Beyond the Display : Leading Brands Through Visual Merchandising

 

Great Indian Fashion Town held an exclusive discussion with one of the Ace Visual Merchandisers in India - Shammi Raghuvanshi. He shared a leadership perspective shaped by nearly 17 years of experience across visual merchandising, retail transformation, customer experience and large scale execution. These responses reflect a belief that strong Visual Merchandising must bring together creativity, commercial thinking, customer understanding, technology and disciplined execution to deliver measurable value for the brand.

GIFT : Being a seasoned Visual Merchandiser now, how did your interest in VM develop initially?

My interest in Visual Merchandising began long before I understood it as a profession. As a child, I was naturally drawn to art, craft and three dimensional creation. I enjoyed painting, transforming the walls of my room and giving ordinary objects, even a garden pot, a distinctive visual character. I chose biology as my main subject because the precision and detail involved in drawing cells, mitochondria and other biological structures genuinely fascinated me. I also trained in Bharatanatyam for four years, which strengthened my understanding of composition, expression, rhythm and storytelling. I initially aspired to become a fashion designer, but while completing my postgraduation in Fashion Retail at Pearl Academy, Delhi, I discovered that Visual Merchandising brought together everything that interested me: fashion, spatial design, consumer psychology, storytelling and business. I realised that this was not simply a creative role; it was a leadership function capable of shaping brand perception and influencing commercial performance. Nearly 17 years later, that conviction remains unchanged. What continues to excite me is the opportunity to translate a brand strategy into an experience that customers can see, feel and respond to. The profession has allowed me to lead teams, build scalable systems and use creativity with a clear commercial purpose.

GIFT : Did the pandemic give Visual Merchandisers an opportunity to develop fresh ideas?

The pandemic was one of the most difficult periods the retail industry has faced. Store closures, uncertainty, layoffs and salary reductions affected organisations and individuals alike. At the time, I was heading Visual Merchandising at Blackberrys, and the situation required us to protect business continuity while rethinking established ways of working. One of our most important annual initiatives was the trade show, which drove significant seasonal bookings. A physical event was not possible, so I led the team in converting it into a virtual experience. With strict safety measures in place, we built actual merchandise displays, windows and store environments at our Gurgaon office. We then translated those physical mock ups into digital presentations, videos and virtual walkthroughs that clearly communicated product stories, garment attributes, USPs and the intended in store experience to franchise partners and customers. The initiative reinforced an important leadership lesson: constraints can become catalysts for innovation when teams are given clarity, ownership and the confidence to experiment. It also demonstrated that Visual Merchandising is not confined to a physical store. Its real purpose is to create an engaging, consistent and commercially effective brand experience across every customer touchpoint. This work contributed to my recognition among India’s Top 100 CX Leaders by Trescon in 2023 and remains one of the most rewarding transformations I have led.

GIFT : How has the growth of online shopping affected in store? 

Visual Merchandising Online shopping has fundamentally changed the role of the physical store. Customers now arrive better informed because they have already explored collections, compared options and engaged with the brand digitally. As a result, stores can no longer compete on product availability alone. They must offer inspiration, personal interaction, discovery and a memorable experience. For Visual Merchandising leaders, this means building a connected customer journey. Campaign stories, product priorities, styling, colour language and brand communication must remain consistent across websites, social media, marketplaces and stores. At the same time, the physical environment must use its unique strengths: tactile interaction, trials, complete look styling, personal assistance and immersive storytelling. I see the store evolving from a transaction point into a powerful experience and conversion centre. The role of VM leadership is to ensure that creativity is aligned with customer behaviour and business priorities so that every display supports engagement, navigation, full price selling and conversion.

GIFT : How do you see Visual Merchandising reaching new heights in the future?

The future of Visual Merchandising will be more strategic, measurable, personalised and responsive. The function will increasingly be evaluated not only on how compelling a store looks, but also on how effectively it improves product discovery, customer engagement, conversion, sell through and brand loyalty. Technology will make store environments more dynamic through digital content, interactive displays, augmented reality, virtual trials and adaptable fixtures. Data will help teams understand customer movement, regional preferences, product performance and space productivity, enabling faster and better informed decisions. However, technology will create value only when it is anchored in a clear brand vision and a strong understanding of the customer. Sustainability will also become a leadership priority. Modular fixtures, reusable props, locally adaptable concepts and responsible materials will allow brands to create impact while improving speed, consistency and cost efficiency. The VM leaders who take the function forward will be those who can integrate creativity, commercial thinking, technology, sustainability and operational excellence at scale.

GIFT : In what ways will Artificial Intelligence impact modern Visual Merchandising? 

Artificial Intelligence is becoming an important part of the Visual Merchandising ecosystem. It can accelerate the journey from strategy to execution by supporting concept development, mood boards, window visualisation, planograms, store layouts, campaign adaptations and presentation mock ups. For organisations with large retail networks, AI can also help teams adapt a central idea efficiently across different store formats, sizes and regions. Its deeper value will come from combining creative development with data. AI can help analyse sales patterns, inventory, customer behaviour and regional preferences to recommend more relevant product placement and faster interventions. This gives VM leaders an opportunity to move from instinct led decisions alone towards a stronger combination of creative judgement and evidence. I do not see AI replacing Visual Merchandisers. It will raise the expectations from them. Human leadership remains essential for cultural understanding, emotional storytelling, brand sensitivity, commercial judgement and practical execution. Professionals who learn to use AI responsibly will gain more time to think strategically, test ideas and lead stronger customer experiences.

GIFT : What is your message for fashion students interested in Visual Merchandising?

