Lakme Fashion Week 2025 Celebrates 25 Years of Style

The much-awaited Lakme Fashion Week 2025 has officially begun, celebrating 25 glorious years of glamour, creativity, and style. This year’s event, hosted in Mumbai, brings together celebrated designers, emerging talent, models, and global fashion icons under one roof. Over the years, Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) has transformed from being just a fashion event into a cultural phenomenon, symbolising India’s growing influence in the international fashion industry.

Marking its 25th anniversary, Lakme Fashion Week 2025 is more than a showcase of clothes; it’s a tribute to a quarter-century of innovation. The five-day event, held in collaboration with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), promises a grand lineup of designers who have shaped Indian fashion history. This year’s theme, “Threads of the Future”, blends sustainability, technology, and inclusivity — three forces reshaping the world of fashion today.

From iconic designers like Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, and Anita Dongre, to new-age creators who are redefining aesthetics with fresh ideas, the runway is a perfect mix of the old and the new. The opening show paid homage to the legacy of Lakme Fashion Week itself, featuring ensembles inspired by India’s diverse textile heritage, with fabrics sourced from across the country.

Sustainability has become a core message this year. Designers are using organic fabrics, recycled materials, and upcycled garments to encourage eco-friendly practices. The “Sustainable Fashion Day” aims to show how style and responsibility can coexist. Designers like Payal Khandwala and Rahul Mishra led the movement, presenting eco-conscious collections that not only looked beautiful but also carried a strong environmental message.

In recent years, fast fashion has been criticised for its environmental impact, making sustainability more than just a trend — it’s a necessity. Lakme Fashion Week 2025 serves as a reminder that the luxury of fashion comes with responsibility. The organisers are also using digital innovation to reduce waste, such as minimising paper use with virtual invites and QR code-based entry systems.

Fashion and technology have converged at this year’s event in surprising ways. Several designers used AI-generated design concepts, 3D printing, and AR (Augmented Reality) experiences to enhance their collections. Virtual fitting booths and digital stage projections added a futuristic feel to the shows, showing how the Indian fashion industry is evolving with global trends.

One of the highlights was a “MetaRamp” experience — a virtual fashion runway that allowed online audiences to explore designs in 3D from their devices. This reflects how technology is bridging the gap between designers and audiences, making fashion more accessible and interactive.

Lakme Fashion Week 2025 also champions inclusivity, a value that has become integral to the modern fashion world. Models of all body types, ethnicities, and ages walked the ramp, reflecting the belief that fashion belongs to everyone. There were special showcases celebrating gender-fluid fashion and adaptive clothing for differently-abled individuals, reinforcing the message that style knows no barriers.

Celebrities like Deepika Padukone, Kriti Sanon, and Ayushmann Khurrana added glamour to the runway, yet the spotlight remained firmly on the designs and the stories they told. The event continues to push the boundaries of what Indian fashion represents — an evolving blend of tradition and modern thinking.

Over the past 25 years, Lakme Fashion Week has played a crucial role in putting Indian designers on the global map. When it first started in 2000, few imagined it would grow into a symbol of creativity and craftsmanship admired worldwide. Today, LFW not only supports established designers but also gives young talents a platform to shine.

The 2025 edition highlights how far Indian fashion has come — embracing new fabrics, championing sustainability, adopting technology, and promoting inclusivity. More importantly, it shows how fashion mirrors the society we live in — diverse, dynamic, and forward-looking.

While the glitz of the runway always captures attention, Lakme Fashion Week is now equally focused on discussions about the business of fashion. Industry experts, influencers, and educators are hosting panels on ethical fashion, AI in design, and consumer trends in the digital age. Such conversations indicate that fashion is no longer just about what we wear, but how we think about the clothes we wear.

As the week unfolds, anticipation builds for the grand finale — an LFW tradition that often defines the mood of the year in Indian fashion. For its 25th anniversary, expectations are high for a visual spectacle that celebrates heritage while looking toward the future.

Lakme Fashion Week 2025 is more than an anniversary celebration; it’s a reaffirmation of Indian creativity on the global stage. It brings together art, design, craftsmanship, and innovation in perfect harmony. With its focus on sustainability, technology, and diversity, the event doesn’t just showcase fashion — it tells a story of evolution and vision.

The legacy of Lakme Fashion Week stands tall after 25 years, not just as a fashion event but as an institution that continues to define what Indian style means to the world.

With inputs from agencies

Image Source: Multiple agencies