The designers that celebrated their Indian heritage at London Fashion Week

London Fashion Week has long been a showcase that reflects the capital’s proud array of diverse designers. One only needs to look at the names that dominate the schedule – Erdem Moralioglu, Roksanda Ilinčić, Huishan Zhang, Nensi Dojaka, Regina Pyo – to see that some of London’s best designers have international heritage.

Likewise, with London’s shopping landmarks, Spitalfields, for example, was established by Huguenot silk weavers and later by Jewish makers, while Brixton Market was the social heart of the Afro-Caribbean community that settled after the Second World War. Another notable immigrant community that has enriched London’s culture hails from India, with records of immigration dating back to the 1600s and a large influx throughout the 18th and 19th centuries, from the first British Indian MP Dadabhai Naoroji, elected in 1892, to the British-Indian army, a 2.5 million-strong force of volunteers that fought during WW2. Not to mention the chefs and restaurants that have shaped the capital’s culinary scene, from the family-run spots on Brick Lane to Mayfair’s Punjabi restaurant Ambassador’s Clubhouse.

Today, some of our most celebrated and exciting fashion designers have Indian heritage and are bringing their cultural stories to sartorial life by blending traditional Indian fashion techniques, fabrics, and styles with a modern British sensibility. Here are the standout brands celebrating Indian heritage at London Fashion Week this season.

Ahluwalia

One of the most exciting names in British fashion to emerge in recent years is Priya Ahluwalia, whose eponymous brand launched in 2018. Priya has leveraged her London roots, combined with her Indian-Nigerian heritage, and her authentic approach to eco-minded design (her collections feature upcycled fabrics and deadstock) to create a multi-award-winning label. The designer herself appeared on the cover of British Vogue as a trailblazer of sustainable fashion. She has also collaborated with labels such as Mulberry and Ganni on upcycled collections and launched an app to promote circular fashion. Her past collections have included pieces that pay homage to her family, from doilies reminiscent of her childhood, crafted into tops and dresses, or suits tailored in the style of her Indian grandfather. This season, her moodboard included imagery of vintage miniature Punjabi paintings, which formed the colour palette of the SS26 collection with deep, rich jewel tones of greens, blues, and magenta.

Ashish

Ashish

A perennial fashion editor’s highlight of London Fashion Week is Ashish Gupta’s smile-inducing, rainbow-hued eponymous line. The Delhi-born designer has brought his signature joyful aesthetic to LFW since 2004, recently celebrating 20 years of his brand with a major retrospective at London’s William Morris Gallery. His multi-award-winning label has been worn by pop stars from Miley Cyrus to Taylor Swift, and he has regularly raised conversations around – and celebrated – immigration and queerness through his work.

This season, his show was paired not with the typical press release, but with a poem, which opened with the words: “I was dreamt of in London rain but I carry Delhi summer in my threads.” The prose that follows speaks to a dialogue between culture and craft, the relationship between materials and meaning. The SS26 collection, which was danced down the runway, features his signature sequins (originally a reference to Bollywood glamour with a London Club Kid spin) as well as dip-dyed fabrics and embellished tie-dye prints, a modern take on traditional Indian fabric styles.

AKOK

Newcomer to the schedule is Kolkata-based designer Anamika Khanna, who debuted this season, taking over Regent Street’s Hamleys toy store. Her label AKOK (a combination of her initials and the NASA phrase ‘a-ok’ (meaning ‘all ok’), she has been a firm favourite of fashion insiders since her previous brand Ana-Mika was on the scene in the early naughties. Her modern take on Indian dressing has been worn by the likes of Priyanka Chopra and Deepika Padukone, and last year she collaborated with H&M for a capsule of chic, silk statement pieces, from a paisley print trench wrap dress to a sell-out emerald suit set. For her LFW debut, she drew on Indian folklore and pieces from her grandmother’s wardrobe for a personal collection that showcased her eye for modern tailoring with a nostalgic twist.

Pearl Academy

Pearl Academy is one of India’s leading fashion schools, and this season took up residence in Hyde Park’s St John’s Church to showcase collections from past and present students. The theme for the SS26 collections was “Artisans of India,” with a heavy focus on materials sourced from across the country, including loomed materials and embroidered fabrics that reflect each state’s craft heritage. Standout collections were seen from Pearl Academy alumni Rimzin Dadu, a multi-award-winning designer recognised by Forbes, Vogue Italia, and London’s Victoria and Albert Museum. Her collection utilised unconventional materials to achieve a couture-standard effect, creating an ornate collection that drew on Indian craft styles while maintaining a future-facing aesthetic. Other designers included Shivangi Sharma, founder of Kunj Gatha, who presented Vrindavan materials in modern silhouettes, and Vaibhavi G. Prasad, who used indigo-dyed handloom textiles alongside repurposed vintage sarees from her mother and grandmothers, for an intimate collection that explored Indian ways of dress.