Lakmē Fashion Week returns to Delhi on 13 October: the shows worth your attention

Lakmē Fashion Week, run in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and Reliance Brands, comes back to New Delhi from 13 to 18 October 2026. The main programme takes place at the Taj Palace from 14 October, after an opening-day event at the Embassy of France. The line-up announced at the start of October puts established Indian designers on the same schedule as regional craft, international guests and first-time collections, which makes it a useful week to watch even if you never buy a runway piece.

What happened

The organisers published the schedule on 1 October. According to the reports credited below, it runs like this:

• 13 October: the finale of the R|Elan Circular Design Challenge, a competition for designers working with recycled and low-waste materials, held at the Embassy of France. FashionNetwork reports that it drew more than 220 applications from around the world this year.
• 14 October: the main schedule opens at the Taj Palace with Péro, in a show presented by Lakmē and Tira.
• 15 October: the GenNext showcase for new labels, SV by Suneet Varma, and a show by the Russian designer Sergey Sysoev under an FDCI x Moscow Fashion Week exchange.
• 16 October: Namrata Joshipura.
• 17 October: Manish Malhotra’s luxury prêt festive edit, presented by Maruti Suzuki NEXA, and “Eccellenza”, a showcase of Italian artisans.
• 18 October: “First Cut” by FDCI and Pearl Academy, “The Fifth Season”, a fashion story built around Ladakh’s crafts, and the House of Lakmē Grand Finale by AM.IT by Amit Aggarwal.

Tarun Tahiliani, Ashish N Soni and Samant Chauhan are also on the published line-up.

Why it matters

Indian fashion weeks have become two things at once: a stage for big festive and bridal names, and a testing ground for ideas that reach high-street racks a season or two later. This edition leans visibly into the second. A whole day closes with student work and a craft programme from Ladakh, a circular-design competition opens the week, and two of the showcases are international exchanges. That mix tells you where the industry’s attention is going: craft, material choices and new talent, alongside the usual celebrity front rows.

The timing matters too. The week sits right in the middle of the festive shopping season, so what the big houses show here (especially “festive edits” like Manish Malhotra’s) is pitched at exactly the occasions most Indian shoppers are dressing for over the next two months.

What it means for fashion

Expect two separate stories to come out of Delhi. The first is festive dressing: richer fabrics, embellishment and occasion wear from the established houses, which will shape what the wedding and party season looks like on Instagram. The second is quieter and probably more useful for everyday wardrobes: how younger labels and craft programmes use handloom, regional techniques and reworked materials. Those ideas tend to travel into ready-to-wear as simpler versions: a handwoven jacket, a textured kurta, a shirt in a craft fabric.

We won’t predict what will be shown. We’ll report on the collections after the shows, and only on what was actually on the runway.

Style implications

You don’t need a designer budget to take something from fashion week. A few practical ways to use the next two weeks:

• Plan festive outfits after the shows, not before. If you are buying for Diwali or a wedding, wait a week. Runway colour and fabric choices filter quickly into what brands push in their festive edits.
• Look for craft in small doses. One handloom or block-printed piece, such as a kurta or a Nehru jacket, worn with plain trousers looks more considered than a head-to-toe printed outfit.
• Keep the base simple. Cream, navy and white trousers and shirts make any statement piece easier to wear and can be re-worn long after the festive season.

If you’d like help putting together a festive look in your budget, try our AI stylist. It builds complete outfits from pieces you can buy today.