Fashion Week is here! Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India is heading back to New Delhi this October, bringing six days of shows, new names, established designers and a fairly packed fashion agenda with it. The 2026 edition runs from October 13 to 18, with the main fashion week schedule taking place at the Taj Palace New Delhi from October 14. After more than 25 years of evolving with the Indian fashion industry, Lakmē Fashion Week now sits at an interesting point in the calendar, where a show can introduce a new designer in the morning and put a major established name on the runway by evening.
This season’s schedule follows that same mix. There are familiar fashion week favourites, younger labels worth discovering, collaborations that bring in international perspectives, and a strong focus on craft, conscious design and the changing business of fashion. For those planning their fashion week watchlist, these are the shows and names to have on the radar.
Circular Design Challenge
Circular Design Challenge in partnership with UN in India show will take place on the 13th October at the Embassy of France. The initiative which received over 220 applications globally this year, further underlines the focus on circular innovation across the programme.
Péro Leads The Week
Day 2 belongs to Péro, presented through a Lakmē x Tira collaboration. It is a fitting way to begin a schedule that moves between Indian craft, contemporary design and the increasingly fluid relationship between fashion, beauty and commerce. Péro has built its identity around detailed craftsmanship and an eclectic approach to Indian design, making its opening slot one to watch.
And Péro knows how to set the tone for the rest of the fashion week!
Day 3: GenNext and much more
Day 3 has a particularly interesting progression. The day begins with GenNext, bringing Abhishek Chauhan Studio, Subbah and Day & Age to the runway. GenNext has long been one of the places to look when trying to work out which young designers might become the names everyone is talking about a few seasons from now. This year’s line-up gives three emerging labels a larger platform, with each bringing a different design perspective into the mix.
NIF Global ‘The Runway’ continues the focus on young talent, before FDCI x Moscow Fashion Week introduces Russian designer Sergey Sysoev. The collaboration is part of a wider international thread running through this edition, alongside showcases connecting Indian fashion with Italy.
By evening, the mood shifts towards established designers. Samant Chauhan in association with Jaisalmer Crafted Bar Collectibles, and SV by Suneet Varma and TASVA take over the day, bringing their maximalist couture vocabulary and intricate craftsmanship back to the Lakmē Fashion Week runway. TASVA continues to look at Indian menswear through a contemporary lens, particularly around occasion dressing.
Day 4: Craft, Contemporary Dressing And A Few Fashion Week Experiments
Friday has perhaps the most varied line-up of the week, moving between younger designers, craft-focused collections, occasion wear, beauty and contemporary menswear. Mini Sondhi, ORCR and Somya Goyal open the day, followed by PRAMA by Pratima Pandey, Rahul Singh and Sanjukta Dutta. The latter is one to watch for its combination of artisanal techniques, textile traditions and more contemporary silhouettes.
Anurag Gupta & TIL continue the occasion wear conversation, while Lakmē Salon x Anushree Reddy’s MAYA brings fashion and beauty together in a more direct way. Reddy’s work has long leaned into romance and occasion dressing, so the Lakmē Salon collaboration gives the collection another layer to play with.
The later part of the day brings Arvind x Ashish N Soni and R|ELAN™ x HUEMN. Ashish Soni’s long association with sharp, considered menswear makes the Arvind collaboration particularly interesting from a textile and tailoring perspective, while HUEMN brings the edition’s sustainability conversation into a more fashion-forward space. The R|Elan™ Circular Design Challenge, which received over 220 applications globally this year, further underlines the focus on circular innovation across the programme.
OPPO presents Namrata Joshipura rounds out the day, bringing her futuristic, graphic approach to the runway. Her shows have consistently played with strong silhouettes and a sharper visual language, making her return one of the more anticipated established-designer showcases on the schedule.
Day 5: International Connections And The Manish Malhotra Factor
Saturday starts with Eccellenza: The Artisans of Italian Style, bringing Italian and Indian design perspectives together through the Italian Trade Agency, Confartigianato and FDCI. It is followed by Aikeyah, FARAK and Guapa, before Shahin Mannan and Siddhartha Bansal take the runway.
The afternoon continues with Countrymade and Pawan Sachdeva, putting menswear firmly into the day’s conversation. Countrymade’s emphasis on natural fabrics, functionality and sustainability sits alongside Sachdeva’s sharper approach to tailoring and contemporary Indian menswear.
And then there is Manish Malhotra. His Luxury Pret Festive Edit showcase with Maruti Suzuki NEXA is one of the weekend’s major shows and brings one of Indian fashion’s biggest names into a schedule that has spent much of the week moving between emerging talent and established design houses. Malhotra’s ability to turn occasion dressing into a wider pop-culture conversation makes this a show that will inevitably have people watching closely.
Day 6: First Cut, Ladakh And The Final Bow
Sunday starts with FDCI x Pearl Academy First Cut, putting emerging talent back in focus before NEXA Spotlight. First Cut is particularly relevant for anyone interested in where fashion education is heading, with the initiative designed to give young designers a platform for new ideas and approaches to design.
The Fifth Season: A Fashion Story from Ladakh follows, bringing regional craftsmanship and indigenous traditions into the fashion week conversation. I am particularly looking forward to the Ladakh curation. We have some amazing designers from Ladakh and deserve the spotlight.
Wedding dressing gets its own moment with Ethnix by Raymond’s Wedding Stories, before Amit Aggarwal closes the week with the Lakmē Grand Finale. Aggarwal’s work has always had a strong relationship with structure, surface, and Indian craft, making his finale a natural meeting point for the fashion and beauty focus that runs through the edition.
The Shows To Keep On Your Radar
What makes this Lakmē Fashion Week schedule particularly interesting is the range within it. There is plenty for those following the established fashion week circuit, from Suneet Varma, Namrata Joshipura and Manish Malhotra to Amit Aggarwal. At the same time, GenNext, First Cut and The Runway create space for designers who are still building their place in the industry.
The international collaborations add another layer. Sustainability also has a visible place through R|ELAN™ x HUEMN and the wider Sustainability Heart initiative. The Ladakh curation will aslo be an interesting watch.
For fashion week regulars, that gives the October edition a good balance between the names you already know and the ones worth discovering.
Delhi gets five days of fashion, and this season’s schedule has enough new talent, big names, craft stories and collaborations to make the October edition one to keep an eye on.
