Indian-American sister, brother duo brings India's cultural, spiritual richness to New York Fashion Week

New York, Sep 16 (PTI) An Indian-American sister and brother duo showcased the richness of Indian culture and spirituality as they presented a vibrant collection inspired by ancient texts and temples of India at the pre-eminent New York Fashion Week.

New Jersey-based Shivangi Gupta Singh and Shashank Gupta unveiled their Spring-Summer 2026 collection ‘Samskriti’ at the New York Fashion Week through their brand for Indian fashion and bridalwear ‘Nazranaa’. The collection showcased an 18-piece ensemble of ‘sherwanis’ and ‘lehengas’ that became canvases of storytelling through couture.

Showcasing their collection for the fourth year at the NYFW, Shashank Gupta said the designs 'Nazranaa' presented at its first three New York Fashion weeks were very fusion.

“This year we wanted to go back to our roots, because my personal spiritual journey started in 2019, and now I felt like we wanted to give that center stage,” Gupta told PTI in an interview here.

The collection 'Samskriti' draws inspiration from the duo's spiritual journey and the rediscovery of Indian culture, extending beyond what is typically taught in families or history books, he said.

It pays homage to India’s rich traditions, religious texts and iconic temples, drawing inspirations from the Mahakumbh, Sun Temple, Konark, Varanasi, Kailash, Tirupati Balaji, Lord Krishna’s birth, the Meenakshi temple, Vrindavan and the Ganga Aarti.

Gupta recalls that he had been fascinated by ambigrams and when two years ago, he stumbled upon ‘Shri Ramakrishna Vilomakavyam’, the fascinating Sanskrit bi-directional poem by Daivagya Surya Pandita, he was inspired to honor the genius of Surya Pandita and spotlight India’s heritage on a global stage through ‘Samskriti’.

The Shri Ramakrishna Vilomakavyam, written around the 15th-century, is a 36-verse palindromic poetry, which when read from left to right tells the story of Lord Ram and when read from right to left, is the story of Lord Krishna.

“I was just completely amazed and baffled by its brilliance, and I knew I wanted to use my love language—fashion—to shine light on such treasures of our culture. Samskriti is our humble effort to give credit to works of art like this and to honor our ancestors through couture,” Gupta said.

The collection’s showstopper ‘lehenga’ was inspired by the genius of Maharishi Valmiki’s weaving of the Gayatri Mantra into the Ramayana. The 24 syllables of the mantra begin every thousandth verse in the epic.

This concept was translated into a lehenga with 24 panels, each beginning with a syllable of the mantra at the top, followed by the corresponding verse and the chapter. Each panel is hand-painted with the story from that chapter, while the dupatta depicts the sage himself writing this timeless scripture, Gupta said.

A lehenga in the collection highlights the ‘Mahakumbh’, the largest gathering of humanity (660 million people) in a single location. “To capture this historic moment, the panels of the lehenga were digitally printed to depict the event, and then enhanced with hand work to bring depth and shine to the design,” Gupta said.

For the brother-sister duo, Varanasi holds deep personal significance as it is the roots for the family since their great-great-grandfather began the family’s entrepreneurial journey with a saree store in the historic city.

“To honor this city of devotion, we designed a lehenga that first features digitally printed motifs of the town and Maa Ganga, and then layered it with handwork to highlight and elevate the details,” he said.

A sherwani inspired by the Meenakshi Sundareshwara Temple in Madurai has embroidery that reflects the temple’s vast sculptural detail, while the vibrant palette pays homage to the striking colors that define the iconic structure.

The collection celebrates India’s art, literature, and philosophy by reinterpreting them through the lens of couture and presenting them on the biggest fashion showcase in the world, he said.

Founded by Shashank Gupta and Shivangi Gupta Singh in 2012, Nazranaa is a leading South Asian bridal boutique, dedicated to bringing exquisite bridal wear and accessories to connoisseurs in the diaspora and across the US.

On their journey of bridging the cultures of India and the US through clothes and fashion, Gupta said “the cultures are amalgamating. I want kids in high school and college to be able to come to ‘Garba’, enjoy Diwali. That's how we amalgamate. India has a lot to offer especially with this kind of storytelling, in terms of the spiritual relevance of India,” he said, underlining India’s significance as the spiritual capital of the world. PTI YAS BK BK SCY SCY