequins and printed with views of the night sky. Papa Don’t Preach served up underwater creatures and scenes from above on a line of lingerie in collaboration with Enamor.

Beloved by the Bolly crew: Shantnu & Nikhil

And the award for the most glamorous runway show and front row goes to Shantnu & Nikhil. The duo’s womenswear presentation was a Bond girl’s dream come true with plenty of sheer lace, velvet, sculpted corsets, and peplum-waist gowns. And the front row? Studded with stars like Alaya F and Diana Penty.

The most wearable collections: Naushad Ali, SWGT

Are brands making clothes that women really want to wear? That seems to be a question on everyone’s minds as we close out the season. On the closing day of fashion week, two brands sent out clothes that seemed to answer that question with an affirmative. Puducherry-based Naushad Ali offered reversible jackets, a white shirt that could be tied to fit a range of body types, soft denim jackets that double up as skirts, and more. These were pieces that invite a wearer to style and reinterpret them in multiple ways.

A different form of wearability came from Shweta Gupta’s SWGT, where the designer invited viewers to look closer at the details—tiny pintucks and perfect pleating on mulberry silk and cotton, touches of embroidery and silhouettes that were designed keeping in mind comfort and style at once. Think bell-sleeved dresses, overlays, and peasant blouses. These were clothes clearly made by a woman keeping in mind how women want to feel in their bodies—unrestrained and unbothered.

The returning hero: Corsets at Tarun Tahiliani, Esse, and Mahima Mahajan

Are we ever going to be over the corset? Clearly not, if this season is any indication. While our favourite one was a Baroque black-and-gold embellished blouse from Tarun Tahiliani, there were also more dainty, floral takes at Mahima Mahajan and a sleek, sculpted version at Esse.