My message to students is to understand the complete responsibility of the profession. Visual Merchandising is not limited to decorating a store or styling a mannequin. It combines creativity with fashion knowledge, consumer psychology, spatial planning, retail mathematics, technology and disciplined execution. Spend time on the shop floor. Observe how customers enter, where they pause, what they touch and how merchandise placement affects their decisions. Learn to read sales data, understand inventory and connect visual choices with business outcomes. Build capability in styling, space planning, materials and digital tools, but do not allow software or AI to replace your own observation and point of view. Most importantly, develop the mindset of a leader. Be curious, stay adaptable, respect execution teams and take ownership from concept to completion. A strong Visual Merchandiser does more than make a space look good; they influence how customers experience the brand and how effectively the business performs. If students can balance imagination with accountability and commercial understanding, this profession can offer them an exciting and deeply rewarding career.

The Great Indian Fashion Town appreciates the perspective and insights shared by Shammi Raghuvanshi during this interview. Most importantly, he underlines that AI should be used as a tool by humans to enhance their creative output instead of minimizing their own participation. Use of AI should be responsible. 

Stay tuned for more such insightful interviews here.

Meet a genuine Creativist : Anuraag S from Pencilbox

 

Creativity is one field which has covered maximum space in this digital era. Many outstanding projects have been unravelled and new prospects have emerged. Fresh ideas have taken shape and formulated a better designed world around us. The Great Indian Fashion Town team had a really interesting, exclusive  and insightful discussion with one of the well-known names in Fashion Retail industry.

Anuraag S is a Creativist, Visual Merchandising professional and Founder of Pencilbox Design, with over three decades of experience across retail, design and consumer experience. His work spans Visual Merchandising, retail strategy, branding, creative problem-solving and design education. A passionate mentor and advocate of “Creativity for Everyone,” Anuraag S also expresses himself through cartoons, puns, writing and experimental design. He is the founder of World Visual Merchandising Day (11 Jan) and has authored six books on Visual Merchandising and humour. His work has been recognised twice by the India Book of Records and the Forttuna Global Excellence Awards.

GIFT : Pencilbox has been doing some incredible creative work — tell us more about it.

Thank you! Pencilbox started in 2018, but in many ways it is a culmination of almost three decades of my journey through retail, Visual Merchandising, design and consumer experience.

For me, creativity is simply problem-solving. And good design is creative problem-solving with purpose. So, at Pencilbox, we don't restrict ourselves by saying, “We are a VM company” or “We are a design agency.” A problem could be a store that isn't engaging customers, a brand that isn't communicating clearly, a space that isn't functioning well, or even a business trying to figure out how creativity can create measurable value.

That thinking has allowed us to work across Visual Merchandising, retail experience, branding, packaging, spatial interventions, design strategy and education.

Personally too, I don't like putting creativity into boxes. I draw cartoons, play with puns and wordplay, write, teach, mentor, experiment with AI and sometimes create things simply because they make me curious. I call myself a Creativist for that reason.

One belief has stayed constant throughout: creativity doesn't belong only to creative professionals. An accountant solving a difficult business problem can be as creative as an artist standing in front of a canvas.

 

GIFT : How does creative work (poem, painting, design etc.) satisfy our society?

I'm actually not sure creativity always needs to satisfy society!

Sometimes art satisfies us. Sometimes it entertains us, provokes us, questions us or makes us uncomfortable. A cartoon can communicate something in one frame that might otherwise require a thousand words. A clever pun can make us look at an ordinary word completely differently. Humour, cartoons and wordplay are incredibly powerful forms of creativity, something more and more brands are also discovering in their communication.

But for me, creativity goes much beyond art.

Creativity, fundamentally, is problem-solving.

And India has always been brilliant at it. Perhaps our most familiar expression of creativity is jugaad. Give an Indian a problem and limited resources, and chances are we will find some ingenious way around it!

But I believe the next step is to take that instinct for jugaad and add design, aesthetics, empathy and scalability to it.

Saregama Carvaan is a wonderful example of this. When the world was racing towards streaming, apps and increasingly digital interfaces, somebody recognised a very human problem: there was a generation that loved its old music but didn't necessarily want to search, swipe and subscribe every time it wanted to hear a song.

Carvaan didn't invent music or even new technology. It combined existing technology with a deep understanding of an Indian consumer, wrapped it in nostalgia and gave it a beautifully simple, aesthetically appealing physical form. The result? It crossed one million units in roughly 16 months after launch.

That, to me, is creativity — not necessarily inventing something completely new, but looking at an existing problem differently and creating a better experience around it.

Ironically, while India has an extraordinary aesthetic heritage in its architecture, textiles, crafts and arts, we don't always apply the same aesthetic sensitivity to our everyday surroundings. Look at the visual chaos on many of our streets signage, traffic, parking, hoardings, wires and public spaces. We are often very creative at solving our own immediate problem, but sometimes that solution creates a bigger collective problem!

So, India doesn't have a shortage of creativity. Perhaps we need to channel that creativity more consciously into better design and better every day experiences.

We have spoken for years about Make in India.

I would love to see the next movement being equally about:

CREATE IN INDIA.

Because making something here is valuable. Imagining it here, solving it here, designing it beautifully here and then taking it to the world is even more exciting.

 

GIFT : Artificial intelligence tools — hampering or boosting creativity? Your thoughts.

AI doesn't intimidate me. It excites me.

I use AI extensively, and I see it as one of the most powerful creative collaborators we've ever had. An idea that earlier might have remained inside someone's head because they couldn't sketch, render, write, animate or prototype it can now become visible remarkably quickly.

That democratisation is particularly exciting for Gen Z. For them, AI will probably not remain a “new technology” for very long. It will simply become part of how they think, learn and create.

But there is a danger…I don't think AI will kill creativity. Convenience might.

If AI starts doing our thinking rather than helping us explore our thinking, we could end up producing enormous amounts of very competent but very similar work.

In an AI-rich world, perhaps the differentiators will no longer be merely technical skills. They will be curiosity, taste, observation, originality, the quality of the question you ask — and your ability to recognise a great answer when you see one.

AI should amplify imagination, not replace it.

 

GIFT : How do you see the change in the lifestyle of the average Indian over the last three decades?

