Since its inception in 2012, HUEMN built its reputation on challenging standard fashion norms, by turning heavy, provocative themes into clothes you actually want to live in. Marking its return to Lakmē Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI, the label took that vision further, breaking down classic streetwear and rebuilding it with fresh energy and purpose.
Rather than starting on a mood board, the collection took shape around lingering passage from Rainer Maria Rilke’s Duino Elegies, a line the designer found impossible to shake. “Rilke wrote that beauty is only the beginning of terror, and tragedy is the one thing you can’t fake,” the designer shares.“You can make anything look beautiful, but terror has to be real, and when the two sit together the work stops being decoration.”
That creative tension pulled the entire showcase together. Sculpted masks were deliberately damaged to capture raw chaos, while prints featuring blood-and-mud tones sat alongside glittered sequin sheeting that echoed original snakeskin textures. Pushing craft into uncharted territory, HUEMN brought traditional Lucknow Chikankari embroidery onto heavy, washed denim and elevated synthetic hair details over sequin surfaces. Archival silhouettes also made a strong return, including the sculptural wrapped “mummy top,” a design originally conceived 13 years ago, alongside the label’s signature sari pants, statement puffer jackets, and textured knits.
In collaboration with R|Elan™ for a major runway showcase, the collection integrated seven performance-led, recycled fabric technologies. EcoTherm powered body-hugging dresses and sweaters from the ‘Girl with the Braids’ line, EcoGold gave structural weight to the denims, and Kooltex kept the collection’s functional core breezy and easy to move in. “Comfort was the body of the collection, and experimentation was its voice,” says the designer. “I’d rather someone leave the show unsettled, or even in disagreement, than leave having simply enjoyed it. When people argue about the work, it means it entered the room and stayed with them.”
HUEMN makes it clear that functional style doesn’t need to play it safe. By pairing textile innovation with subverted craft and raw emotion, the collection delivers a lasting takeaway: true freedom in fashion starts when you dare to start a conversation.
“As long as someone feels something, the clothes have done more than just be clothes.”
“The masks we made for the ramp were sculpted and then deliberately damaged, because a perfect face couldn’t carry the chaos I was feeling.”
