At the lakmé fashion week 2025 x fdci, artisans take the runway

At the lakmé fashion week 2025 x fdci, artisans take the runway

Designers Zaid Khatri, Amruta Vankar, Mubbasirah Khatri, Muskan Khatri, And Shakil Ahmed during the Design Craft Presents Artisan Designers of Somaiya Kala Vidya Show in the 25th Year of Lakmé Fashion Walk 2025 Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai

Designers Zaid Khatri, Amruta Vankar, Mubbasirah Khatri, Muskan Khatri, And Shakil Ahmed during the Design Craft Presents Artisan Designers of Somaiya Kala Vidya Show in the 25th Year of Lakmé Fashion Walk 2025 Jio World Convention Center in Mumbai | Photo Credit: Perfect Shadows / FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week / Rise Worldwide

Indian fashion is entering an era of quint reckoning – One where the Silent Hands Behind Couture’s Most Intricate Weaves and Prints are finally stepping into the light. For decades, artisans remained the invisible scaffolding of Indian Fashion’s Most-Celebrated Narraves. Now, the script is shifting. At Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI’s March 2025 Edition, this shift felt not only palpable but overdue too. In a special show, Titled Design Craft Presents Artisan Designers of Somaiya Kala Vidya, Master Craftspeople Emerged Not as Footnotes but as the headline.

Establed in 2014, Somaiya Kala Vidya (SKV), Situated in Anjar, Kutch, is a pioneering institution that flips the script on how we view artisans and design. Founded on the belief that custodians of India’s textile legacy deserv – Without asking them to abandon their roots.

Unlike Urban Design Schools That Often View Craft Through an outsider’s lens, skv is embedded within the artisan community. It offers Structured, Culturally Sensitive Education to Master Artisans-Many of Whom Have Inherited Centuries-AlD Techniques of Weaving, Dyeing, Or Embroidery. The curriculum, taught in the logal language and tailored around the artisans’ calendars, balances aesthetics with market relevance.

A model takes the runway during the zaid khatri show

A model takes the runway during the zaid khatri show | Photo Credit: Perfect Shadows / FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week / Rise Worldwide

The Runway Bore Witness to a Powerful Confluence of Tradition, Technique and Self-Expression anchored by five artisan-jam: ajrakh gharana by zaid khatri, alaika vankar, Elysian by Mubbasirah Khatri, Musk by Muskan Khatri, and Neel Bati by Shakil Ahmed. Each collection offered a distinct Voice, Rooted in Heritage Yet Unafraid to play with silhouette, color, color, and context.

With ajrakh as the center of attraction, zaid khatri’s eternal ajrakh collection for his label ajrakh gharana was a journey from the past to the present and then into the future. It was a poetic reflection on time, layering ajrakh’s storied geometry with sleep, contemporary tailoring. His Work Asked A Poignant Question: Can Tradition Stretch Into The Future Without Losing Its Soul? Judging by his restrained Yet Evocative Presentation – IndiGo Jackets Layred Over Fluid SEPARATES – The Answer Felt Like A Resounding Yees.

Amruta Vankar’s Alaicha Drew from Her Mashru Weaving Legacy, Translating The Tactil Language of Handloom Into Quiet Luxury. Her Palette was Earthy, Her Cuts Clean – Each Look paid an ode to rhythm and repetition, the two things every wever knows intimately.

Amruta Vankar Presents 'Alaicha'

Amruta Vankar Presents ‘Alaicha’ | Photo Credit: Perfect Shadows / FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week / Rise Worldwide

Mubbasirah khatri (the only female ajrakh artisan and artisan designer in kutch) designed the anatomy collection for the label elysian. Mubbasirah turned to ajrakh presenting a Softer, Dreamier take on the resist-dye technique. There was romance in her folds-Fluid dresses in pastel tones, dotted with the signature clusters of tie-dye that whispered of patience and precision.

Muskan khatri’s mystery for the label musk (spotlighting the tie and dye of the bandhani craft) Brought Youthful Bravado to the Runway, with Cropped Jackets, Flared Trousers, And A Clever Clash of Patterns. Hers was a voice of defiance – proof that traction does not have to mean restraint. It can flirt, rebel, and still hold on to its roots.

'Elysian' by Mubbasirah Khatri

‘Elysian’ by Mubbasirah Khatri | Photo Credit: Perfect Shadows / FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week / Rise Worldwide

The beauty of the traditional batik craft was unveiled by shakil ahmed’s label neel bati for the collection tradition to modern. It was a striking interplay of bold hues and thoughtful silhouettes. Shades of vibrant red punctured the timelation palette of black and white, moving together in fluid harmony across pieces titled Saadla and Bepota.

Saris anchored the Indian line-up with quiet strength, while the western silhouettes carried a refined indo-fussion sensibility. Textural Play Added Depth to the collection, with Abstract Patterns Drawn from Shakil’s Own Instagram Photographs – Transforming Digital Inspiration into Wearable Art.

What united these five voices was not just just their connection to kutch or their training at somaiya kala vidya (skv), but their refusal to be boxed into categories of craft or Costme. These were not artisans-Turned-designers. They were designers – full stop – Claiming space on their own terms.

Shakil ahmed's 'Neel Batik'

Shakil ahmed’s ‘Neel Batik’ | Photo Credit: Perfect Shadows / FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week / Rise Worldwide

At a time when fashion is eager to greenwash its image with buzzwords like ‘handmade’ and ‘sustainable,’ this showcase offered sometings sometings rarer: Authenticity without applies. It re-centered the narrative Around the people who have allays kept Indian fashion’s legacy alive-Not in Glossy Lookbooks, But in Dusty Workshops, Under the Sun, DYE-DYE-DYE-DREE-DYE-DREEDENED.

Muskan Khatri's 'Musk'

Muskan Khatri’s ‘Musk’ | Photo Credit: Perfect Shadows / FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week / Rise Worldwide

By giving these voices a runway, lakmé fashion week was not just curiating a show-it was correcting a long-standing omession. And as the applause rang out, it was clear: the future of Indian fashion is not about discovering the next trend. It is about returning to the roots, and final, listening to the hands that have allied know the way.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *