Lakme Fashion Week: 'Something Old, Something New' — Amit Aggarwal's Mixed Pursuits

Amit Aggarwal’s ideas about form and structure, and his inspiration from science, have long been the hallmark of his works of couture. Now, for his latest pret line, showcased at the Lakme Fashion Week over the weekend, the designer's experiments with recycled polymer meet Banarasi brocade. We are in a nation that is being touted as the next superpower"In the work that I do I find a lot of love in the heritage textiles that the country has," Aggarwal says, as he reworks the heritage fabric to add a modern twist that's sure to appeal to a growing number of aspirational consumers in the fastest growing economy globally. .Excerpts from the interview:.What is the purpose behind a stronger push to pret and what are we going to see in the future?The Amit Aggarwal brand is currently known more for its couture. I have always had a pret line but I think pret also really helps expand the vision of the brand. It also helps reach a lot more customers and people who do like the brand but can't always wear couture. There are so many other occasions in life when you need special clothes. While we have always had a pret line it was time to spotlight it. That's one expansion plan we are working on. The ready-to-wear becomes a separate vertical of the brand with separate stores- not mixing it with couture. We are working towards a business strategy and a plan to put that together over the next one year and you might see something shape up in the next three to five months. .How do you strike a balance between creativity and growth & profitability?I am at a cusp in my life where finding the right balance between what I create and how commerce is derived out of it or vice versa is extremely important. My work today is exciting because I try and find the right balance between the two- so it's not just creation that excites me and not just commerce that excites me. Both thrive of each other. You can't create without commerce and you can't have commerce if you don't create..Catering to the bridal economy remains extremely crucial to any designer. How is that category changing? Is it a constraint to design keeping that in mind?I do wedding collections or collections that may pertain to a wedding when I think I am inspired to do that. Couture today has so many other avenues. The landscape of bridal wear has completely changed. What I have seen as a radical change over the last three years is that brides are extremely about the amount of money being spent on bridal wear and what they want to buy. Today, we are also seeing brides experiment a lot with what they want to wear..Given your signature style, does it become a challenge to try and reinvent with every collection while trying to stick to your signature style?I think I agree. It is like a double-edged sword- the formation of a signature. People that like what you do also associate with your signature but the bigger key is the evolution of a signature. In our case, the brand story may have a lot to do with polymer but material remains the core of storytelling. I would not say it is the protagonist but one part of a larger story. It's the philosophy I work with more and the polymer is the medium to express.

Lakme Fashion Week: 'Something Old, Something New' — Amit Aggarwal's Mixed Pursuits

'The landscape of bridal wear has completely changed,' says the designer after showcasing his latest pret line at LFW 2025.

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