India’s AK|OK By Anamika Khanna Debuts At London Fashion Week
AK|OK by Anamika Khanna delivered more than it promised at its London Fashion Week debut, held on September 22. The label is helmed by veteran Indian designer Anamika Khanna and co-steered by her sons Viraj and Vishesh Khanna. With the Hamleys shop floor as its runway, the show marked an important milestone in the brand’s global journey.
AK|OK is Khanna’s take on a contemporary line for an audience that transcends borders and ages, offered at a competitive price point. Set up in 2021, the label presents a wardrobe of modern sets and separates, with a spark of Indian-ness. The label is available for purchase across India via flagships and luxury retailers and at Saks Fifth Avenue in New York City. It is also in talks with several U.K. based retailers.
Setting The Stage
The show came about as part of a bold reset strategy by Laura Weir, the newly appointed CEO of the British Fashion Council. Over the past four years, AK|OK has held eight shows, all of which have been very well-received, and the move to London was as pivotal as it was a natural progression for the brand. “London was a very natural choice for us because it is so open and accepting of different cultures and experimentations,” Khanna said. “Our brand bridges the gap between how dressing in India has always been perceived and the reality; that it is very modern.”
Staging at the iconic Hamleys store in Regent Street was a deliberate decision, hinting at the nostalgia and memories that inspired this collection. “There was this feeling of nostalgia in the collection,” Khanna explained. “This girl went back to her grandmother’s home after many years, and it evoked these childhood memories. The same feeling came when you entered Hamleys; everyone was transported back. It felt like the right emotional connection.” Though set in the cool streets of London, the heart of AK|OK’s Spring Summer 2026 line lies in Rajasthan, India. The inspiration is a young girl, opening up her grandmother’s chest, pulling out hand-embroidered skirts, woven shawls, and childhood relics and reimagining them with her own city-girl street style wardrobe.
Rooted Yet Contemporary
Indian mythology and astrology found their footing in the bold, graphic prints and motifs that ran across the line, evoking once again a sense of nostalgia and childlike wonder. Delicate Chikankari embroidery appeared on a striking coat, layered over slouchy trousers; it looks effortless yet intentional, inviting wearers to reimagine traditional craft for the daily. A wearable fantasy, the silhouettes were clean and precise with sharp tailoring — every garment cinched at the perfect spot to lend shape, while allowing the rest to drape the body with ease.
Evidently the most dramatic element of the show was the stacked statement silver jewellery, a desi staple. Traditional kamarbandhs and juttis were viewed with a refreshed lens as the silver was reworked into jeans, skirts, boots, and as belts and scarves. At every touchpoint, the collection challenged how Indian fashion is viewed, positioning traditionally rooted craft styles in a contemporary, modern context. Of the jewellery, Khanna says, “For so many years, Eastern culture has been perceived as costume, not wearable in everyday life, but whenever I use jewellery, people want to wear it with jeans. It’s about looking at these elements in a modern way, whether they belong today.”
Adding a starry quality to the momentous occasion were Bollywood stars Sonam Kapoor, a longtime muse and friend of Anamika Khanna, and the radiant Jacqueline Fernandez.
The AK|OK Spirit
Photo Courtesy of Dave Benett.
This AK|OK collection is a manifestation of how Anamika Khanna situates India within the mainstream fashion world — traditional yet new, contemporary but not watered down. She knows what makes the local feel global. Beyond fashion, the collection ruminated on pace and value in a world consumed by speed and digitization. The show offered viewers a chance to reconnect with the handmade and the authentic. “I just wanted to bring back the feeling of being present for one minute,” Khanna reflected. “To emotionally not be in a rush, and to value things that may disappear as we digitize everything. The beauty of what we have always had is unmatched, and I want it to remain.”
Craving more Indian fashion news? Check out EnVi’s piece on the new Levi’s India campaign here!
