Femina & Grazia Fashion Runway East 2026 makes Kolkata debut with seven showcases

KOLKATA: Fashion took a turn towards heritage as Femina & Grazia Fashion Runway East 2026 made its Kolkata debut on 28 September, bringing together designers, emerging talent and traditional artisans across seven showcases.

The inaugural edition presented a mix of craft, couture and culture, with each showcase offering a distinct fashion narrative rooted in India’s textile and design traditions.

The runway opened with “Threads of India: A Journey Through Heritage”, presented by third-year students of The School of Fashion & Textiles at J. D. Birla Institute, affiliated with Jadavpur University. The collection reimagined Jamdani, indigo, gamcha and Ajrakh through a contemporary design lens.

HOUSE OF INDUS by Indu Kapil followed with “Back to the Roots”, celebrating craftsmanship passed down through generations of mountain artisans. Sourav Mukherjee, founder and director of the Kolkata School of Cultural Heritage, opened the show, while Nick Rampal closed it as showstopper.

INSD Kolkata then presented “Navaroopa”, a celebration of womanhood created by 21 emerging student designers under the mentorship of Vandana Gupta. Bengali actor Sayantika Banerjee walked as the show’s showstopper.

Forever Naveen Kumar brought a touch of glamour to the runway with “Shine Brighter Than the Night”, a collection of sequinned gowns showcased by supermodel Rachika Suresh.

One of the key showcases came from the Rural Craft and Cultural Hubs initiative, implemented by UNESCO in partnership with the Department of MSME&T, Government of West Bengal. The showcase featured 22 traditional sarees from across Bengal, paired with accessories crafted from natural grass and reed.

Femina Miss India World 2023 Nandini Gupta walked as the showstopper, while the artisans behind the collection were honoured on stage. West Bengal urban development and municipal affairs minister Agnimitra Paul and minister of state for micro, small and medium enterprises and textiles Ashok Dinda also attended the showcase and addressed the audience.

Aristocrat followed with a collection that brought functionality and fashion together, led by Rohit More and Naina More. Actor Nusrat Jahan walked as the showstopper.

The event concluded with a grand finale by Kolkata designer Sandip Jaiswal. Titled “Red × Black: The Heritage of Tomorrow”, the collection drew inspiration from vintage cinema and ancestral wardrobes.

The finale featured several familiar faces from Bengali entertainment, including Gourab Chatterjee, Saheb Bhattacharya, Indrasish Roy, Mainak Banerjee, Rajdeep Gupta, Silajit Majumder, Devlina Kumar, Solanki Roy, Shreema Bhattacherjee, Megha Dasgupta, Prantika Das, Ushasi Roy, Trina Saha and Idhika Paul as showstoppers.

The debut edition brought together fashion education, contemporary design and traditional craft, positioning the runway as a platform for both established creative voices and emerging talent from the region.