Having worked around Indian retail and consumers for almost three decades, the biggest transformation I see isn't simply income. It is access, aspiration and exposure.

We went from neighbourhood stores to organised retail, malls, e-commerce, smartphones, social media, quick commerce and now AI, all within one generation.

And I think we make a mistake when we discuss India's new consumer only through Mumbai, Delhi and Bengaluru.

The fascinating story today is happening in Tier-2, Tier-3 and even smaller cities. Digital access has dramatically reduced the gap in discovery. A Gen Z consumer in Jaipur, Indore, Surat, Lucknow, Kochi, Guwahati or a smaller town can see a global fashion trend at almost the same time as someone sitting in Mumbai or London.

But access to global culture hasn't necessarily made young Indians less Indian.

In fact, I find the opposite increasingly interesting: our lifestyles are becoming more global while our search for identity is becoming more local.

Young people are far more comfortable mixing worlds sneakers with Indian wear, street culture with craft, global music with regional language, technology with tradition.

For fashion, retail and design, that makes India an extraordinarily interesting laboratory right now.

 

GIFT : Do you see the fashion industry getting a boost in the next decade as big corporate giants have invested heavily in Indian fashion brands?

Absolutely, but I think the bigger story is not only corporate investment.

India's fashion opportunity lies at the intersection of the three pillars GIFT itself talks about — textiles, fashion and retail — and now I would add two more forces: technology and a young consumer.

Gen Z is discovering brands differently. Fashion inspiration no longer comes only from fashion magazines, celebrities or large stores. It comes from creators, reels, communities, gaming, music, travel, regional culture and increasingly AI. And this behaviour isn't restricted to metros.

At the same time, India has something very few countries can replicate: an extraordinary living vocabulary of textiles, embroidery, craft, colour, silhouettes and techniques.

The opportunity is not to freeze these traditions in time.

Preservation alone can turn craft into a museum piece. Creativity allows heritage to evolve.

We already see Indian designers taking indigenous craftsmanship and giving it a contemporary global vocabulary. Rahul Mishra is a wonderful example of how Indian craftsmanship can participate confidently in international luxury without losing its roots.

So yes, corporate capital will provide scale, distribution and infrastructure. But India's real fashion advantage may come from something money cannot manufacture overnight — our cultural vocabulary combined with a huge, young, digitally connected population willing to reinterpret it.

The next important Indian fashion market may not necessarily emerge from a traditional fashion capital.

 

GIFT : With the correct creative boost now — how do you see the future of India?

Extremely exciting — provided we begin valuing our creativity ourselves.

The recent conversation around Prada and the Kolhapuri chappal fascinated me. My first reaction wasn't, “How dare they copy us?”

It was almost the opposite… If something developed by Indian craftspeople generations ago is relevant enough to inspire one of the world's leading luxury fashion houses today, that is also a compliment to the strength of Indian design.

Of course, attribution matters. Craftspeople deserve recognition, participation and economic benefit. But creativity has always travelled between cultures. Inspiration itself shouldn't make us insecure.

My bigger question is: Why does the world sometimes need to recognise something Indian before we Indians recognise its design value ourselves?

We live surrounded by ingenious objects, crafts, textiles, techniques and everyday solutions. Because they are familiar, we often stop seeing the intelligence behind them. Then somebody curates one differently, packages it beautifully, gives it a story and places it in a global context — and suddenly we rediscover it.

Perhaps we shouldn't be saying, “This is ours, don't touch it.”

We should be saying: “This is ours. Look what the world can do with it — and now watch what India does with it next.”

That is the confidence I would love to see in the next generation.

India was never short of creativity. What we sometimes lacked was recognising its value, applying it systematically, packaging it beautifully and taking ownership of its story.

This is why I keep coming back to the thought of Create in India.

“Make” is important — it creates manufacturing, infrastructure and employment.

But “Create” goes further. It means ideas, design, intellectual property, fashion, storytelling, brands, technology, experiences, art and culture originating here and travelling outward.

Combine India's centuries-old creative vocabulary with Gen Z's confidence, the reach of digital India and the amplification power of AI, and the next decade could be extraordinary.

And perhaps creativity itself is much simpler than we make it sound:

Creativity doesn't always mean creating something the world has never seen. Sometimes it simply means looking at something the world has seen a thousand times — and seeing another possibility in it.

So true Anuraag. GIFT is delighted to share such insights with the professionals as well as new fashionistas in India. May you get more power to brighten the design arena.

Do check out the amazing work of Anuraag at www.pencilbox.in

 

DOT School of Design Hosts Tamil Nadu's Biggest Design Graduation Show in Chennai

 

DOT School of Design brought Tamil Nadu's design community together at IITM Research Park Auditorium on Friday, 19th June 2026 evening for Design Confluence 2026, the state's largest design graduation showcase. The third edition of the annual event saw 100+ designers receive their course completion certificates across five disciplines: Fashion Design, Communication Design, Industrial Design, Interior Design, and the BFA Visual Arts programme, before an audience of ministers, industry leaders, and creative professionals.

 

The evening welcomed Minister for Handlooms, Textiles and Khadi Vijay Balaji as chief guest, joined by Mr. Sudhir Sharma, Founder of Indi Design, Design India and India's Best Design Awards, Mr. Senthil Ramesh A, Secretary & Correspondent of SBIOA Educational Trust, and Gp Capt. R. Vijayakumar, Executive Director of Madras Management Association. Over 50 design leaders and industry practitioners were present across the evening.

 

Addressing the gathering, Minister Vijay Balaji announced that the Tamil Nadu government would procure designs created by students of DOT School of Design, marking a significant step in bridging design education and public sector application.

 

The Display Showcase featured over 200 student works across two parallel exhibition halls, spanning identity systems, spatial interventions, material explorations, and speculative industrial design. The Fashion Design cohort presented a live runway at Spotlight '26, with 25 graduating students drawing sustained applause from the audience.

