Fashion Designer of Indian descent Manish Malhotra made an important milestone in his career with his debut appearance at Paris Haute Couture Fashion Week, which took place on July 8, unveiling his latest Autumn/Winter 2026 collection named "Maa" in the prestigious Pavilion Cambon, Paris. He paid tribute to his dead mother through his Indian craft in this collection.
The design range was motivated by Malhotra's mother Sudarshan Malhotra who died peacefully on March 19, 2026 at the age of 94 years. According to Malhotra's show notes, he commented that her death had converted his memories into reflections and reflections into creation. In addition, the design range was motivated by the architecture of the unconditional love of a mother and thus, an attempt to honour the great impact that his mother had on him.
As per the designer, her encouragement at an early age regarding the interest of this young boy towards films and fabrics made her recall the colours used in the sarees worn by his mother in the 1970s.
At the fashion show, Malhotra merged the architectural elements of French haute couture with the strong design background of India. The collection included elegant materials such as velvet, silk, and brocade, adorned with elaborate Indian hand-embroidery techniques including zardozi, resham, sequins, pearls, and gems. Alongside the couture fashion show, Malhotra also launched his new Manish Malhotra Jewellery range.
The debut placed Malhotra among a select group of Indian designers featured on the official Fédération de la Haute Couture et de la Mode calendar, further spotlighting Indian ‘karigari’ on the global couture stage. The presentation attracted a distinguished front row that included Anna Wintour, Isha Ambani, Karan Johar and international actress Fan Bingbing.
Also read: Paris Fashion Week: Aishwarya dazzles in shimmery black ensemble
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