Aarti Vijay Gupta brings Indian folklore to life on the runway at London Fashion Week

Designer Aarti Vijay Gupta reimagined Indian folklore as irreverent ready to wear and sent retro sportswear and 2010s inspired silhouettes for autumn/ winter 2025 down the runway at London Fashion Week in the UK. 

This season, Aarti Vijay Gupta took inspiration from Kolkata’s Kalighat and Patua traditions and used the medium of print to bring ancient folktales to life, the brand announced in a press release. The collection featured 25 looks modelled by women and 10 modelled by men, with the idea that designs are gender fluid. 

“Traditional artists are often swallowed up in the global conversation, so to be able to spotlight their work at a global forum feels special to me,” said Aarti Vijay Gupta about the showcase in a press release. “I wanted to rephrase the unbalanced narrative around the representation of Indian art through this collection, using the old to make new.” 

Hand painted textiles depicted scenes from Midnapore’s traditional scroll paintings and Gupta aimed to help to keep centuries-old craftsmanship alive by using fashion to connect the past and present. The collection had a colour palette of red, indigo, gold, and white and silhouettes were kept youthful and wearable. Notable looks included a-line dresses with three quarter sleeves which harked back to classic ‘twee’ silhouettes and short-sleeved zip up track tops featuring graphic prints. 

Aarti Vijay Gupta made her debut at London Fashion Week in 2024 with a collection inspired by Kashmir, Lifestyle Asia reported. The brand retails from its direct to customer e-commerce store and on multi-brand Indian fashion platforms including Pernia‘s Pop-Up Shop and Aza Fashions.