 

The evening also honoured Design Chair and legendary designer Balaram Singanapalli with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The award was presented on stage in the presence of Alexander Dodonov, Director, Vice Consul General of Russia, R.B. Bhaskaran, former Chairman of Lalit Kala Akademi, and Ramesh, Managing Director of Pothys recognising Balaram's lifelong contribution to design education and practice in India.

 

Themed Maatram, meaning Change in Tamil, the event positioned each graduating student's body of work as evidence of a design education built on rigour, independent thinking, and real-world application. Five disciplines, one graduating class, and a single evening that made the case for Chennai's growing stature in India's design landscape.

 

"Design at DOT is rooted in social responsiveness, work that gives back to the people and communities it touches," said Dr. AR R Raammnath, Chairman, DOT School of Design. "Graduating designers carry with them a conviction that design belongs to the common person."

 

Now in its third consecutive year, Design Confluence has widened its reach and deepened its industry presence with each edition, cementing DOT School of Design's standing as Tamil Nadu's leading design institution.

 

About DOT School of Design

DOT School of Design (dotsod.in) is Chennai’s exclusive design college offering undergraduate and postgraduate programmes in Fashion Design, Communication Design, Industrial Design, and Interior Design. 

 

Visit: www.dotsod.in for more details about the Institute.

Carpisa : Powerhouse Italian fast-fashion retailer enters India

 

The renowned Italian fashion accessories market leader officially debuted in India by unveiling its very first flagship storefront at the Phoenix Marketcity Mall (Whitefield) in Bengaluru. This strategic entry is executed via a long-term licensing agreement with Neopolis Brands, kickstarting an aggressive expansion roadmap aimed at establishing over 100 standalone physical stores across the country. The launch brings their signature collections of premium handbags, designer luggage, and leather accessories directly to Indian consumers.

About Carpisa :

Carpisa is a powerhouse Italian fast-fashion retailer specializing in handbags, luggage, and small fashion accessories. It is recognized globally for popularizing the concept of "accessible Italian elegance"—delivering distinct, refined Italian styles at highly competitive, value-for-money price points.

Founded in 2001, the brand is headquartered at CasaCarpisa, a massive 10,000-square-meter facility located in Nola (Naples), Italy. The brand is universally recognized by its signature small green turtle logo, which symbolizes longevity, steady growth, and structural strength (mirroring its durable luggage lines).

Carpisa is owned and managed by Kuvera S.p.A.. Following a high-profile corporate merger, it operates under the Pianoforte Group, a leading retail conglomerate jointly controlled by two historic Italian business families—the Carlino and Cimmino families. The group also owns the famous Italian lingerie brand Yamamay.

Carpisa is one of Europe's largest monobrand accessories networks, operating more than 600 stores worldwide across 40+ countries. The vast majority of its retail footprint remains in its home country, with nearly 400 standalone stores spanning every major Italian high street, transport hub, and shopping mall from Milan to Rome. The brand is classified as an accessible premium/fast-fashion hybrid. Rather than targeting the ultra-exclusive luxury bracket, it captures the everyday consumer by refreshing its storefront inventories constantly with seasonally relevant, youthful designs.

Carpisa officially launched its major omnichannel expansion in India on May 28, 2026, by opening its largest flagship store at Phoenix Marketcity Mall, Whitefield, Bengaluru. The entry is executed via a long-term licensing agreement between Naples-based Kuvera S.p.A. (owners of Carpisa) and Neopolis Brands.

Retail Footprint & Expansion Strategy

• The Flagship Hub: The new Bengaluru location stands as the brand's primary experiential destination, showcasing its signature Italian design legacy.

• Massive Target: Neopolis Brands has announced plans to aggressively scale the brand's physical presence, aiming to open more than 100 standalone stores across India over the coming years.

• Multi-Format Strategy: Alongside the main outlet, the brand has introduced immediate shop-in-shop formats at Shoppers Stop (including Bannerghatta Road) and a pop-up experience at Orion Mall in Rajajinagar.

High-Profile Launch Event

The grand store opening was commemorated with an in-store event featuring Italian Consul General Giandomenico Milano alongside Bollywood actor and style icon Sobhita Dhulipala, highlighting the growing synergy between premium European design and Indian consumer demands.

Target Product Pricing

Carpisa is positioning itself as an accessible-premium player in the Indian market:

• Women’s Handbags: Priced between ₹4,000 to ₹6,000.

• Sling Bags (Gen Z-Focused): Priced between ₹3,000 to ₹4,000.

• Product Breadth: The full catalog spans fashion-forward handbags, premium luggage, professional briefcases, travel gear, and small leather accessories.

Where to Buy Online

The brand launched its collections digitally on the same day. You can browse and buy Carpisa products directly from its official brand website or through major e-commerce platforms including Myntra, Nykaa, and Tata CLiQ.

Ritu Beri : The Empress of Indian Couture and the Bridge to Paris

 

In the early 1990s, the concept of "Indian Fashion" was largely confined to local boutiques and traditional bridal wear. It took a visionary with a "gypsy soul" and a rigorous technical background to break those boundaries. Ritu Beri did not just design clothes; she architected the bridge that allowed Indian craftsmanship to walk the prestigious ramps of Paris. Today, she stands as a symbol of the globalization of Indian aesthetics.

The Genesis of a Label

Beri’s journey began at the National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in New Delhi, where she was part of the very first batch of graduates. In 1990, she launched her self-titled label with a small collection and a massive ambition. Her early work was characterized by a daring fusion—taking the intricate embroideries of India and applying them to silhouettes that appealed to the modern, cosmopolitan woman.

Conquering the Global Stage

While many designers were content with domestic success, Beri looked toward France, the spiritual home of fashion. In 1998, she made history as the first Indian designer to showcase a collection in Paris. This was not merely a guest appearance; it was a statement. Her ability to translate Indian "maximalism" into something sophisticated and wearable for a European audience caught the eye of the fashion elite.

