The best of India Couture Week 2026 so far

Since its debut in 2008, India Couture Week has grown from a showcase of bridal grandeur into the country’s most prestigious platform for couture, giving us the crème de la crème of Indian craftsmanship. Over the years, however, the conversation has often drifted from the to celebrity showstoppers and viral runway moments. This year, though, feels like a breath of fresh air. While the couture is every bit as spectacular, a handful of designers have chosen intimate presentations that place the spotlight back on the craft, where it belongs. Instead of waiting to see which celebrity closes the show, we’re finally slowing down to appreciate the craftsmanship, the storytelling and the countless hours behind each garment – a format long embraced by global couture houses, where the collection, not the cameo, is the main event. Read on for the best of India Couture Week 2026 so far!

Anamika Khanna

This year, Anamika Khanna took India Couture Week to Hyderabad with Moonlit Palace, a collection that transformed Hyderabad’s Taj Falaknuma Palace into a living narrative of craft, memory and movement. It began with fluid drapes and sculptural silhouettes where jewellery was seamlessly woven into the garments. The mood then shifted to Barmer, celebrating Rajasthan’s vibrant textile traditions through saturated hues, mirrorwork and gold foil details, with fabrics developed alongside local women artisans and reimagined through hand-painting, embroidery and dyeing. From there, the collection journeyed to Kalighat, where softer silhouettes and quieter craftsmanship paid homage to Kolkata’s riverside artistic legacy.

Falguni Shane Peacock

Falguni Shane Peacock’s Le Grand Voyage, inspired by the designers’ enduring love for travel, journeyed from the shimmering Byzantine mosaics of Rome and the Belle Époque glamour of Paris to the Gothic grandeur of Strasbourg, the opulent palaces of Bavaria and the timeless majesty of the Taj Mahal. We saw intricately hand-beaded tapestry jackets, embellished lehengas, sculpted corsets, embroidered sherwanis, dramatic capes and statement eveningwear in metallic hues like Brushed Rose Gold, French Gold and Brushed Moderne Brass, alongside soft tones such as Cashmere and Honed Blush, into richly embroidered couture.

House of Masaba

After a six-year runway hiatus, House of Masaba returns to ICW with Chardi Kala, its first-ever bridal couture collection rooted in maximalism that’s anything but conventional. Inspired by the optimism of chardi kala and the sentiment of “Still I Rise”, the collection celebrates the modern bride with a journey that moves from India’s sacred landscapes to the turquoise shores of Antigua and the Caribbean, blending traditional bridal with resort bridal, ceremony with celebration.

JJ Valaya

JJ Valaya showcased SIDDI, an Autumn/Winter 2026 couture collection that looked beyond fashion to explore the beauty of cultural exchange. Inspired by the journey of the Siddis of India and the layered confluence of African heritage with the Indian subcontinent, the collection had themes of movement, memory and identity, with intricately embroidered lehengas, fluid anarkalis, contemporary saris, regal sherwanis and sharply tailored bandhgalas that came alive in a rich palette of antique gold, ivory, noir, champagne, jewel tones and earthy hues, elevated by the label’s signature zardozi, aari, dori work, metallic embroidery and crystal embellishments.

Tarun Tahiliani

Skipping the traditional runway altogether, Tarun Tahiliani hosted an immersive off-site showcase this season with Navaratna. Instead of watching models stride past in a matter of seconds, we wandered through a series of thoughtfully designed spaces blending projection mapping, digital installations, multimedia storytelling. Inspired by the concept of Navaratna (or the nine jewels) the collection celebrated the many facets of the Tarun Tahiliani universe that have shaped the atelier over the last three decades.

ROSEROOM

Softly, Strong marked ROSEROOM’s fourth consecutive showcase at ICW, but perhaps its most personal yet. Rooted in Isha Jajodia’s enduring love affair with lace, the collection brought together everything the atelier has mastered over the years; from intricate Chantilly, corded and guipure laces embellished with pearls, Swarovski crystals and delicate hand appliqué, to a new experiment with hand-moulded clay florals seamlessly fused into the fabric. Inspired by European romance, French architecture and vintage femininity, yet brought to life through Indian craftsmanship, the collection was made of more than 50 couture looks featuring sculpted corsetry, fluid gowns, contemporary saris, sharply tailored jackets and dramatic tulle skirts in a palette that moved from soft ivories and blush tones to jewel-like emeralds, rubies and ROSEROOM’s signature scarlet.

Rimzim Dadu

Rimzim Dadu’s INLAE proved why she remains one of India’s most experimental voices in couture. Inspired by the precision of Mughal inlay work and the craftsmanship of historic Indian jewellery, the designer reimagined mother-of-pearl not as embellishment, but as the very fabric of the garment. Months of material research culminated in an entirely new textile language, where individually cut and hand-set pieces of mother-of-pearl were embedded into the label’s signature steel wire textiles and metallic cords. Comprising around 45 looks, from sculptural saris and fringe skirts to cropped bandhgalas and tailored bombers, INLAE explored the interplay between strength and softness.