Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI 2026: 5 trends that defined the runway

The fashion rulebook is set: joy is the new black.

On the runway at the recently concluded Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI in New Delhi, it was all about playful and joyous dressing with a focus on wearability and utility. The edition saw designers exploring indigenous textiles and crafts, forging meaningful artistic partnerships and diving deep into the essence of tailoring and surface texturing. 

Designers also demonstrated the power of fashion by proposing a wardrobe with an expansive narrative suited to many characters and occasions. A case in point was couturier Amit Aggarwal’s ready-to-wear universe AM: IT’s collection titled ‘5PM Glam Reset’ that showcased at the grand finale on October 18.

The collection comprising sculpted skirts, tunics, and co-ord sets was a contemporary expression of AM: IT’s identity, intertwined with the House’s couture heritage. The designer condensed his signature couture-informed surface texturing and a virtuoso play of materiality into decisive silhouettes. The runway became a playground with ice cream vendors, balloon sellers, and autorickshaws.   

It has also been a season of artistic collaborations with designers exploring vibrant storytelling formats.

Péro’s Spring Summer 2026 collection in partnership with Barbie® , facilitated by Dream Theatre, Mattel’s licensing agency in India, in partnership with Mattel, unfolded artistic director Aneeth Arora’s distinctive lexicon of craft, colour, and self-expression. With dedicated ranges for women, men and children, the collection clocked Péro signatures: from forgiving silhouettes and cutesy prints to an ingenious extrapolation of crochet and lace. Besides the obvious pinks, there were retro varsity jackets and windbreakers accented with the Barbie ‘B’, alongside knits, T-shirts, and denim featuring the numbers ‘59’ and ‘61’, marking the years Barbie and Ken were introduced, respectively. 

And then there were the design mavens who used the runway for socio-political commentary. For Huemn’s latest collection, in collaboration with R|Elan fabrics, an array of models angrily strutted to an ominous soundtrack with their faces appearing bruised, covered with masks, and shirts smeared with blood. From white deconstructed cargo pants to sequinned shifts, the show played out the dichotomy of beauty amidst bedlam with some pieces symbolising helplessness, while others hinted at the possibility of peace. 

Here are some of the key trends which emerged from the show:

1. Glam leisure is here to stay

Designers focussed on surface texturing amping up the drama with a manic mashup of opacity, transparency and luminosity. Namrata Joshipura’s OBSIDIAN expressed a vision of evening glamour: sequins shaking, feathery hems swirling, bodycon silhouettes swelling with wild sensuality. Sporting sparkly visors, sunnies and slickly pulled-back hair, Namrata’s glam-leisure girls sashayed down the runway in beaded jumpsuits, tiered ruffled capes, off-shoulder glistening slips and metallic gowns offset by feathered shrugs.

With her design vocabulary deeply influenced by her years spent in New York and her athletic lifestyle, there was a clear sporty glam undercurrent. “The collection draws inspiration from obsidian, a volcanic glass known for its deep black surface and distinctive interplay of light. “With the palette rooted entirely in black, I wanted texture to become the defining element of differentiation. The contrasting textures gave each garment its own character given the monochromatic palette,” says Namrata.  

2. Fringes and texturing 

Tactile fringes and tassels have been a recurring trend over the past few seasons both in India and globally. This season, AM:IT by Amit Aggarwal, Namrata Joshipura, Anurag Gupta, TIL by Ankur Verma and Richa Khemka’s showcases had a plenty of these embellishments adding drama to movement. AM:IT’s high energy show saw metallic tassels swishing in the house’s signature neon hues across skirts, handbags and other separates. “For AM:IT, texture is an important part of how we communicate an idea. With this collection, fringes, tassels and metallic elements became a way of bringing movement, tactility and a sense of spontaneity into the garments,” says Amit.

At Richa Khemka, Diana Penty’s look comprised an embellished black bralette with a high-waisted black-and-white fringed skirt, finished with a dramatic slit. A black cummerbund belt with silver embroidery defined the waist. Also worth mentioning are Namrata Joshipura’s fringes and feathers which added dynamism to precise silhouettes.  

3. Corsets, bralettes, and tube tops are back

The corset seems to be replacing the traditional blouse. While there were plenty of corsets and bralettes spotted at the India Couture Week held in July, they seemed to have spilled into the luxury ready-to-wear space too. Sara Ali Khan closed Manish Malhotra’s luxury pret show in an off-shoulder corseted number which had bloom appliqué embroidery.

Sara Arjun closed Anushree Reddy’s show in a corseted peplum outfit with elaborate surface texturing. Moreover, Suneet Varma’s pret line also had a corseted look accented with a satin bow sash. Even AM:IT had showstopper Aneet Padda in a neon metallic bodice styled over a striped shirt. “Metallics have always been an integral part of the AM:IT universe, but what interests me is how we can use them in a more considered and unexpected way. Rather than allowing metallics to dominate an entire silhouette, we explored them as a focal point — through strategic placement, surface and structure,” says Amit. 

4. Innovative tech fabric takes centerstage 

The R|Elan™ × HUEMN showcase spotlighted seven R|Elan™ fabric technologies, including Kooltex, GreenGold, Cotluk, EcoTherm, AllClima, EcoGold and AirTherm. The collection brought performance-driven textiles into the realm of high fashion, and some of the key highlights included an oxblood denim jacket featuring intricate chikankari embroidery, a distinctively draped mummy-inspired top and innovative fabric constructions that celebrated the intersection of heritage and technology. “This was our second collaboration with R|Elan so we already had a certain sense of comfort with their fabric technologies. Our ‘Girl with the Braids’ collection was expanded using EcoTherm: body hugging dresses, sweaters, and denims in EcoGold,” shared Pranav Misra, co-founder and CEO of HUEMN. 

5. Tailoring with a twist 

The Arvind Limited × Ashish N Soni showcase brought together Arvind Limited’s extensive textile expertise and Soni’s signature design sensibility, featuring contemporary silhouettes crafted from cotton, wool, linen, Tencel, bamboo and innovative fabric blends. From double-breasted suits to evening dinner jackets to tuxedos, the collection was a study in quiet luxury.

Also worth mentioning is Linetribe, which sent out structured and androgynous tailored pieces comprising sharp outerwear, which was juxtaposed with fluid inserts. Moreover, strategic cutout details exposed hints of skin and hand-executed quilting added to an overarching protectionist streak.  

All in all, the edition proposed a trans-seasonal wardrobe comprising separates and full looks which can be worn from AM to PM with minor styling tweaks. Most designers played safe by sticking to their familiar design territories while fine tuning their metier.