The pinnacle of her international career arrived in 2002. In a move that shocked and delighted the industry, she was appointed the head of the ready-to-wear section for the French heritage brand Jean-Louis Scherrer. This appointment was revolutionary, marking the first time an Indian designer was chosen to lead a historic French luxury house. During her tenure, she dressed global icons ranging from Hollywood star Nicole Kidman to former US President Bill Clinton.

The Ambassador of Craft

Beri’s influence extends far beyond the runway. She has spent decades working to ensure that traditional Indian crafts are not lost to history. Her role as an advisor to the Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) was pivotal. She took Khadi—a fabric associated with India’s freedom struggle—and reimagined it as a luxury material, proving that "Made in India" could be synonymous with "High Fashion."

In 2015, she founded The Luxury League, a non-profit foundation. Her goal was to create a platform where Indian luxury could be defined on its own terms, moving away from Western imitations and focusing on the country's inherent wealth of artisanal talent.

A Legacy of Honors

The impact of her work has been recognized by governments worldwide. In 2010, the French government conferred upon her the Chevalier de l’Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters), one of the highest civilian honors in the arts. Spain followed suit in 2014, awarding her the Order of Civil Merit.

Perhaps the most personal recognition came in 2020, when the Indian Department of Posts released a commemorative stamp featuring her. It was a rare honor for a living designer, cementing her status as a national treasure.

Looking Forward: ESCAPE and Beyond

Even as a veteran of the industry, Beri continues to innovate. Her latest venture, ESCAPE, launched in Goa in late 2024, is a testament to her evolving philosophy. It is a "lifestyle and cultural space" that blends art, fashion, and history, reflecting her belief that fashion is not just what we wear, but how we experience the world.

Ritu Beri remains a pioneer who taught the world that Indian fashion is not just about the sari, but about a sophisticated, ancient, and ever-evolving vocabulary of style.

Moscow Fashion Week Highlights Global Talent and Indian-Inspired Collections

Moscow is once again embracing its role among the world’s leading fashion centers, hosting designers from across the globe — including talents from China, Turkey, Spain, Armenia, and Russia. Running until March 19, Moscow Fashion Week brings together promising brands and emerging designers, creating a platform for new discoveries while shaping the future of the global fashion landscape.

Many collections by Russian designers showcased this season at Moscow Fashion Week have sparked considerable media attention and drawn the interest of fashion industry experts. The brand Koss focused on a play of textures and a contrasting palette in its new collection, combining classic New Look–inspired silhouettes with airy chiffon and rich velvet. Designers of Capparel explored the idea of physical presence and material memory, turning folds and imprints of body movement into the central elements of the collection’s architectural structure. The brand MME showcased a collection that harmoniously blends precision and sculptural structure with softness, capturing the inner strength and understated elegance of the contemporary woman. XakaMa - Fashion House of Lena Makashova, which celebrated its 35-year anniversary, presented a collection enriched with avant-garde details - intricate straps, asymmetrical multi-tiered folds, dresses with vests, voluminous accent trousers and an interplay with pockets. The Ammonit collection featured flowing silhouettes and soft fabrics designed to provide comfort and confidence in the rhythm of the modern city.

The global spirit of the event was reflected in the participation of the Spanish label Madame & Mister Sibarita. Designer Patricia Emma Fernandez Ortiz draws inspiration from Indian aesthetics, incorporating its vibrant colors and rich craft traditions into the brand’s collections.

“Our brand offers something truly distinctive: a fusion of cultures and aesthetics. Madame & Mister Sibarita combines the rich textile traditions of India with a contemporary Western vision, creating pieces that are not only luxurious but also unique and full of personality. The Russian market is particularly receptive to fashion with character, craftsmanship, and story. For us, this represents a significant opportunity to introduce our differentiated approach, while for the Spanish fashion industry, it opens doors to showcase creativity, quality, and innovation on a new international stage”, - shared Patricia Emma Fernandez Ortiz.

Moscow Fashion Week has long been a most effective platform for the development of emerging brands, opening doors for up-and-coming designers to enter new international markets. A great example of this is Russian label Hatsibana, a regular participant at Moscow Fashion Week, which proudly showcased its collection at Lakmé Fashion Week in India last October.

“This trip was more than just a runway show for me — it became a true dialogue of cultures, a moment when the heritage of the Caucasus was expressed in a language understood around the world. We didn’t simply present our brand; we laid the foundation for future collaborations and for entering one of the world’s most promising markets,” said Fatima Shogenova, designer and founder of Hatsibana.

Moscow Fashion Week is now in full swing, with many remarkable shows and exciting collections still to come. The event continues to serve as a space where local traditions meet the global demands of the fashion industry, helping designers connect with audiences around the world.

Indian label Raw Mango brings its ‘unripe and imperfect idea of beauty’ to London Fashion Week

 

When Raw Mango arrived at London Fashion Week with its Fall/Winter 2026 collection It’s Not About The Flower, it wasn’t just another international runway moment. It felt personal, cultural, and deeply rooted in everyday South Asian life.

For its debut presentation on a global fashion stage, the brand turned to something incredibly familiar - the garland. Often overlooked because of its everyday presence, the garland became the emotional starting point of the collection. In South Asia, it exists everywhere: celebrations, rituals, mourning, devotion, welcome. Raw Mango used this idea to explore the space between ornament and identity - shifting attention away from a single flower and towards the collective beauty of arrangement.

Designer and founder Sanjay Garg explained the thought behind the collection, saying, “Flowers remain an important part of South-East Asia and South Asia. But we don’t really have a culture of giving one individual flower to someone, like, say, a rose on Valentine’s Day.” He continues, “As a culture, we are a country of garlands. Whether it’s a death, a birth, a wedding or a religious ritual, you see garlands, irrespective of the religion. It’s not about one individual flower; it’s about the plurality.”

That idea of plurality shaped everything - from silhouettes to storytelling. Rather than treating decoration as surface embellishment, the collection examined how adornment becomes meaning. It questioned what we consider valuable in fashion: the motif itself or the way elements come together to create emotion and memory.

