Femina & Grazia Fashion Runway East 2026 made its debut on 28th September, bringing together renowned designers, leading design institutes and RCCH craft initiative across seven showcases, each with a fashion story of its own.
The runway opened with Threads of India- A Journey Through Heritage by the third-year students of The School of Fashion & Textiles, J. D. Birla Institute, affiliated to Jadavpur University, reimagining Jamdani, Indigo, Gamcha and Ajrakh through a contemporary lens. HOUSE OF INDUS by Indu Kapil followed with Back to the Roots, a celebration of craftsmanship passed down through generations of mountain artisans. Cultural heritage advocate Sourav Mukherjee, Founder and Director of the Kolkata School of Cultural Heritage (KSCH) opened the show and Nick Rampal closed it as showstopper. INSD Kolkata presented Navaroopa, a celebration of womanhood created by 21 emerging student designers under the mentorship of Vandana Gupta, with Bengali film star Sayantika Banerjee as showstopper. Forever Naveen Kumar then turned up the glamour with Shine Brighter Than the Night, a line of sequinned gowns showcased by supermodel Rachika Suresh.
The Rural Craft and Cultural Hubs initiative, implemented by UNESCO in partnership with the Department of MSME&T, Government of West Bengal, brought 22 traditional sarees from across Bengal to the runway, paired with accessories crafted from natural grass and reed. Femina Miss India World 2023 Nandini Gupta walked as showstopper, and the artisans behind the collection were honoured on stage. Smt. Agnimitra Paul, Hon’ble Minister-in-Charge of Urban Development & Municipal Affairs, Government of West Bengal, and Ashok Dinda, Minister of State for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and Textiles of West Bengal graced the showcase and addressed the audience. Aristocrat followed with a collection where functionality met fashion, led by Rohit More and Naina More, with actor Nusrat Jahan as showstopper.
The day closed with a grand finale by Kolkata designer Sandip Jaiswal. His collection, Red × Black- The Heritage of Tomorrow, drew on vintage cinema and ancestral wardrobes, and was brought to life by a line-up of well-known faces from Bengali entertainment- Gourab Chatterjee, Saheb Bhattacharya, Indrasish Roy, Mainak Banerjee, Rajdeep Gupta, Silajit Majumder, Devlina Kumar, Solanki Roy, Shreema Bhattacherjee, Megha Dasgupta, Prantika Das, Ushasi Roy, Trina Saha, and Idhika Paul who walked the runway as showstoppers.
Supporting Partners:
In Association with:
Rural Craft and Cultural Hubs
Powered by:
Hedonne
In Partnership with:
Packman Furnishings
SOA | Siksha ‘O’ Anusandhan (Deemed to be University)
Supporting Partner:
Aristocrat
J.D. Birla Institute
NIPS Institute of Hotel Management
INSD Kolkata
Supertron Electronics Private Limited
SPK Jain Futuristic Academy
Outdoor Partner:
Selvel Advertising Pvt. Ltd.
Hair & Makeup Partner:
Lakmé Academy, Powered by Aptech, Salt Lake