SS27 collection celebrates India’s architecture, spirituality, literature and intellectual legacy through couture
Nazranaa, the leading South Asian fashion and bridalwear brand founded by sibling designer duo Shivangi Gupta Singh and Shashank Gupta, unveiled its SS27 collection, Samskriti 2.0, during New York Fashion Week on September 16 at Refectory Chelsea in New York City.
Popular Bollywood actress Bhumi Pednekar closed the runway as the evening’s showstopper, which showcased the collection’s celebration of Indian heritage and craftsmanship.
Building on last year’s Samskriti, Samskriti 2.0 draws from India’s architecture, spirituality, festivals, literature, mathematics and poetry, translating centuries-old ideas into contemporary couture, a press release from Nazranaa said
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“For us, Samskriti was a defining moment in our design language,” said Shashank Gupta, co-founder and designer of Nazranaa. “With Samskriti 2.0, we continue using fashion to bring India’s extraordinary temples, texts and intellectual traditions to a global audience. We want each garment to spark curiosity about the story behind it.”
References to the Meenakshi Temple, Prem Mandir, the Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra, Holi and Raas Leela were part of the show. A Meenakshi-inspired lehenga evoked the temple’s intricate sculpture, and a Vrindavan-inspired piece honored Radha and Krishna.
“Some of the most personal pieces come from stories we have known since childhood,” said Shivangi Gupta Singh, co-founder of Nazranaa. “Our mother was born in Mathura, and we grew up spending time in Mathura and Vrindavan, surrounded by stories of Radha and Krishna. Samskriti 2.0 brings that emotional connection to a New York runway.”
India’s mathematical and literary history also appears in two menswear jackets. One interprets Acharya Pingala’s Meru Prastara, a pattern of long and short Vedic syllables that predates Pascal’s Triangle and the Fibonacci sequence, through Laghu, Guru, 1 and 0. The other transforms 7th-century Sanskrit poet Māgha’s Sarvatobhadra, a multidirectional pattern poem, into a reversible geometric design.
Among the high-profile guests in the audience were Apoorva Mukhija, popularly known as The Rebel Kid, Actor Aryan Simhadri, Actor Saara Chaudry, Creators Aviva Mehta, Anip Patel, Kripa Joshi, and model Ritika Khatnani.
Pednekar wore a hand-embroidered velvet lehenga and blouse inspired by the Ramakrishna Temple at Belur Math, whose architecture brings together elements of Hindu temples, mosques and churches as a reflection of beauty in diversity and the idea of a universal faith. The swan, representing the Paramatman or Supreme Self in Swami Vivekananda’s emblem, formed the central focus of the skirt, while a net veil was finished with scalloped lotuses throughout.
“There is something very special about seeing Indian culture celebrated on a global stage like New York Fashion Week,” said Bhumi Pednekar. “Closing the show for Nazranaa’s Samskriti 2.0 felt incredibly special because of the way they took stories, symbols and traditions that are so deeply rooted in India and translated them into beautiful, modern couture. The craftsmanship of Belur Math-inspired look was extraordinary, and wearing something with so much thought and meaning behind every detail made the moment feel extremely powerful.”