Showing in London also became an opportunity to challenge long-standing perceptions of Indian fashion abroad. Garg noted that Indian design is still often boxed into stereotypes of heavy embroidery and excessive embellishment. “There is still a strong association between Indian fashion and a certain kind of aesthetic - heavy gold embroidery, and maximalist ensembles that overwhelm the eye and the body with ‘bling’,” he says. “Indian fashion is too often quantified – it's not seen for its innate aesthetic value, but the number of hours it took a weaver to create a garment. It’s a surface-level engagement that sometimes drowns out the beauty of the weave itself.”

On the runway, garments interpreted how a garland might naturally rest on the body. Florals appeared not as literal prints but as sculptural elements - rolled, assembled, and hand-placed using unexpected silk-like fabrics. These arrangements floated across lightly embroidered brocades, ribbed cotton knits, quilted rayon, wool felt, and soft textiles that felt both nostalgic and modern.

The show drew a diverse audience from across art, culture, fashion and business, including musician Anoushka Shankar, former UK First Lady Akshata Murty, filmmaker Gurinder Chadha, and artist Lubna Chowdhary - a fitting mix for a collection that resisted easy categorisation.

For Garg, however, the geography of the show mattered less than the work itself. Reflecting on presenting at London Fashion Week, he said, “Presenting here is as good as presenting in Kanpur for me. At the end of the day, it is the work being presented that matters. And that doesn’t change according to who is viewing it, or where. I’m less interested in defining my audience and more interested in further exploring and articulating my design language that can cater to different audiences that transcends borders and seasons.”

That clarity of purpose has defined Raw Mango for nearly two decades. The label continues to build contemporary fashion through traditional textile knowledge, treating craft not as nostalgia but as a living, evolving language.

The London presentation of It’s Not About The Flower was supported by De Beers Group, with Forevermark as jewellery partner. In many ways, the collection quietly reminded audiences that Indian fashion does not need to shout to be seen. Sometimes, like a garland, its power lies in how individual elements come together - layered, collective, and deeply human.

Valentino : "last emperor" of haute couture

A flamboyant designer noted for his retro pieces and celebrity collaborations, he is regarded as one of the preeminent figures in haute couture. He was an iconic Italian fashion designer celebrated as the "last emperor" of haute couture, known for creating timeless, elegant garments, particularly his signature "Valentino Red". A passionate, perfectionist visionary, he lived a luxurious lifestyle, aiming to make women feel beautiful through refined, romantic, and glamorous designs favored by Hollywood stars and royals. Valentino recently opened its flagship store in Delhi 2022 & Mumbai 2024 formally stepping into the world's biggest demoracy India.

Valentino Clemente Ludovico Garavani1 (1 May 1932 – 19 January 2026), known mononymously as Valentino, was an Italian fashion designer who founded Valentino a luxury fashion house, in 1960 and served as its Creative Director until 2007.

Born in Voghera, Valentino apprenticed in fashion design at a young age before moving to Paris to continue his studies. After attending the Beaux-Arts de Paris and the École de la Chambre Syndicale, he began his career at Jean Dessès and Guy Laroche, later returning to Rome to work under Emilio Schuberth and Vincenzo Ferdinandi. He had opened his own fashion house on Via Condotti in 1960, achieving international recognition during the mid-1960s.

In 1960, Valentino left Paris and opened a fashion house in Rome on the fashionable Via Condotti, supported by his father and a business associate. More than a simple atelier, his father said the premises resembled a maison de haute couture - the operation was notably grand, with models flown in from Paris for his debut show. Valentino soon became known for his red dresses, in the vivid shade that the fashion industry remembered as Rosso Valentino.

On 31 July 1960, Valentino met Giancarlo Giammetti at the Café de Paris on the Via Veneto in Rome. Giammetti, one of three children, was in his second year of architecture school and living with his parents in the haut bourgeois Parioli district. That day, he gave Valentino a lift home in his Fiat, beginning a friendship that soon developed into a long-lasting partnership. Giammetti left for a holiday in Capri the following day and, by coincidence, Valentino was also travelling there; they met again on the island 10 days later. Shortly afterwards, Giammetti abandoned his university studies to become Valentino's business partner and life partner. When he joined the enterprise, the financial situation of Valentino's atelier was precarious: within a year, Valentino's excessive expenditure led his father's associate to withdraw from the business, leaving him close to bankruptcy. In 1961, Elizabeth Taylor, who was in Rome for the filming of Cleopatra, chose Valentino's white haute couture column for the premiere of Spartacus.

The Valentino brand continued to establish itself as a leading force in high fashion throughout the 1970s and 1980s, at one point becoming the best-selling Italian fashion export. He was the first Italian designer to feature on Parisian haute couture catwalks. His work further established itself as a staple of celebrity culture during the 1990s.

Valentino and his partner, Giancarlo Giammetti, sold the company to HdP Group for US$300 million in 1998. He presented his final haute couture show in 2008, having stepped down as creative director the previous year. He was appointed a Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic in 1986 and a Knight of the Order of Merit for Labour in 1996, and was also made a Knight of the Legion of Honour and a Commander of the Order of Arts and Letters in France, where he received the Medal of the City of Paris.

Several prominent Indian celebrities, business personalities, and fashion icons have worn Valentino dresses and ensembles, frequently choosing the Italian luxury brand for high-profile international red carpets, fashion events, and personal celebrations.

There are many notable Indians who have worn Valentino starting from Isha Ambani from the famous Ambani family. Isha Ambani famously wore the first and only Indian lehenga designed by Maison Valentino for her wedding reception in 2018. Isha Ambani's gold lehenga is considered a historic moment, as it was the only one of its kind created by the Maison. She has also been spotted in other Valentino gowns at private events. Nita Ambani attended a Valentino show in Paris in 2019 and was seen in a Valentino gown at the NMACC.

