India Couture Week (ICW) sparked our lives with dhamaka, spark and sequin-splashed memories just a month ago. More than a dozen of eminent designers displayed their works, providing a glimpse of the bridalwear trends that will influence the upcoming wedding lehengas surge in the Indian market.

The 15th iteration of the annual event, which ended this past weekend in the nation’s capital New Delhi, was the first to be held on a real runway since the outbreak of the pandemic. This chance was taken advantage of by all 13 participating designers, who incorporated both Western and conventional South Asian styles to honor the rich heritage of Indian crafts and handwoven textiles. As usual, bridal attire took the center stage.

Day 1 – Tarun Tahiliani

The designer is popular for treading along the multicultural eclecticism route and this time was no exception. Painterly Dream – Tarun Tahiliani’s debut collection for the FDCI India Couture Week 2022 was a collection of long jackets worn over lehengas, fun multicolored lehengas, and traditional drapery in red sindoor sarees. The greatest embroidery methods, including Larkana, pichwai, and kashida, were seamlessly woven throughout the collection and served as strong craft pillars. He designed wedding outfits that are fun and will make the bride and groom outshine at the wedding venue.

Day 2 – Rahul Mishra

With sharp pastels and popped up color tones, designer Rahul Mishra presented his “Tree of Life” collection. This collection, which was part of both India Couture Week in New Delhi and Haute Couture Week in Paris. It was an ode to the artistic memory. The tone of nostalgia and intense emotion engulfed the entire show. The collection included 2D and 3D embroideries that illustrated how life emerges from the first signs of nature on a body’s surface. Metallic was a novel accent that gave the fashion absolute gloss.

Day 3 – JJ Valaya

Enigmatic fashion designer JJ Valaya, commemorated and honored the 30th anniversary of her label. The fashion designer unveiled his Spain-inspired “Alma” collection. The collection featured opulent materials, refined accents, creative designs, and the designer’s classic and well-liked embroideries.

Day 4 – Varun Bahl

Taking the limelight was designer Varun Bahl, who debuted a magnificent collection. Actress Rashmika Mandanna served as the designer’s show-stopping inspiration for his debut collection, “New Leaf.” The collection brought back the evergreen motifs and hand embroideries of the artist in a new form. The designer was inspired by the abundance of flora in nature, and used recycled vintage appliques and needlework to give a dash of drama and fun.

Day 5 – Anju Modi

The “The Road Less Travelled” collection by designer Anju Modi was displayed. Aditi Rao Hydari, the actress, slayed in a gorgeous avatar as she walked the runway as a showstopper. One’s knowledge and experiences from numerous travels around the globe are included in the collection. 

It was inspired by an in-depth experience she had while strolling through stunning valleys and the tallest mountains. In the collection, it is discussed how travelling to the furthest distances and crossing shimmering rivers can cause a mountainous change in ourselves.

Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Sharma

The evening wear couture collection, “Fibonacci,” by the design team of Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, was recently unveiled. As their star performer, actress Malaika Arora strutted the wet stage like a genuine diva! Fibonacci’s irrational numbers were used to determine the patterns in the collection, which combined dramatic fabrics with exact techniques to create garments of exquisite beauty. 

This collection’s patterns were all uniform and comprised of distinct lines and divisions. The series depicted a flawless planet that has emerged from the abyss of chaos. Well, a message to swallow in indeed.

Day 6 – Dolly J

‘Meraki’ was the presented by designer Dolly J on Day 6 of FDCI India Couture Week 2022. The collection drew its inspiration from the depth of tranquility found in art, a tranquility that serves as the basis for development and advancement. Actress Shilpa Shetty Kundra strutted as the designer’s inspiration and looked gorgeous.

This compilation also considered the jazz improvised harmonies, the complexity of which encourages reflection and whose vibrations have a calming impact on the listener. ‘Meraki’ is a tribute to the period of reflection that lies at the core of creativity, with golden hues, fluid textures, and dramatic waterfalls strewn with motifs of change.

Day 7 – Siddhartha Tytler

‘Shan Shui’ was unveiled by the designer Siddartha Tytler. While actor Farhan Akhtar walked as the showstopper for the designer, singer Guru Randhawa introduced the show. The series is called Shan Shui after the Chinese word for the artistic style known as “landscape.”

 It was abstracted from the juxtaposition of steep hills, water bodies, wild flora, and alluvial plains that is typical of Chinese geography in both vertical and horizontal landscape paintings. The collection honored the lovely idea of Shan Shui, which means “water and mountains,” and its pattern, color scheme, and gentleness speak for themselves.

Falguni Shane Peacock

The designer unveiled their “Love Forever” collection. The collection drew inspiration from the impressive modernist works of art and architecture found in the French capital, which has a rich background. It honored the nation that has produced many works of art and some of the most renowned masters in the annals of contemporary art and design, including Chagall, Picasso, Braque, Le Corbusier, and others.

Sara Ali Khan, an actress, walked the runway as the creative team’s muse and looked amazing. The collection captured the best of Indo-Parisian culture and architecture with a clever display of intricate designs.

Day 8– Kunal Rawal

Designer Kunal Rawal set the stage with his “Dear Men” collection. The actress who is a close friend of the designer strutted down the runway as the show’s star. Many fresh, playful silhouettes as well as a variety of enjoyable and unusual embroidery were found in the “Dear Men” collection. Because every man has various needs depending on who they are, how they live, and how they move, the designer also incorporated a lot of usefulness and usability into each ensemble. This collection was their  way of honoring the development of Indian men’s fashion.

Amit Aggarwal

‘Pedesis’ was launched by Amit Aggarwal, the collection was a kaleidoscopic testament to the reality that we are at a fascinating point in history where the digital realm accommodates those quirky pieces of ourselves that are inaccessible in the real world. Every silhouette shown was an overlay of the fine-grained realities of the present with the echo of the first human we carry and the beginning of the future. A celebration of how we are the time glitch, bending shapes, spanning worlds, and embracing eternity.

Day 9 – Anamika Khanna

Her ‘The Couture Collection: An Experiment’ collection marked the end of the FDCI India Couture Week. The “Goddesses” served as the inspiration for the grand finale collection, which also included deconstruction and pattern-making techniques. The ever-exuberant tribal India was also mentioned, but with a modernist perspective. The idea was to combine something old with something contemporary, conscious of the stunning Indian silhouettes, textiles, and sentiments. Rajkumar Rao, an actor, gracefully walked the runway while showcasing the designs.

This was the complete glimpse of the glorious Indian Couture Week 2022. Now we shall wait another year for unveil of more such scintillating attires to gorge on.