Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna have returned with their Spring Summer Couture 2026 collection, defying the usual brightness expected of the season. Instead of the cheerful hues and sunny motifs often associated with spring, the designers turn inward, exploring a quieter, more contemplative world beneath the waves.
The collection, named Abyssal, takes cues from the hidden architecture, muted light, and subtle poetry of the ocean’s deepest layers. Structured silhouettes meet pearls, metallic flowers, and delicate stonework that seem lifted straight from the ocean floor, capturing both its grace and its drama.
The designers explain, ‘We have always enjoyed bringing architectural elements to the world of couture design. The precision of angles, the study of light against shadow, the blending of textures to build form… these are the things that make the work exciting. For Abyssal, we took one step further look at the science and architecture at the depths of the ocean where light doesn’t pass through and colour begins to disappear for the human eye. There is a sense of poetry older than time that reveals itself every thousand feet. That is the magic we’re capturing, like a message in a bottle, with this collection.’
Every detail in Abyssal echoes the ocean. Pearls, diamantes, and unusual crystal shapes are hand-embroidered as though they were treasures discovered underwater. They are not mere decoration but part of the garments’ environment. Light catches on them like frost, bringing fluid, sculptural forms to life. Sheer layers float and blend into each other, creating depth and subtle illusion, transforming the veil from a tool of concealment into a lens for perception.
When Outlook Luxe asked Rahul Khanna about the origins of Abyssal, how the idea took shape, this is what he said. ‘The idea of Abyssal took shape through research into how light behaves at depth, how colour shifts, how forms become more sculptural as visibility reduces. That progression from clarity to subtlety became the emotional and structural foundation of the collection. It wasn’t about referencing the ocean literally, but about absorbing its atmosphere.’
The palette shifts gently through abyssal blues, mineral greys, frost whites, and deep charcoals, reminiscent of light filtering through water. Garments appear gradually, echoing the slow unveiling of the ocean’s depths, where shadows and structure work together to sculpt the body in ethereal shapes. Layers of translucency resolve into precise forms, a study in stillness suspended within motion.
But it wasn’t easy for the designer duo to translate the ocean’s beauty, strength, and unpredictability into couture. Rahul Khanna tells us, ‘The challenge was restraint. It would have been easy to interpret the ocean through obvious motifs or exaggerated movement, but we were interested in something more controlled. Capturing strength meant focusing on contour and structure, sculpted silhouettes that hold their form. Capturing unpredictability required layering, sheer materials like tulle dissolving into one another, surfaces that shift as the body moves. The technical complexity lay in ensuring that the balance between fluidity and discipline was perfectly maintained.’
This meticulous approach extended to the subtle play of light and shadow. ‘Light in the Abyssal world is diffused. It doesn’t strike directly, it travels, softens and refracts. We wanted to recreate that quality through tonal layering and controlled shimmer. Rather than overt sparkle, we worked with pearls, crystals, and metallic thread in a way that allows them to glow gently against mineral greys, deep blues, and ivory tones. Draping was approached almost architecturally, building volume through translucency so that light could pass through the garment before settling. The result is movement that feels atmospheric rather than theatrical,’ Rahul explains.
Photographed on a lightbox, the collection references the ocean bed that sustains life, with light rising from beneath to reveal each piece like a hidden treasure. Abyssal also reflects Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna’s enduring approach to contemporary Indian ceremonial dressing, where architecture, restraint, and precision shape a modern language of formalwear.
Over two decades, the house has built a legacy that values structure over ornament and subtlety over excess, and this collection carries that forward.
