At Vivienne Westwood’s Mumbai show, tartan, pearls and a sea of corsets

What does punk mean to you? “It means doing whatever the fuck you want, and that’s what Vivienne Westwood did best,” said model and actor Ayesha Kanga. We were chatting next to the runway for the Vivienne Westwood show held on Tuesday night in Mumbai. Kanga was wearing a look from up-and-coming designer Dhruv Bandil and accessories from the iconic British brand. “I’m so excited. Vivienne Westwood is one of my absolute favourite designers. Her jewellery, particularly, is cooler than anyone else’s on the planet.”

Kanga was not alone in her excitement. She, along with a slew of celebrities, fashion industry folk, and even a few government officials had made their way through the evening traffic and throng of post-Eid crowds to reach the show venue—the Gateway of India. The invites for the splashy affair said to arrive at 7 pm, although by the time the house lights dimmed it was 8:45 pm and a surprise shower had already seen everyone using the seat cushions to protect their immaculately put-together looks.

After all, many in the audience had taken the more accessible codes of the brand to heart. Think a sea of plaid, crowds of corsets, and hills of pearls. “I’m not a designer but I made something just for this show,” said Pune-based personal shopper Deepti Vora of her pale pink and red satin gown with a defined waist that flared at the hips. “I wanted to go even further and wear glasses and a dark lip, but that didn’t work out.”

Stylist Mohit Rai, creative director of the brand Itrh, also had a custom look made—a matching plaid shirt and trousers, both covered in glittering sequins. Said Rai, “It’s an homage to Vivienne. I’ve always been a fan of her irreverence and rule breaking. She’s had such a huge cultural impact, and even though she’s not around it’s going to be such a thing to witness her legacy, that too here in India, in Bombay.”

Designer Nitya Arora of the brand Valliyan wore Celine boots, jeans and jacket from a boutique brand called Ruti, a striped shirt from Dhruv Kapoor, Valliyan earrings and “of course” a vintage pearl necklace from Vivienne Westwood. “The stripes, the boots, and denim... it’s a very London vibe.”

Plenty of the guests wore straight-up looks from the brand—celebrities like Janhvi Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor Khan, and Patralekha occupied the front row in some version of the classic Vivienne Westwood corseted gown, simply rotating the colours between them. Others opted for more adventurous pieces.

“The mahaul is too good,” said actor Vijay Varma, who was in a pair of draped trousers, boots, and knit polo shirt. “I’ve come to the Gateway of India as a child, as a tourist, as a broke-ass struggling actor, with my family. And now I’m here to see a fashion show, which is crazy.”

Jewellery designer Tiara Dhody chose a body-hugging striped skirt and corset top. She said, “To me, punk is Avril Lavigne!”

Actor Bhumi Pednekar and fashionista Jaya Raheja both opted for VW-branded denim pieces, while content creator Rahi Chadda leaned into the brand’s gender-fluid language with short shorts, blazer, ballet flats, and carefully set finger waves that required him to walk around with a handheld fan—no doubt a blessing in the evening’s heat.

But this was to be no ordinary Vivienne Westwood show. Instead, along with a few key looks from the brand’s spring/summer 2025 line and other archival pieces, there was also a capsule collection made using hand-woven Chanderi silk and khadi cotton. The Chanderi was sourced from Aaranya, a textile initiative founded by Priyadarshini Raje Scindia of Gwalior, and the khadi from Khadi India.

Arti Rai, co-founder of Vivz Fashion School, a Pune-based institute that organised the show in in partnership with the Department of Textiles, Government of Maharashtra, said the idea for the show started when she met brand CEO Carlo D’Amario on his visits to India. “I have always wanted Indian textiles to gain the visibility they deserve. And Vivienne Westwood holds shows all over the world, so why not in India? The brand is loved by many Indians, and they have been waiting for this. The show was the perfect opportunity to make it happen.”

Many of the guests chose to wear homegrown brands that echoed the same sentiment. “When I heard that the Vivienne Westwood team was working with Indian textiles, I thought I would also like to work with a bright young name in Indian fashion who works with textiles in a contemporary way,” said stylist Divyak D’Souza, who wore a suit from LineTribe, a new label by creative director Gaurav Jagtiani. Stylist Vrinda Narang opted for a look by designer Ashish Karmali and pants by Pakistan label Aomi. “It’s punk. It’s the right balance of masculine and feminine, and this balance of two energies is something that I resonate with.”

Was the show itself a showcase of the late Dame Vivienne Westwood’s iconic rebellious streak? Probably not, but that didn’t dim the thrill of it for guests who understood the designer’s unique place in fashion. Said designer and content creator Amrita Thakur, “I’ve studied her in college as someone that really pushed through, who didn’t conform, who was willing to create her own world. That’s always nice to remember.”