Updated On: 06 April, 2025 07:50 AM IST | Mumbai | Shweta Shiware
The latest edition of Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI in Mumbai struck a progressive and pensive tone for its 25th anniversary, playing to type rather than hype, while still delivering showstoppers and strategic brand placements

Actor Kareena Kapoor Khan announced her return as the face of Lakme
If fashion ever thought it could dodge the emotions it stirs, Lakmé Fashion Week x Fashion Design Council of India (LFW x FDCI) proved otherwise. Sure, people love to shrug off tears at a show—“too dramatic,” “over the top”—but let’s be real: the best moments in fashion make us feel something. Dislocation, surprise, weirdness, grief, pain, even discomfort, are much a part of the emo experience as the clothes themselves.
This year, for its 25th edition, LFW x FDCI wasn’t just about the glitz. It combined nostalgia with innovation. Emerging designers brought fresh optimism, while the finale highlighted 25 years of Indian fashion through archival pieces from 35 established names like Ritu Kumar, Rahul Mishra, Anamika Khanna, Ritu Beri, Gaurav Gupta, Sanjay Garg, Ruchika Sachdeva, Suneet Varma, and Varun Bahl. Showman Sabyasachi Mukherjee was notably absent from the line-up, despite staging two finale shows, while actor Kareena Kapoor Khan announced her return as the face of Lakmē.