Some collections start with a mood board. This one started with travel. For Hyundai India Couture Week 2026, Falguni Shane Peacock turned to the romance of travel for their latest couture collection. With Le Grand Voyage — a collection that moves like an itinerary, stopping in Rome, Paris, Morocco and Egypt before landing back home to India. What comes through isn’t postcard imagery, but something closer to residue: the shape of an archway, the glint of a mosaic, carried into corsetry, capes and couture that’s built to travel.
We spoke to the design duo ahead of the show, about the collection, their muse, and the songs that shaped its mood.
ELLE: Tell us about the collection you’re showcasing at India Couture Week. What inspired it?
Falguni Shane Peacock (FSP): Le Grand Voyage is inspired by the romance of the Orient Express and the idea of travel as a source of inspiration. Through the journey of the Peacock Woman and the Peacock Man, the collection travels across Rome, Paris, Morocco and Egypt before returning home to India. Along the way, it draws from architecture, art, craftsmanship and the unique character of each destination. Rather than recreating these places literally, we wanted to capture what they leave behind and reinterpret those influences through our language of couture.
ELLE: Can you tell us about the cuts, colours and silhouettes that define this collection?
FSP: The collection balances structured tailoring with fluid silhouettes. You will see sculptured corsets, sweeping capes, front-open embroidered sherwanis, sharply tailored bandhgalas, dramatic trains, and intricately embellished evening & bridal wear. Our colour palette reflects the journey itself, from cathedral navy, cashmere blue, rich jewel tones, soft parchments, silver peony, lotus, rose gold, and warm metallics inspired by the frescoes and Byzantine mosaics. I think every silhouette is designed to be real yet contemporary, combining architectural precision with effortless luxury movement.
ELLE: Having worked across both couture and prêt, what do you think keeps couture relevant today?
FSP: Couture remains relevant because it is rooted in craftsmanship. In a world where everything moves quickly, couture represents time, precision and the skill of artisans who bring every garment to life by hand. People today value that process more than ever. They appreciate knowing how something has been made, the expertise behind it and the individuality that comes with owning a piece created specifically for them.
ELLE: After all these years, what still excites you most about creating couture?
FSP: Every collection starts with a blank canvas, and that’s what keeps the process exciting. We enjoy researching, experimenting with new techniques and finding different ways to interpret craftsmanship. Watching an idea evolve from an initial sketch into a finished couture garment never loses its excitement, and seeing it presented on the runway is always incredibly rewarding.
ELLE: Who would be the perfect muse for this collection, and why?
FSP: The muse for this collection is the Peacock Man and the Peacock Woman, because it is their journey, stories, and their travels that have created or conceptualised this collection. They are the modern travellers who collect culture rather than souvenirs wander through museums and antique markets, drawing inspiration from every place they visit. Their wardrobe reflects a life well-travelled, where Persian elegance, Byzantine artistry, Moroccan craftsmanship, and Indian heritage come together effortlessly. They appreciate craftsmanship. individuality and timeless luxury, and that’s exactly what Le Grand Voyage is about.
ELLE: What are the songs that belong on a playlist inspired by this collection?
FSP: When I was thinking about India Couture Week 9 months back, there was one song which I heard in a Paris antique market, I walked up to the store and said, “I want to buy this.” This inspired the music setting and the vibe for this collection. The song is called ‘I Want to Stay Here’, from 1968 by Gershwin. And the other song is a concert in Vienna by Ennio Morricone called ‘Cinema Paradiso in Concert’. These are the two songs that are one of the leading inspirations for the songs that you’ll see in the show. And these songs were decided 9 months back.