Priyanka Chopra Jonas commandingly wore a custom strapless black Valentino gown with a dramatic cape and white gloves to the 2023 Met Gala. She also donned a parrot green feathered Valentino dress in Rome in 2023. Kareena Kapoor Khan stunned in a rare vintage Valentino Spring/Summer 1993 ensemble (a beige blazer and skirt) to meet Lionel Messi in Mumbai in December 2025. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan embraced the brand's iconic pink with a Valentino pantsuit at the Cannes Film Festival 2022 and wore a shimmering green Valentino cape dress at Cannes 2023.

Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Ranveer Singh, Kiara Advani, Athiya Shetty, Freida Pinto, Aditi Rao Hydari are few of the many celebrities who wore the iconic label at various occasions.

The fashion world got poorer with its Emperor gone – but his legacy lives on till the time people enjoy his craftsmanship, his vision & his genius.

DFA Awards 2025 announced !

 

Hong Kong Design Centre (HKDC) today announced the distinguished laureates of the DFA Awards 2025, honouring their transformative design achievement with global impact. This year, the DFA Awards features the debut of DFA Asian Design Vanguard, an award programme established to honour a designer with whose work resonates powerfully across the international design landscape.

Launched in 2003, supported by the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region as the lead sponsor, the DFA Awards continues its mission to honour extraordinary individuals and projects that have made a lasting impact in Asia, recognising the industry giants whose work has fundamentally shaped our world. The 2025 awardees represent a diverse spectrum of design excellence, including Don NORMAN, DFA Lifetime Achievement Award (DFA LAA) winner; Christina ONG, DFA Design Leadership Award (DFA DLA) winner; MA Yansong, DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer (DFA WOCD) winner; André FU, DFA Designer of the Year (DFA DOY) winner; and Rahul MISHRA, DFA Asian Design Vanguard (DFA ADV) winner.

This year, the DFA Awards introduced the new accolade of the DFA Asian Design Vanguard with the aim to honour the contributions of Asian designers in any region of the world, who have strong vision to redefine global demand through design. This designer demonstrated the innovation of creativity, impacting market with significant commercial success locally and globally. Parallelly, has created cultural influence through design or cross-industry reach. To synchronise the new award programme, the trophy, designed by esteemed designer Mui KINOSHITA, features a triangular cut-out at its centre that symbolises A-D-V, dramatically frames light and shadow to create dynamic views from every angle to distinguish the Award's eminent status.

Mr. Joseph LO, Chairman of HKDC, said, "This year's cohort of laureates represents a powerful convergence of legacy and future-forward thinking. We see a profound depth of contribution, from Don NORMAN's foundational theories that inspired us on how to interact with the world through design, to Christina ONG's visionary leadership in designing global lifestyle empires that seamlessly bridge fashion, hospitality and wellness. We also celebrate the distinct design languages of MA Yansong and André FU blending the modern and cultural element to a stylish living. The inaugural DFA Asian Design Vanguard award allows us to honour a unique creative force, Rahul MISHRA, whose work is fundamentally influential and setting a new benchmark for what Asian design can connect social change and cultural preservation."

DFA Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 (DFA LAA)
Don NORMAN
Founding Director emeritus
Design Lab, University of California, San Diego

Don NORMAN is a visionary leader who has profoundly shaped how we interact with technology. Renowned for championing the principle that design must serve people, his work seamlessly bridges the gap between social sciences and engineering, bringing a deep human perspective to product creation. His influential career includes pivotal leadership roles in the industry, such as Vice President of Advanced Technology at Apple, Executive at Hewlett Packard, and Founding Director of the Design Lab at the University of California, San Diego, which has inspired generations of designers, engineers, and business leaders worldwide. His ideas have been so transformative that Business Week (now known as Bloomberg Businessweek) once named him one of the world's 27 most influential designers.

NORMAN's exceptional contributions have been recognised with numerous honours, including lifetime achievement awards from ACM (Association for Computing Machinery), and the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society. His ongoing global impact is reflected in his advisory roles at leading institutions like Tongji University and the Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

The DFA Lifetime Achievement Award 2025 celebrates Don NORMAN's profound legacy - a career dedicated not just to humanising technology, but to empowering us all through design that is intuitive, accessible, and deeply respectful of human experience. His pioneering concepts have become the foundational lexicon for the entire field, ensuring that his principles will continue to guide the creation of meaningful technology for generations to come.

DFA Design Leadership Award 2025 (DFA DLA)
Christina ONG
Founder
COMO Group

Christina ONG is a visionary of global luxury, renowned for building an empire that seamlessly spans fashion, hospitality, and wellness. As founder of the COMO Group, her impeccable taste and astute leadership have established her as Singapore's preeminent style icon and a powerful shaper of international lifestyle trends across five decades.

Her journey began in 1972 with Club21, a single Singapore boutique she expanded into a global network of luxury stores across Asia and beyond. Her strategic acumen drove the celebrated revival of British luxury brand Mulberry. Her transformative vision extends to hospitality, where her Group owns a collection of award-winning Asian properties including Metropolitan Bangkok, Uma Ubud in Bali, and Uma Paro in Bhutan. Central to her philosophy is COMO Shambhala, a pioneering wellness brand that integrates holistic well-being focused on balancing mind, body and spirit into each property, from urban retreats to resort sanctuaries. These achievements have earned her honours including the Italian Cavaliere del Lavoro award and the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame.

The DFA Design Leadership Award 2025 celebrates Christina ONG for masterfully curating a global lifestyle aesthetic that merges commerce with culture, and architecting complete ecosystems of luxury that empower artisans, champion wellness and set timeless standards of excellence. Her career stands as a powerful testament to how visionary leadership can redefine an industry through design and conscious enterprise.

DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer 2025 (DFA WOCD)
MA Yansong
Founder
MAD Architects

Beijing-born MA Yansong is synonymous with the leading voice in a new generation of architecture. His vision is to create a future where cities balance humanity, nature, and the environment through futuristic, organic designs that reflect a contemporary Eastern affinity for nature.

