Aisha Rao on INTER-HANA and the Art of Appliqué: Lakmē Fashion Week 2026

Aisha Rao put all her cards on the table on day 3 of Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI, with her collection INTER-HANA.With everything produced in-house this season, it placed authorship at its core for the label, redefining the way design is conceived and created.

Drawing from botanical influences and reinterpreting them through her own visual grammar, Rao built a world that balanced restraint with richness, softness with structure. The palette was guided by Imamura’s instinctive use of colour – soft neutrals layered with vibrant blues, moss greens, and earthen hues. These tones unfold organically across the collection, creating an emotional landscape that feels fluid and expressive.

Rao walked us through the ideas and inspirations that shaped INTER-HANA, the label’s signature appliqué technique, and how it continues to evolve with each collection.

FL: The influence of Fumi Imamura’s botanical language is very evident in your collection. What drew you to her work, and how did you reinterpret it through your own design lens?

AR: What drew me to her work was the restraint. There’s a quietness in the way she approaches florals; they don’t feel decorative, they feel instinctive and emotional. That was interesting to engage with, especially because florals in our context are often more detailed and expressive. In the collection, that translated into a more abstract approach. Florals are not literal; they shift through forms, sometimes into geometry, sometimes into familiar elements like paisleys. It’s more about how that idea moves through the garment rather than being fixed as a motif.

FL: INTER-HANA feels deeply rooted in emotion and abstraction. There’s also an interesting dialogue between Japanese restraint and Indian maximalism. How did you bring these two distinct sensibilities into harmony?

AR: It began with a more intuitive, emotion-led approach, where forms were allowed to stay fluid and open rather than overly defined. That sense of ease made it possible to bring different influences together in a way that felt natural. The restraint comes through in the delicacy of the motifs, inspired by Fumi’s work, and the lightness it brings to the overall expression. In contrast, the richness of Indian artistry is introduced through intricate appliqué, layered textures, and detailed surface work. Working with in-house developed mesh played an important role here, allowing us to control how the garment holds detail while still retaining a sense of lightness. Achieving this balance required multiple rounds of sampling and technical refinement, ensuring that the softness remained intentional while still holding depth and complexity. The harmony ultimately comes through in the way everything is brought together – the hues, the interplay of textures, and a more contemporary sensibility, allowing the collection to feel cohesive and nuanced.

FL: Appliqué has long been a signature in your design language. How did it evolve in INTER-HANA?

AR: Appliqué has always been central to our design language, but in INTER-HANA, it goes beyond being just a surface embellishment. This season, with all fabrics developed in-house, the approach to appliqué has evolved alongside these new material explorations. The textural fabrics add a completely new dimension, allowing the appliqués to interact more organically with the surface and enhancing their overall impact. Our artistic florals and paisleys come to life through this technique, feeling more integrated and expressive. The level of surface engineering has also progressed significantly. 

While appliqué has always been a key element for us, the ecosystem we’ve created around it this season feels new, where fabric, texture, and motif work together to fully articulate the design story, while still maintaining a sense of lightness and balance within the garment.

“We don’t see garments as belonging to a single moment or category; they are designed to move fluidly across occasions and moods.”

FL: Every fabric, form, and finish was developed in-house for the collection, underscoring a commitment to self-reliance. What challenges and discoveries came with moving towards a fully in-house model this season?

AR: Moving to a fully in-house model came with both complexity and a deeper sense of involvement in every stage of creation. We developed new fabrics with intricate technical detailing, particularly various forms of mesh that feel both artistic and thoughtful. Achieving that required multiple rounds of sampling, constant learning, and refining until the material behaved exactly as intended. We also introduced scrunched lurex, which adds a distinct dimensional quality to the garments. It brings depth while still remaining light, creating a balance between intricacy and ease. Understanding how these materials interact with form was an ongoing process, since the fabrics and silhouettes were being developed simultaneously. Another key challenge was achieving the right balance, ensuring the richness of the materials enhanced the garment without overpowering it, with every element working in harmony.

At the same time, the process led to a stronger sense of authorship. Seeing everything come together into craft-forward pieces has been incredibly rewarding, and it only reinforces our intent to continue building in this direction.

FL: At its core, the collection feels like an exploration of intention and expression. How do you define purposeful dressing in the context of your work today?

AR: For us, purposeful dressing is rooted in the idea of purposeful luxury, something that is conscious, considered, and deeply connected to how a garment is made and worn. Our journey with appliqué has been a part of this evolution, shaping a language that is both expressive and Intentional. It’s about creating pieces that feel ethical and aware, while still allowing one to feel confident and open to experimentation. We don’t see garments as belonging to a single moment or category; they are designed to move fluidly across occasions and moods.

At the same time, there is a strong emphasis on bringing Indian artistry into a more global, contemporary context. The idea is to create pieces that carry craft and identity, but can transform seamlessly, adapting to the wearer and the many spaces they inhabit. Purpose, for us, lies in that balance between intention in making and freedom in how it is worn.

“The idea is to create pieces that carry craft and identity, but can transform seamlessly, adapting to the wearer and the many spaces they inhabit.”

FL: If you had to sum up INTER–HANA in three words, what would they be?

AR: Rooted, romantic, intentional. Rooted because the collection is grounded in craft and in a strong sense of authorship. Romantic because there is a softness and expressiveness in how the forms, colours, and textures come together. And intentional because every element, from fabric development to final detail, has been considered and created within the house.