Sanjay Garg explores the future of summer luxury through Indian cotton and handwoven textiles
The sun is back, and so are light, breathable summer fabrics inspired by textile traditions from across India. Raw Mango’s Summer 2026 collection, The Sun Returns, is a reflection on the textures, moods, and visual language of the Indian summer, interpreted through the brand’s textile and craft lens.
Crafting breathable luxury for rising temperatures
The collection is full of life, much like a Mughal garden. Swans, tigers, and birds appear through geometric motifs, alongside classic Ashavali and Ashrafi butas. Sanjay Garg, founder and designer, Raw Mango, lets us in on the details.
What inspired The Sun Returns, and how did the idea of the Indian summer influence your textile choices?
The inspiration was the Indian summer itself, and the idea of going about your day while staying comfortable in the heat. We chose breathable textiles derived from techniques used across the subcontinent. Chanderi is back; it’s one of those textiles that are really responsive to our needs, our topography, and rising temperatures. So is organza. Very breathable, very light with a nice sheer texture. Along with blends of silk, of course, and cotton. This collection is about the outdoors. It’s summer. We belong in gardens and grasslands. Mughal bageechas. These creations play with the classic visual markers of the Indian summer. A swan here, a tiger there. A crane sitting peacefully inside a flower. It’s the idea of being at home in the outdoors. The world may be hot, but it’s mine.
Which weaving clusters or artisan communities were central to the development of this collection?
Some of the creations use cotton woven in the town of Venkatgiri, Andhra Pradesh. The artisans in Venkatgiri use a technique that incorporates an extra weft, similar to jamdani. So the motifs are woven into the fabric itself without the use of a loom to guide your hand. It’s quite intricate. A few of the cotton-silk blends in this collection are woven in Hyderabad, Telangana. We have had relationships with weavers in Chanderi, Madhya Pradesh, since the day we began, and that’s where the chanderi we use comes from.
How did textures and fabrics help capture the feeling of an Indian summer?
India is a tropical country. It can get hot but also humid. You want fabrics that are light but sit a bit away from the skin. We chose soft and sheer textures so that they are also comfortable to touch. We approached texture through fabrics that remain breathable without feeling plain. For some super sheer and lightweight organza creations, we used appliqué to create imagery to preserve the lightness of the fabric.
Can you share details about the materials and yarns that define this collection?
In this collection, sheer Venkatgiri cotton and fine silk satin join chanderi, organza, cotton silks and tissue in a range of summer-friendly textiles designed to blend in with the great Indian outdoors.
Did this season require any new experiments at the loom?
Summer, for us, is always a time to explore the possibilities in cotton. It’s the quintessential textile for the Indian summer, and it also manages to feel like the future of luxury. This year, we worked with Venkatgiri cotton. We focused on tone-on-tone embroidery, testing how lightweight fabrics can hold embellishment without losing breathability. One of the ideas I wanted to explore was that embellishment shouldn’t just be limited to silk. Cotton as a surface can carry detail just as effectively.
How do you ensure continuity of craft while still evolving the brand’s textile language each season?
I strongly believe that for textile crafts to survive, they require design intervention. The continuity of the craft and the brand’s visual language are not two separate things. When we work with communities in a collaborative way to find new interpretations, techniques, and motifs—both of us gain that knowledge. It doesn’t just go away. Some of the motifs we introduced decades ago in the visual language of textile crafts are now widely used because those crafts incorporated it in their continuity. When we explore possibilities on the loom, the weavers and stakeholders are our collaborators. The challenge in this process becomes how to work within limitations, while at the same time, continuing and contributing to the rich design vocabulary inherent to the textile.
Price on request. Available in stores and online.
—manuvipin@newindianexpress.com
@ManuVipin