Anamika Khanna's AK|OK SS'26 Collection Celebrates Layering, Versatility, and Lived-In Elegance
Anamika Khanna closed Day 1 of Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI 2026 with an AK|OK collection rooted in imperfection, layering, and a landmark debut of menswear.
Closing the opening evening of Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI on March 20th in Mumbai, Anamika Khanna's AK|OK collection brought the night to an end with a runway that felt considered, personal, and very much its own thing. The setting matched the mood: long, winding rows at the Art House within the Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre ensured every guest had a front-row vantage point. "Democracy," she explained with a smile.
The starting point for the collection was an idea rather than a trend: the quiet beauty of something that feels out of place. A flower growing where it does not belong. "This collection almost built itself because the muse was the flower that just didn't belong where it grew," Khanna reflects. From that image, she built a collection where hand-painted surfaces, asymmetric cuts, unfinished edges, and deliberate distortions were not problems to be smoothed over but the actual point. Scars and irregularities were the design.
The collection unfolded as a study in ease and intention. Draped dhoti pants, ruffled asymmetric tops, and relaxed co-ord sets shared runway space with floor-length gowns, all designed to move seamlessly between occasion wear and elevated everyday dressing. Garments were created to be styled and layered in multiple ways, reflecting a relaxed yet confident approach to modern fashion. Tassels ran through the show with purpose: she incorporated an overdose of tassels, from garment details to accessories like shoes and bags, with artistic flair.
The craft was never incidental. Detail work was generous and specific. Bold floral and nature-inspired graphics sat alongside hand embroidery, three-dimensional embroidery, and gold zari work, sometimes on the same piece. Playful, fur-like textures, reimagined through alternative materials, introduced movement and a touch of theatricality. The colour story built its own momentum: soft ecrus and warm browns moved toward dusty pinks and eventually deep blacks, with brighter, more exotic colours appearing where the floral graphics needed room to land. The progression felt intentional rather than decorative, giving the collection a beginning, middle, and end as it moved down the runway.
| Menswear made its first appearance in the AK | OK universe this season. The pieces held the same relaxed and elevated quality as the rest of the collection, offering contemporary silhouettes that extended the label's design language rather than sitting separately from it. It was a quiet but significant expansion for a label that has extended Khanna's philosophy into the world of accessible luxury, quietly reshaping prêt by infusing it with the same emotional depth and craftsmanship that defines her couture. |
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| The philosophy behind the collection was not merely aesthetic. "This collection does not want anyone to belong anywhere except in their own space, where they are comfortable," Khanna says. "We hope the wearer chooses to make the piece their own instead of adapting themselves to a piece." "At AK | OK Anamika Khanna, we keep saying, 'everything is OK'," she shares. "That remains true across all pieces, nothing truly shifts across colour, gender, or… any difference." |
From Armaan Malik and Aashna Shroff to Neha Dhupia and Angad Bedi, Jonita Gandhi, and Boney Kapoor, it was a characteristically star-studded opening night. Model Mahieka Sharma closed the show as the exclusive showstopper. For a collection that began with the image of a misplaced flower, it ended exactly where it intended: with the audience, not the garment, fully at ease.
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