Amit Aggarwal's Lakme Fashion Week Finale Showcase Is A Joyride To The Colours Of India

Amit Aggarwal closed the Delhi edition of Lakmē Fashion Week x FDCI on Sunday night at the Taj Palace with a runway that resembled the joys and colours of growing up in India. Autorickshaws and ice-cream sellers meandered about, and models walked in looks saturated in colours the way childhood memory tends to hold it. Aneet Padda walked as the showstopper in a striped shirt, a metallic corset and wide-leg purple trousers.

The finale doubled as a collaboration with Lakmē 9to5, with the idea of the “5 PM Glam Reset” connecting the larger-than-life concept to looks that are more rooted in the everyday. Asked for the menswear equivalent, Aggarwal points to a well-constructed jacket, an unexpected texture or a change in proportions: small interventions that hand a familiar look a whole new character.

At first glance, this is a very different collection from the sculptural grandeur you’d expect from an Amit Aggarwal show. That is because the new collection, titled On a Day like Today, is a part of the designer’s pret line, AM:IT. But look closely, and the soul connecting the two lines is the same. Aggarwal's pret line takes from the geometry of India’s architecture, the rhythm of its streets, the patina of ageing surfaces. But his genius is in deconstructing his influences down to their smallest constituents and then reimagining them in a whole new avatar. He’s been doing it with his saree gowns for years. With On a Day like Today, he has extended them to our shared memories living in this country.

What follows is Aggarwal on the archive, the codes of menswear and the techniques he explored in this collection.

The new AM:IT collection is inspired by a visual landscape of everyday India. What does this landscape entail to you, and how did it shape the collection?

For me, India is an incredibly rich visual archive, and much of its beauty lies in what we encounter every day without necessarily stopping to observe it. It exists in the geometry of our architecture, the rhythm of our streets, the colours of our surroundings, the patina of ageing surfaces, and the relationship between the organic and the constructed. I am constantly observing these details, and over time, they become part of my design vocabulary.

With this collection, the idea was to look at the familiar through a different lens and translate these observations into form, texture, colour and movement. I am interested in how something entirely ordinary can become extraordinary when you begin to understand its structure or materiality. The archive is not about reproducing visual references literally; it is about absorbing their essence and allowing it to evolve into something new. That process of observation, deconstruction and transformation is central to the AM:IT design philosophy.

According to you, what would be the men’s equivalent of Lakmē 5 PM glam reset?

I think the men's equivalent of Lakmē's ‘5 PM Glam Reset’ is that effortless transition from the demands of the day into a more personal, expressive version of yourself. What I love about Lakmē's philosophy is that it isn't about a complete transformation, but about embracing a shift in energy as the day evolves.

In menswear, that could be as simple as a well-constructed jacket, an unexpected texture or a change in proportions that gives a familiar look an entirely new character. Through AM:IT, we've explored this freedom of expression, moving away from rigid rules towards pieces that feel confident, versatile and individual. Much like Lakmē's approach to beauty, I believe modern menswear is about expressing who you are rather than dressing for a particular occasion. That's the kind of reset I find interesting: subtle, instinctive and entirely your own.

Why call the collection “On a day like today”? What kind of day is it, and who is the person living in it?

On a day like today is an invitation to look at the everyday as a space for possibility. I was interested in the idea that a day does not need to be extraordinary for something extraordinary to happen. There is a certain beauty in the unpredictability of an ordinary day, in the things we notice, the places we move through and the different versions of ourselves that emerge as we navigate them. The man living this day is not defined by one particular archetype. He is contemporary, curious and comfortable with contradictions. He can be structured yet fluid, understated yet expressive, and he does not necessarily dress to conform to a prescribed idea of masculinity. His clothes are an extension of his personality rather than a uniform he feels obliged to wear. Ultimately, the collection is about clothing that belongs in real life, while retaining a sense of discovery. It is about finding the extraordinary within the everyday.

Is there a new technique that you explored with this collection?

Working with Chattai and experimentation with material and construction has always been central to my practice. I am constantly interested in what happens when materials are pushed beyond their conventional applications and when traditional craft meets a more contemporary understanding of form.

With AM:IT, that exploration has to translate into a different relationship with the body. We work with engineered draping, sculptural construction, surface manipulation and the interplay of contrasting materials and textures. The intention is to create depth and dimension without compromising the wearability of the garment.

Given how menswear tends to have more fixed codes compared to womenswear, how do you explore contrasts in this collection?

Menswear has traditionally been governed by fairly established codes around fit, proportion, colour and what is considered masculine. I find those codes interesting precisely because they give us something to question and reinterpret.

In this collection, contrast becomes a way of exploring a more expansive idea of masculinity. We look at structure alongside fluidity, precision alongside movement, and strength alongside vulnerability.

I am also interested in the relationship between the garment and the body: what we choose to reveal, what we choose to conceal, and how clothing can simultaneously protect and expose us. For me, masculinity does not need to be defined by rigidity. There is strength in softness, just as there is confidence in allowing oneself to be expressive. The idea is not to abandon the codes of menswear, but to expand them and give the wearer more room to define his own identity.

Your couture line is known for its architecture and experimentation. What is the biggest difference when you bring this design language to prêt, and do these give rise to new hurdles for you?

Couture allows us to explore an idea with a certain freedom, often taking a concept to its most elaborate or experimental expression. With prêt, the challenge is to retain that same design integrity while considering how a garment will function in someone’s everyday life.

For AM:IT, the language of architecture, material innovation and sculptural form remains fundamental, but the way we apply it has to be more considered. We have to think about movement, comfort, versatility, proportion and how a piece works within an existing wardrobe. The design must have character without becoming restrictive in the way it can be worn.

That does create its own set of challenges. A construction that works beautifully in a couture context may need to be re-engineered to achieve the right balance between form and function. Materials and techniques have to be evaluated not just for their visual impact, but also for their durability and performance. I see this as an exciting design exercise rather than a limitation. The real achievement is when a technically complex garment feels effortless on the person wearing it. For me, prêt is not about simplifying the design language; it is about translating it intelligently.

If a man buys only one piece from this collection, which one should it be, and what does he wear it with?

I would choose the AM:IT statement shirts. The shirts offer an incredible opportunity to express the design language of the collection and are super versatile. I have always believed that a good garment should offer more than one way of being worn. It should have a distinct point of view, but also leave room for the wearer to make it his own. That balance between individuality and versatility is what I would want someone to experience through AM:IT.