LFW SS25: KGL

In a world often rigid with structure and weighed down by the demands of modern life, KGL’s SS25 collection feels like a breath of fresh air—a playful dance that celebrates the fluid, unpredictable nature of existence. Infused with the ethos of "Lila," the Hindu concept of divine play, this collection invites us to embrace the joyous spontaneity of life. Much like the gods of ancient mythology, who create and sustain the universe through playful, purposeless acts, KGL presents a fashion narrative that blurs the lines between structure and freedom, form and fluidity. The result is a collection that feels like a celebration of life’s ever-changing, ever-vibrant essence.

I felt like my visit to The Institute of Contemporary Arts to see this wonderful presentation interestingly echoed this ethos. On arrival I was certainly finding myself weighed down by modern life. Issues on the tube and roads blocked off by construction led to me arriving late and sweating profusely. Kanika, her glorious collection and the team from We Are Village then expertly provided that breath of fresh air.

At the core of this season’s designs is the concept of play as both a creative force and a form of resistance. In a world saturated with anxiety, KGL offers a reminder that playfulness isn’t a frivolity but a vital expression of humanity. Kanika told me how she feels "we need to move away from perfectionism. The beauty of art is in the process. It is the process that you need to enjoy". It is through play that we break free from the confines of routine and allow ourselves to engage with life—and fashion—in a manner that is imaginative, spontaneous, and deeply authentic.

Kanika and the KGL team looked back at their earliest interactions with colour and creativity—the uninhibited joy of drawing outside the lines, a reflection of life’s inherent messiness. The brand embraced this carefree spirit, with Kanika stating, "as creators, we reflected back on our early exploration with drawings and scribbles. We were so passionate about it and just immersed in that act of it". This childlike freedom manifests in the collection’s surface embroidery and embellishments, with playful scribbles and dynamic drapes that break away from rigid forms. Uneven draping flows effortlessly from structured shapes, giving the pieces a sense of movement and unpredictability, much like life itself.

Nature, too, serves as a muse for this season’s collection. The aerial views of terrains and the raw geometry of buildings, particularly Le Corbusier’s brutalist architecture in Kanika’s hometown of Chandigarh, inspired designs that juxtapose opposites. Brutalism’s harsh lines and rigid structures are softened by flowing, organic forms and textures. This interplay of contrasts creates a visual language that is both bold and whimsical, grounding the collection in the natural world while celebrating its inherent irregularity.

The collection’s textures are equally adventurous, introducing new fabrics like bonded and pleated materials, which add depth and dimension to each piece. While we perused the collection Kanika highlighted the "beauty in incompleteness". There is a deliberate embrace of incompleteness—a comfort in the imperfect, as seen in distressed denim, ombre fades, and dissipating graphics. This season’s key pieces, like the “Mimosa” Embellished Top and the Whipped Ombré Laser Print Denim, embody this ethos of playful imperfection. They invite wearers to revel in the unexpected, to let their imagination roam beyond the boundaries of traditional fashion.

KGL's commitment to sustainability is woven throughout the collection as well. Circularity is at the heart of their production process, with materials sourced from surplus stock to reduce waste. The brand works closely with vendors to extend the life cycle of fabrics, particularly cottons and denims, and incorporates eco-conscious practices such as treating denim in effluent treatment plants to minimise water waste. The gradual transition to eco-friendly chemicals underscores the brand’s dedication to a responsible, forward-thinking approach to fashion.

Embellished appliqués and engineered embroidery, which have become a hallmark of KGL, return this season with fresh, inventive twists. These intricate details add layers of texture and storytelling to the collection, turning each piece into a canvas for creative expression. The juxtaposition of structured lines with organic, free-flowing embellishments reflects the collection’s central theme: the joyous interplay between order and chaos, structure and spontaneity.

The sensory experience of the collection was further heightened by a soundtrack curated in collaboration with South Indian artist April27 (Dhruv K), whose dark, atmospheric soundscapes bridged the gap between the sacred and the surreal. His debut track, “prayer1,” featuring samples of his grandmother praying, provided a haunting yet uplifting backdrop to the presentation, echoing the spiritual undercurrents of the collection. It felt like stepping into a space that exists between a temple and a nightclub—a place where divine play and earthly exploration meet in the ears of one very sweaty and disheveled man.

In its entirety, KGL’s SS25 collection is a visual feast, while also acting as an invitation to reconnect with the playful, spontaneous side of life. The use of bold contrasts, playful embellishments, and sustainable materials creates a narrative that is as thought-provoking as it is joyous. By celebrating the absurdities and unpredictabilities of life, KGL reminds us that fashion, much like existence, is not something to be tamed or perfected—it is to be lived, explored, and above all, enjoyed.