Rahul Mishra travels the Silk Route at Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI

Designer Rahul Mishra took his models on a journey along the Silk Route for his brand Afew at Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India in a runway show held in collaboration with Nexa. Mixing textile traditions and global aesthetics, Mishra chose Bollywood celebrity Janhvi Kapoor as his showstopper for Fall/ Winter 2025.

This season, Rahul Mishra played with proportion to create sculptural looks for both men and women with Afew. Inspired by the historic trade routes that linked the East and West, The Silk Route explored the exchange of goods, ideas, and crafts that shaped global cultures, with India positioned at the heart of this interaction. 

The collection reflected the fluid exchange of ideas and materials, merging textile traditions from India’s Bandhani and Japan’s Shibori, while also drawing from European art, notably Henri Rousseau’s jungle scenes. Kapoor closed the show in a dramatic black robe that revealed a shimmering, thigh-high slit gown underneath, adding sleekness to the collection’s extravagant silhouettes. 

Mirroring this intersection of past and future, the runway featured blind-spot mirror structures, alluding to Nexa’s automobile technology. “The e-Vitara’s collaboration with Rahul Mishra aligned seamlessly with NEXA’s mission to redefine luxury and innovation in the automotive space,” said Partho Banerjee, senior executive officer of marketing and sales at Maruti Suzuki in a press release. 

Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with the FDCI ran from March 26 to 30 in Mumbai. The event hosted brands including OTT by Tarun Tahiliani, Saaksha & Kinni, and S&N by Shantnu Nikhil among others.