Sanjay Garg has always been one to weave a story through his work with craft and community. On February 23, Raw Mango, a brand that has championed India’s craft and culture made a splash at the London Fashion Week.
The Fall/ Winter collection, It’s Not About The Flower, was a celebration of the brand’s arrival in its own design language. Garlands were at the centre of it all, as a motif and a method. Attendees gathered at Westminister’s Royal Horticultural Halls, a befitting location for a designer whose irrevocable connection to flowers has stood the test of time through different collections. In attendance were sitarist Anoushka Shankar, director Gurinder Chadda and Akshata Murty, wife of former Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, among others.
“Flowers have always been a part of Raw Mango’s visuals, its stores, and our every day. I have been to every single flower market in India, and my curiosity also led me to consider working on a book on flowers and garlands,” Sanjay says. “I am fascinated by the garland, which is so much more than decoration. In my collection, it is not just beautifying the garment, it becomes the body and silhouette,” he adds.
On the runway, floral structures were reimagined and reconstructed, which included jasmine in full bloom as cut, hand-folded silk as well as flower buds in lycra, on flowy silhouettes or engineered into garments. A model sashayed down the ramp with suspended garlands worn over billowy black pants, and another donned flower buds as a structured top.
The show notes described hand-folded elements being assembled across silk brocade, Kanjivaram, paper-finished silk, rib-knit cotton, quilted silk, and handfelted wool, and indicated that the collection drew inspiration from floral gathri (sacks), suspended garlands, and the gestures through which they are bundled, transported, and displayed.
“I think the world, and us, are coming to terms with the fact that we have a unique product offering and a unique story to tell. What I showcase to the world is my India, and what I find beautiful,” Sanjay says.
For Sanjay, Raw Mango’s championing of textiles also is a part of an important, and continuing conversation about perception. “The international market often sees India as a country that only does embroidery, even though they know that textiles exist. India has so much more to offer,” he says. “We are being looked at only as a producer for the luxury market, and not with regard to design intellect. Conversations are becoming limited to how many hours has gone into making something; it is not simply just about skills,” he says.
It’s Not About The Flower took shape over two and a half years, and Sanjay laughs, recalling being puzzled when he began his journey with no reference point, making hundreds of samples and going through rejections. “There was so much to keep in mind; Raw Mango’s future, tradition and experimentation. We are chic, and I did not want anything very OTT. I wanted to make a couture garment, but also in a way that you can wear it more in life. Not every garment should be something that you cannot sit in,” he says, as he muses about having to strike a balance and keep the ethos of the brand in mind.
Published - February 18, 2026 05:10 pm IST
