Twenty years ago, Samant Chauhan introduced his debut collection grounded in the heritage of Rajasthan. At Lakmē Fashion Week 2026, his latest collection, Where My Home Is?, marked a return to those early influences, bringing two decades of design experience, travel, and material innovation back to the runway. Moving beyond mere nostalgia, the showcase paired Jaisalmer’s warm palette with Bhagalpur’s silk-weaving heritage through a contemporary lens.
The collection focuses on the concept of memory and how past experiences inform current design without relying on obvious historical motifs. Chauhan lets his roots surface through clean, subtle design details. “Revisiting these influences today is not about recreating the past,” the designer shares. “Today, I am returning to those same geographies carrying two decades of experience, travel, and textile engineering with me. Instead of literal references, the influences appear in echoes.” This practical approach allowed his long-standing work with Bhagalpur silk to align with contemporary garment construction.
Translating memory into physical garments required an intentional approach to texture and colour. Natural golden tussar silks capture the tone of desert sand, while small accents of deep red provide clear visual balance. As the designer explains, the material choices tell a story of regional movement and craft. “We used the inherent natural and antique golds of tussar silk to echo the sand and light of Jaisalmer, punctuated by our signature hint of red,” Chauhan notes. “To capture the feeling of migration, we took fabrics woven in Bhagalpur and enriched them with gold zari, dabka, and silk thread embroidery. It is essentially the story of a textile from one region travelling to absorb the visual and emotional landscape of another.”
The collection also highlighted a clear shift in modern occasion wear, pairing structured architectural shapes with soft, fluid gowns. “The contrast of architectural gowns sitting alongside fluid gowns shows that handwoven, non-violent silk does not have to be restricted to traditional drapes,” the designer points out. “We are engineering these textiles to meet the sophisticated construction, versatility, and fluidity expected in modern luxury wardrobes worldwide.”
Looking ahead, Chauhan views his ongoing work with local artisans as an evolving technical process. “Over the past two decades, my relationship with Bhagalpur weavers has moved from simply sourcing fabric to true engineering,” he reflects. “I believe the next creative frontier is exploring even more advanced structural innovations directly on the loom, blending traditional weaving with new material techniques to create fabrics that defy the conventional expectations of handloom entirely.” Through Where My Home Is?, Chauhan signalled that he is not settling for a comfortable finish line, but rather pushing Bhagalpur silk towards what it can become next.
