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| Brilliant colour and fine embroidery enhanced Dhruv Kapoor's themes in his new SS26 collection, presented in Milan. Photograph above and cover picture by Jay Zoo for DAM. |
At Milan Fashion Week, Dhruv Kapoor offered a thoughtful collection that examined what lies beneath the surface of fashion. His Spring/Summer 2026 show, Foundations & Futures, elevated everyday underlayers and reimagined traditional Indian silhouettes, asking audiences to reconsider which garments, and which histories, are given visibility. Blending cultural reference with contemporary design, he used clothing as a lens to explore identity, heritage, and transformation, creating one resonant statement. Story by Jeanne-Marie Cilento. Photography by Jay Zoo
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Decorative outerwear inspired by the forms and embellishment of under garments. |
Rarely meant for public
view, slips, petticoats, and vests were not treated as background
pieces by Kapoor but recast as the main story. These
foundations became confident outerwear, a comment about visibility,
questioning why certain garments, and by extension, certain identities, are kept
out of sight.
Kapoor’s exploration did not stop there. Drawing from Indian heritage, he reinterpreted familiar pieces such as the kurta and the bandhgala jacket. Rather than showing them in their classic forms, he altered proportions and the design. The effect was less about nostalgia and more about reimagining how tradition can live in the present. These looks suggested that cultural garments need not sit untouched in the past but can evolve alongside shifting ideas of self-expression.
By bringing the unseen into visibility and reworking tradition, Kapoor reminds us that innovation is not always about the new, but about how we choose to reinterpret the familiar
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Earthy hues added to the collection's grounded notes and emotional power. |
This was less about literal spirituality and more about aligning fashion with a sense of universality. The result was a palette that felt both grounded and futuristic with these shades paired with brilliant dashes of red and pink. Even the runway was covered in a path of dark sand to enhance the connection to nature.
Kapoor also looked beyond clothing to extend his narrative. Eyewear came through a collaboration with Paloceras, a Helsinki-based studio known for turning digital concepts into sculptural frames. Their exaggerated designs added a surreal layer to the runway. The atmosphere was completed by Swiss-Nepali musician Aïsha Devi, whose immersive soundtrack gave the show an otherworldly pulse. Together, these collaborations emphasized Kapoor’s interest in fashion as a multi-sensory, multidimensional experience.
In Milan, the collection landed at a moment when conversations around gender, heritage, and identity remain at the forefront of fashion
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A collaboration with a Finnish eyewear company brought new ideas to life in sculptural frames. |
The Spring/Summer 2026 collection sharpened that philosophy. By spotlighting undergarments, he elevated what is usually hidden, while his reworking of traditional silhouettes suggested a fluid dialogue between past and future. It was a collection that asked the audience to consider not only how garments look, but also what they represent.
Kapoor’s trajectory reflects the international perspective that shapes his work. He studied at the National Institute of Fashion Technology in New Delhi before moving to Milan to complete a Master’s degree at Istituto Marangoni. A formative stint at Etro gave him insight into Italian craft and global markets. Returning to India, he launched his label and quickly won recognition: the Vogue India Fashion Fund in 2015, GQ India and other designer of the year awards.
The designs frequently cross generational and cultural lines, speaking to a global audience without losing sight of Indian heritage
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Bespoke fabrics and fine tailoring have meant that the label stands out from Indian as well as international runways. |
The brand’s DNA, find tailoring, and custom fabric development, has allowed it to stand apart on both Indian and international runways.
In Milan, Kapoor’s collection landed at a moment when conversations around gender, heritage, and identity remain at the forefront of fashion. Foundations & Futures tapped directly into these debates, offering garments as vehicles of transformation. A petticoat turned into a statement dress, a kurta reshaped into something entirely new, each piece asked how much of identity is inherited and how much is chosen.
Drawing from his Indian heritage, the designer reinterpreted familiar pieces such as the kurta and the bandhgala jacket, showing these garments need not remain in the past but can evolve alongside shifting ideas of self-expression
 |
Kapoor was able to balance intellectual ambition with practical and appealing design. |
In a season already filled with theatrical displays in London and New York, Kapoor’s show felt like a measured disruption, quiet in tone but radical in implication. Rather than overwhelming the audience with spectacle, he asked them to look more closely at what they take for granted in clothing. By bringing the unseen into visibility and reworking tradition into the present, Kapoor reminded us that innovation is not always about the new, but about how we choose to reinterpret the familiar.
Dhruv Kapoor’s collection was a standout on the first day of Milan Fashion Week because it refused to play by predictable rules. Inspired by heritage yet unbound by it, intimate yet open to the world, the designs suggested empowerment. For Kapoor, fashion is not just about how people dress, it is about what they reveal, what they reclaim, and how they choose to carry history into the future.
Scroll down to see more highlights from Dhruv Kapoor's SS26 collection plus backstage moments
