Photo Credit: P.Taufiq Photography
From temples and mythology to mathematics and poetry, Samskriti 2.0 turns India’s cultural legacy into contemporary couture.
There are fashion collections that give you a beautiful look and then there are collections that make you want to know the story behind it.
For New York Fashion Week, Nazranaa brought exactly that kind of magic to the runway with Samskriti 2.0, its SS27 collection inspired by India’s architecture, spirituality, literature, festivals and intellectual history. Presented at Refectory Chelsea on September 16, the collection transformed centuries of ideas into romantic, highly detailed couture.
And yes, it was every bit as dreamy as it sounds.
On the picture: Bhumi Pednekar
When Culture Becomes Couture
Samskriti 2.0 builds on Nazranaa’s previous Samskriti collection, but takes the idea of heritage somewhere much more unexpected. Instead of simply recreating traditional motifs, designers Shivangi Gupta Singh and Shashank Gupta turned the stories, symbols and ideas behind them into clothing.
The collection looked toward the Meenakshi Temple, Prem Mandir, Jagannath Puri Rath Yatra, Holi and Raas Leela for inspiration, giving familiar elements of Indian culture a distinctly modern fashion language.
One Meenakshi-inspired lehenga channels the temple’s sculptural grandeur, while another look draws from Vrindavan and the stories of Radha and Krishna.
For Shivangi, that reference is especially personal. Her mother was born in Mathura, and she grew up spending time between Mathura and Vrindavan, surrounded by the stories that eventually found their way onto the runway.
It’s the kind of fashion that feels personal before it even feels glamorous.
The Unexpectedly Nerdy Side of Couture
Perhaps the most fascinating part of Samskriti 2.0 is that its inspiration doesn’t stop at temples and mythology.
Two menswear jackets look to India’s mathematical and literary history. One translates Acharya Pingala’s Meru Prastarainto a graphic language of Laghu, Guru, 1 and 0. Another transforms Sanskrit poet Māgha’s Sarvatobhadra poem into a reversible geometric design.
Basically, math class has never looked this chic.
By turning centuries-old systems of thought into wearable design, Nazranaa makes the collection feel less like a history lesson and more like an invitation to discover something new.
And Then Came Bhumi
Of course, no New York Fashion Week moment is complete without a little movie-star glamour.
Bollywood actor Bhumi Pednekar closed the show as Nazranaa’s showstopper in a hand-embroidered velvet lehenga inspired by the Ramakrishna Temple at Belur Math.
The look was filled with symbolism. A swan representing the Paramatman, or Supreme Self, became the centerpiece of the skirt, while scalloped lotus details traced the net veil.
But the inspiration behind the look made the finale even more meaningful. Belur Math’s architecture brings together elements from Hindu temples, mosques and churches, reflecting the idea of beauty in diversity and universal faith.
On Pednekar, all of those ideas became one very glamorous final statement.
A New Kind of Indian Fashion Story
What makes Samskriti 2.0 so compelling is that it doesn’t treat heritage as something frozen in the past.
Nazranaa takes the temples, poems, stories and traditions that shaped generations and gives them a new life—through velvet, embroidery, geometric patterns, dramatic lehengas and couture craftsmanship.
And maybe that’s the most beautiful thing about the collection: the past doesn’t feel old here. It feels incredibly chic.
Photo Credit: P.Taufiq Photography