Notable projects that embody this philosophy include the sprawling Quzhou Sports Park, the dynamic Shenzhen Bay Culture Park, the visionary Lucas Museum of Narrative Art in Los Angeles, and the immersive Tunnel of Light in Japan. His significant contributions have been recognised with honours such as being named to the '20 Most Influential Young Architects' list by ICON, a British design and architecture magazine, in 2008, receiving the RIBA International Fellowship in 2010, being selected as a Young Global Leader (YGL) by the World Economic Forum in 2014, and being named one of the TIME 100 Most Influential People in the World in 2025.

The DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer 2025 honours MA Yansong for his groundbreaking contributions to architecture and urban design, celebrating his visionary approach that integrates humanistic values, the poetic essence of nature, and cutting-edge technological innovation. His work continuously reshapes the future of our urban environments and demonstrates exceptional creative leadership, establishing a new paradigm for what Chinese designer can achieve on the global design stage.

DFA Designer of the Year 2025 (DFA DOY)
André FU
Founder
André Fu Studio

Renowned Hong Kong-based interior designer and architect André FU has established himself on the global stage by revolutionising modern luxury with a signature style that seamlessly blends cultural sensibilities, art, and craftsmanship.

For the past fifteen years, his vision has drawn equally on European principles of beauty and Oriental qualities to create timeless and resonant spaces. His influential portfolio includes iconic hospitality projects such as The Upper House in Hong Kong, the Waldorf Astoria in Osaka, and most recently, the Dusit Thani reopened in Bangkok and Capella Taipei. His collaborations extend to furniture for Louis Vuitton's Objets Nomades and his own lifestyle brand, André Fu Living.

He has also received numerous awards, including Designer of the Year by Maison & Objet Asia, “Interior Designer of the Year” by Elle Décor China, Robb Report’s Icon of Luxury and the AHEAD Special Contribution Award.

The DFA Designer of the Year 2025 honours André FU for his unique vision that masterfully weaves together culture, craft and opulence. He is celebrated for creating a universe of iconic, cross-cultural spaces that are shaping the present and defining the future of modern luxury. Through his holistic practice, FU is establishing a new design chronology, offering a profoundly resonant aesthetic language that speaks to our moment and signals what is to come.

DFA Asian Design Vanguard 2025 (DFA ADV)
Rahul MISHRA
Founder & Creative Director
Rahul Mishra

Rahul MISHRA, a pioneering Indian designer, is renowned for integrating traditional craftsmanship with global haute couture. He made history as the first Indian designer invited to showcase at Paris Haute Couture Week, following his 2014 International Woolmark Prize win. In 2023, the French government also honoured him with the "Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres" for his contributions.

MISHRA champions "mindful luxury," using fashion as a force for empowerment. Through his couture line and ready-to-wear brand, AFEW Rahul Mishra (AFEW), he creates sustainable employment for over a thousand Indian artisans. His work has drawn acclaim from industry legends; fashion critic and former International Vogue editor Suzy Menkes calls him a "national treasure." AFEW offers effortless luxury inspired by nature's elements—Air, Fire, Earth, and Water—blending timeless style with modern wearability. Both his couture and ready-to-wear collections are available at his flagship stores in Mumbai, New Delhi, and Hyderabad, and through international retailers like Saks Fifth Avenue, cementing his influence on the global fashion stage.

The inaugural DFA Asian Design Vanguard 2025 celebrates Rahul MISHRA as a visionary who is redefining the fashion industry, proving that design can be a powerful vehicle for social change, cultural preservation, and ecological responsibility. By creating a sustainable bridge between Indian artisans and the global fashion market, he demonstrates how luxury can be both beautiful and benevolent. His work offers a compelling blueprint for a more conscious and interconnected design future.
 

About DFA Awards 
Since 2003, the Hong Kong Design Centre has launched the DFA Awards to underpin the role of designers in society, to celebrate design leadership and exemplary designs and projects with commercial success or impact in Asia, as well as to recognise the rising force of emerging designers in Hong Kong. The DFA Awards, through its seven major award programmes, has grown in its international influence in Asia. The seven award programmes include DFA Lifetime Achievement Award, DFA Design Leadership Award, DFA World's Outstanding Chinese Designer, DFA Designer of the Year, DFA Asian Design Vanguard, DFA Design for Asia Awards and DFA Hong Kong Young Design Talent Award.

About Hong Kong Design Centre (www.hkdesigncentre.org)

Hong Kong Design Centre is a strategic partner of the HKSAR Government, harnessing the city's distinctive East-meets-West position to create value through design.

To achieve our goals we

• Cultivate a culture of design

• Bridge stakeholders to opportunities that unleash the power of design

• Promote excellence in various design disciplines

About Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency 
The Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency (CCIDA) established in June 2024, formerly known as Create Hong Kong (CreateHK), is a dedicated office set up by the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region under the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau to provide one-stop services and support to the cultural and creative industries with a mission to foster a conducive environment in Hong Kong to facilitate the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries. Its strategic foci are nurturing talent and facilitating start-ups, exploring markets, promoting cross-sectoral and cross-genre collaboration, promoting the development of arts, culture and creative sectors as industries under the industry-oriented principle, and promoting Hong Kong as Asia's creative capital and fostering a creative atmosphere in the community to implement Hong Kong's positioning as the East-meets-West centre for international cultural exchange under the National 14th Five-Year Plan.

Disclaimer: The Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region provides funding support to some of HKDC's activities/projects only, and does not otherwise take part in such funded activities/projects. Any opinions, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication and relevant materials/events (or by members of the project teams) are those of HKDC only and do not reflect the views of the Government of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, the Culture, Sports and Tourism Bureau, the Cultural and Creative Industries Development Agency, the CreateSmart Initiative Secretariat or the CreateSmart Initiative Vetting Committee.