Lakmé Fashion Week 2026 is back in New Delhi this week, and the runway opens tonight. The autumn edition of Lakmé Fashion Week, staged in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), runs from 13 to 18 October 2026, with the main runway programme at the Taj Palace from 14 October. Péro opens the schedule this evening, Manish Malhotra returns to the Lakmé runway after three years, and AM:IT by Amit Aggarwal closes the week with the Lakmē Grand Finale on Sunday. Here is the full schedule, the designers to watch, and what to expect from India's biggest festive-season fashion week.
Lakmé Fashion Week 2026 dates and venue
According to FashionUnited, Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI returns to New Delhi from 13 to 18 October 2026, with a change of venue to the Taj Palace for the runway days, 14 to 18 October. The week began on Tuesday, 13 October, at the Embassy of France with the finale of the R|Elan Circular Design Challenge in partnership with the UN in India, an initiative promoting circular innovation that FashionUnited reports received more than 220 international applications this season.
The edition is presented by the House of Lakmē, the FDCI and Reliance Brands. Because the October edition sits just before the Indian wedding and festive calendar, expect it to lean heavily into occasionwear, craft and pret that buyers can put straight into stores.
Lakmé Fashion Week 2026 schedule: day by day
The show-by-show schedule below was published on the organisers' official channels and compiled by First Resort; timings are as announced and can shift on the day.
Wednesday, 14 October: 8pm — the FDCI and Lakmé Fashion Week opening show, Lakmē x Tira present Péro.
Thursday, 15 October: 12pm — NIF Global presents GenNext (Abhishek Chauhan Studio, Subbah, Day & Age); 2:30pm — NIF Global's The Runway; 5pm — FDCI x Moscow Fashion Week present Sergey Sysoev; 6:30pm — Jaisalmer Crafted Bar Collectibles x Samant Chauhan; 8pm — SV by Suneet Varma; 9:30pm — Tasva.
Friday, 16 October: 12pm — Mini Sondhi, ORCR, Somya Goyal; 2:30pm — Prama by Pratima Pandey, Rahul Singh, Sanjukta Dutta; 4pm — Anurag Gupta Artisanal, TIL; 5pm — Lakmē Salon x Anushree Reddy present Maya; 7pm — Arvind x Ashish N Soni; 8:30pm — R|Elan x Huemn; 9:30pm — Oppo presents Namrata Joshipura.
Saturday, 17 October: 12pm — Eccellenza, the artisans of Italian style, presented by the Italian Trade Agency with Confartigianato and the FDCI; 2pm — Aikeyah, Farak, Guapa; 4pm — Shahin Mannan, Siddhartha Bansal; 6:30pm — Countrymade, Pawan Sachdevaa; 9:30pm — Maruti Suzuki Nexa presents Manish Malhotra Luxury Pret.
Sunday, 18 October: 12pm — FDCI x Pearl Academy First Cut; 3:30pm — Maruti Suzuki Nexa presents The Spotlight (Linetribe, Richa Khemka); 5:30pm — The Fifth Season, a fashion story from Ladakh; 7:30pm — Ethnix by Raymond presents Wedding Stories; 9:30pm — Lakmē Grand Finale x AM:IT by Amit Aggarwal.
Designers to watch at Lakmé Fashion Week 2026
Péro opens the week
Aneeth Arora's label Péro, known for its handcrafted textiles, playful layering and embroidery, opens the runway tonight in a show presented by Lakmē and the beauty retailer Tira. HerZindagi notes that the opener is meant to bring the label's craftsmanship and contemporary Indian design to the front of the week.
Manish Malhotra's Luxury Pret return
The headline name of the week is Manish Malhotra. HerZindagi reports that the designer returns to the Lakmé Fashion Week runway after a gap of three years with the Maruti Suzuki Nexa Presents Manish Malhotra Luxury Pret showcase on Saturday night — timed for the peak festive and wedding shopping season.
AM:IT by Amit Aggarwal closes the Grand Finale
Amit Aggarwal, whose sculptural, metallic and futuristic take on Indian occasionwear has become one of the most photographed signatures in Indian fashion, closes the week with the Lakmē Grand Finale. At the March 2026 edition, The Indian Express reported, Disha Patani walked as his muse in a bejewelled mermaid lehenga with a structured dupatta for the Orizon collection with Indriya. Expect beauty and fashion to merge again: HerZindagi says the finale is designed to showcase the relationship between design and self-expression.
The established names
FashionUnited lists runway shows from Ashish N Soni, Namrata Joshipura, Suneet Varma, Tarun Tahiliani and Samant Chauhan on the official calendar. Tasva, the Indian menswear brand created by Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail with Tarun Tahiliani, shows on Thursday night.
Craft, sustainability and international showcases
This edition has a strong cultural-exchange slate. FashionUnited highlights FDCI x Moscow Fashion Week presenting Russian designer Sergey Sysoev; The Fifth Season, a showcase of Himalayan craftsmanship organised with the Department of Industries and Commerce, Union Territory of Ladakh; and Eccellenza, an Italian style presentation hosted by the Italian Trade Agency with Confartigianato and the FDCI. The FDCI x Pearl Academy First Cut initiative returns to spotlight emerging talent, alongside NIF Global's GenNext debuts.
Beauty at Lakmé Fashion Week 2026
Lakmé Fashion Week has always doubled as a beauty launchpad. FashionUnited reports that the House of Lakmē plans to introduce its skincare-focused makeup line, Lakmē 9to5 Hya Glam, during the week — so watch the backstage looks for dewy, skin-first finishes rather than heavy matte bases.
Can you attend Lakmé Fashion Week 2026, and how to follow it?
Fashion weeks are trade events first. According to First Resort, access is by invitation and accreditation for buyers, press and guests, and no public ticket sale has been announced for this edition. Treat any site selling "tickets" with caution.
There is still a way in for shoppers. FashionUnited reports that the FDCI Showroom will give trade buyers direct access to participating labels, while the FDCI Stockroom will offer a B2C retail experience with curated designer pieces. For everyone else, most labels post their collections on their own social channels straight after showing, and the organisers share looks and backstage moments throughout the week.
Frequently asked questions
When is Lakmé Fashion Week 2026?
Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI runs from 13 to 18 October 2026 in New Delhi, with runway shows at the Taj Palace from 14 to 18 October.
Who is opening and closing Lakmé Fashion Week 2026?
Péro opens the runway on 14 October, presented by Lakmē and Tira, and AM:IT by Amit Aggarwal closes the week with the Lakmē Grand Finale on 18 October.
When is Manish Malhotra's show?
Manish Malhotra Luxury Pret, presented by Maruti Suzuki Nexa, is scheduled for Saturday, 17 October, at 9:30pm.
More Indian fashion on Cover Issue
Indian craft has had a huge October. For the season's most talked-about festive lehenga, read our story on Isha Ambani's 2,000-hour Torani kalamkari lehenga at https://thecoverissue.com/isha-ambani-torani-kalamkari-lehenga-swadesh-anniversary — and for Indian design on an international runway, see Sabyasachi's Bengal Byzantine show at https://thecoverissue.com/sabyasachi-bengal-byzantine-broadway-met-nyfw-2026.
