Known for bright colours and maximalist silhouettes, couturier Siddhartha Bansal has drawn inspiration from Vesara temples and the textures of the natural landscape for his latest collection. The edit, World from Above, explores ancient architecture, craftsmanship and a larger idea of oneness. naturally, the show at the recently concluded Lakme Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI opened with the popular classic song Ek Anek Aur Ekta (One, Many and Unity) that we grew up watching.
The collection carried the song’s essence, which has become even more relevant in this time and age. Viewed from above, with manmade borders blurred, the world looks like what it is: a continuous landscape. Siddhartha brings that oneness by merging geometry and craftsmanship of India’s Vesara temples with the organic textures of salt lakes, mineral earth, mountains and changing terrains.
He reimagines aerial temple plans, carved pillars, ornamental friezes and sacred motifs alongside patterns and textures drawn from the earth, connecting seemingly different worlds to form a more unified visual vocabulary. The silhouettes, crafted in silk, heavyweight silk organza, handwoven tussar silk and chanderi are relaxed yet architectural. Pleating, hand tucks and intricate pinch tucks sculpt the fabrics and lend structure to the outfits. Hand embroidery and extensive hand texturing reinterpret the depth and irregular beauty of stone carving, architecture and the earth’s natural surfaces.
“World from Above began with the idea of changing our perspective. When we look closely, we see boundaries and differences, but as we rise above them, the world begins to appear as one continuous landscape. I was fascinated by the geometry and extraordinary craftsmanship of Vesara temples and how, when viewed alongside mountains, salt lakes and mineral earth, architecture and nature begin to speak a similar visual language. The collection explores that connection and ultimately celebrates a simple thought that we are all one, only divided by borders,” tells Siddhartha, as he takes us through the edit.
What was the initial spark or moment of inspiration that made you look down at the earth from this perspective?
It began with a belief I keep returning to: we are all one, only divided by borders. I wanted to explore what happens when we step far enough back to see that. From above, the lines we defend disappear; what remains is a continuous landscape of colour, texture, and life. That shift felt deeply personal to me, and World From Above grew from it.
A central message of this collection is about seeing humanity and the world as interconnected, without artificial boundaries or borders.
How did you translate this idea into wearable art?
I brought architecture and landscape into the same visual conversation. The carved pillars and geometry of India’s Vesara temples informed sculpted silhouettes, hand tucks and pleating. Some garments carry the rhythm of a pillar while moving comfortably with the body.
The salt lakes of Rajasthan inspired contrasts between matte and lustrous surfaces in textured jackets and overlays, while earthy tones meet expanses of aqua. Together, these elements suggest a world whose beauty comes from coexistence. The wearer continues that idea through styling, movement and their own personality; they give the clothes a life beyond my interpretation.
Your label is known for its vibrant kitsch, maximalist prints, and storytelling. How does this collection build upon your signature style while offering a fresh visual narrative?
Colour, intricacy, and a certain joyful excess remain instinctive to me. In this collection, that energy moves further into the construction of the clothes. Pleats, textured surfaces and sculpted volumes carry as much of the story as print.
There is also a change in scale: an intimate detail drawn from a temple carving sits within the vastness of a landscape. It expands our visual language while keeping the curiosity, Indian references and optimism that have always shaped the label.
You’ve interpreted terrain, topography, and geometries into textiles. How did you approach translating landscapes like rivers, fields, grid patterns, and clouds into print and embroidery?
My collections begin with a feeling. In the studio, we gather images, words, art references and observations until a mood becomes a world we can inhabit.
For this collection, I looked at how the earth composes itself. The interruption of a grid, a sudden change in colour, the rhythm of cultivated land. We translated those relationships through print, embroidery and manipulated fabric. I wanted the textiles to hold the sensation of looking down at a landscape, with details that reveal themselves as you come closer.
How did you curate the colour story to reflect a global view?
Colour is how I express emotion, often before I can put it into words. Aqua sits beside rust, coral meets teal, and yellow ochre brings an earthy warmth. T hose combinations came from observing how seemingly unexpected colours belong together in nature.
The sense of a shared world comes through those encounters. Water, mineral earth and changing terrain exist across geographies. I wanted the palette to feel rooted in my perspective, yet open to someone else’s memories and associations.
What specific embroidery or printing techniques did your artisan team use to give these global patterns depth and dimension?
Much of the dimension comes from intricate handwork: yarn texturing, tucks, pleats, hand embroidery and beadwork, and engineered prints. We worked with the fabric surface to create relief, allowing light and movement to reveal different details. That patient making gives the clothes their character.
The accessories extend this sculptural language. Our collaboration with Avocadoe, an award-winning accessories brand, includes pillar-shaped bags, carrying an architectural reference from the garments into an object with a distinct presence.
How did you mirror that sense of freedom in the silhouettes, tailoring, and fabric choices for this line?
I explored the relationship between structure and release. Sculpted forms give the clothes presence, while flowing layers and fabrics such as silk, organza, tussar and chanderi allow different degrees of movement and transparency.
Freedom also means leaving room for the wearer. A jacket or overlay can enter an existing wardrobe and be styled in several ways. I want the clothes to have a clear point of view while allowing someone to feel entirely themselves.
What was the most challenging aspect of bringing World From Above from concept to runway?
Finding the right balance between the scale of the idea and the intimacy of clothing. Humanity, borders and belonging are enormous subjects. The gar ment still needs to feel good on a body.
The challenge was to make the thought tangible through proportion, texture and movement, without a s k i n g eve r y l o o k t o explain the entire collection. I wanted people to feel something first, with the deeper references available for them to discover.
What keeps inspiring you?
India keeps me endlessly curious: its craft, its contradictions, the ways colour enters everyday life. But inspiration also comes from paying closer attention. The weathered surface, an unexpected colour pairing, the way someone makes a garment their own.
I am drawn to the possibility of finding wonder in something familiar. That is often where the next collection begins.
What’s your fashion forecasts for 2027?
My instinct is that people will seek clothes with a stronger sense of authorship, distinctive textiles, expressive colour and craft that gives a piece its own identity
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