For homegrown label Raw Mango’s Sanjay Garg, flowers, particularly the ubiquitous garland, have been a muse. From bringing over 500kgs of roses for a party he hosted at the finale of the India Art Fair in Delhi, to bringing the Garland (2024) collection, Garg reminded us of how the garland is intrinsic to Indian culture, ceremonious rituals, celebrations, and weddings.
Bringing a slice of Indian culture on the global stage, homegrown label Raw Mango unveiled its Fall/Winter 2026 collection, ‘It’s Not About The Flower’ at London Fashion Week. Steeped in the everyday symbolism of the garland, a quiet yet constant presence across South Asia’s everyday life, the collection reimagines adornment by dissolving the line between decoration and that which is adorned. As per the show notes, “the focus with this collection shifts from the individual motif to the arrangement, from surface-level engagements to a deeper interrogation of value and beauty, from the flower to the garland.”
Sharing about the inspiration behind the collection, Garg says, “Flowers remain an important part of South-East Asia and South Asia. But we don’t really have a culture of giving one individual flower to someone, like, say, a rose on Valentine’s Day. As a culture, we are a country of garlands. Whether it’s a death, a birth, a wedding or a religious ritual, you see garlands, irrespective of the religion. It’s not about one individual flower; it’s about the plurality.”
As a result, models glided on the London Fashion Week runway wearing outfits adorned with floral elements crafted in unconventional, silk-like textiles. Hand-rolled and assembled, these forms were delicately arranged across lightly embroidered brocades, rib-knit cottons, quilted rayon, and wool felt—each piece suggesting intimacy, tactility, and intention. “There is still a strong association between Indian fashion and a certain kind of aesthetic: heavy gold embroidery, and maximalist ensembles that overwhelm the eye and the body with ‘bling’,” says Garg. “Indian fashion is too often quantified – it’s not seen for its innate aesthetic value, but the number of hours it took a weaver to create a garment. It’s a surface-level engagement that sometimes drowns out the beauty of the weave itself.”
The presentation drew a high-profile audience spanning fashion, art, music, business, and culture, including artist Anoushka Shankar, former first lady of the UK Akshata Murthy, Film Director Gurinder Chadha, artist Cyrill Ibrahim, Actor Saim Ali, artist Lubna Chowdhary, Art Collector and Philanthropist Aarti Lohia, Creative Director Nikhil Mansata, Curator Tarini Malik, and Creative & Cultural Strategist Arooj Aftab, amongst others.
Speaking to the significance of Raw Mango showing at London Fashion Week, Garg shares, “Presenting here is as good as presenting in Kanpur for me. At the end of the day, it is the work being presented that matters. And that doesn’t change according to who is viewing it, or where. I’m less interested in defining my audience and more interested in further exploring and articulating my design language that can cater to different audiences that transcend borders and seasons.”
This laser-sharp focus on the work, rather than the accoutrements and requirements of fashion calendars, is what has defined Raw Mango’s approach to textile and culture over the past eighteen years. The brand builds on century-old skills to shape a new design aesthetic that is both contemporary and deeply rooted in local histories.
Also Read: Raw Mango’s Sanjay Garg On Bringing Archival Textiles With Once Upon A River Festive Campaign
The new collection was presented by De Beers Group, with Forevermark Diamond Jewellery as the jewellery partner. Commenting on the partnership, Shweta Harit, Global Senior Vice President at De Beers Group and CEO of Forevermark, says: “As the jewellery partner, Forevermark Diamond Jewellery came together with Raw Mango through a shared commitment to authenticity, craftsmanship, and personal expression. Natural diamonds, which are rare creations of the earth, each inherently unique, reflected the same sense of individuality expressed through Raw Mango’s design language. Presented by De Beers Group, the collaboration came together as a meeting of heritage, provenance, and contemporary creativity, where adornment felt like a true extension of identity.”
With its London Fashion Week debut, the label foregrounds an indigenous fashion vocabulary that resists convention and challenges stereotypes.
