Homebound actor Ishaan Khattar turns showstopper for Anamika Khanna’s new collection

Framed by the Howrah Bridge and the trembling waters of the Hooghly river, the grand finale of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour 2025, powered by the Fashion Design Council of India, unfolds against the city skyline aboard one of The Bengal Paddle’s barges last Saturday. Showcasing her AK|OK collection in her home city, fashion designer Anamika Khanna promises a runway moment shaped as much by the place as her futuristic designs.

Explaining the Future is Crafted theme of her edit, Anamika says, “For me, futuristic doesn’t mean space age. It doesn’t mean everything has to be next-level techno. It’s about presenting heritage as it moves forward. That is the future of craft, and that is what we are doing.”

The dark, gritty basslines of phonk (a subgenre of hip hop and trap music) and techno underscore the mood of the show.
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This edition showcases a blend of traditional motifs and heritage elements from Indian craft and artistry with silver-metallic detailing. “This collection uses very traditional, intricate craft, but presents it in ways that you don’t think is possible,” says Anamika. “The entire collection starts with the usage of heritage materials and then we start blending it into futuristic, slightly more interesting material that you don’t expect to use with crafts,’’ she adds. 

The dark, gritty basslines of phonk (a subgenre of hip hop and trap music) and techno underscore the mood of the show. White lace embodying bold Indian motifs and botanical prints are reimagined in western silhouettes, lace is paired with black leather. Zardosi work gives structure to sleeveless jumpsuits close to catsuits that blend seamlessly with matching shoes crafted from the same fabric and texture. A dominant palette of black becomes the canvas for silver metal mesh overlays, chain harnesses, and metal-fringe drapes, lending the collection a distinctly futuristic edge.

Ishaan Khattar
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The showstopper for the event, Indian actor and Homebound star Ishaan Khattar, walks the runway in a sheer white shirt with metallic embellished harness that runs vertically down the front. It is paired with a matching, embellished cummerbund cinching the shirt. The metallic cuff on his wrists adds to the armour-like aesthetic. Ishaan says, “I really love my outfit. It was the quickest fitting I have ever had. It took all of two and a half minutes and it makes me feel like a warrior but I also feel like a poet at the same time.” The actor adds, “I really enjoy that they choose such interesting elements and Nature as a backdrop and this time with Howrah Bridge in the background In Kolkata, it really adds a vibrance, and an energy and a feel to the show.” 

Prior to the show, Anamika tells us that, “Calcutta is my home and this feels like homecoming. I have grown up here, I have studied here, my friends are here, my life is here, where I work, every single artisan is from Kolkata, and I feel like the very fact that I do what I do is because I belong here. The craft here, the culture here, the ethos of life here allows me to do that”.

The edition showcases a blend of traditional motifs with heritage elements.
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SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Speaking about what is in store for the future, the designer concludes, “New stores, new inventions, international work are happening, so it is an exciting time for us. “