Dubai Fashion Week witnessed a powerful finale as India’s leading couturier Manish Malhotra returned to the official calendar for the second consecutive year, closing the season with his latest couture showcase, The India Story: Inaya 2026, on February 6, 2026.
More than a runway presentation, Inaya 2026 unfolded as a tribute to India’s living craft traditions reimagined through a global couture lens. The collection brought together Chikankari from Mijwan, intricate thread work from Kashmir, and masterful embroidery executed across the house’s ateliers in Delhi and Mumbai, spotlighting the artisans who remain at the heart of the brand’s legacy.
Designed for a modern, international wardrobe, the showcase moved seamlessly between Ramadan-ready abayas, jewelled lehengas, sharply tailored menswear, and fluid pant suits for women, reflecting Malhotra’s signature ability to balance heritage with contemporary elegance. The silhouettes spoke to cultural continuity while embracing cosmopolitan sophistication an approach that has defined the designer’s expanding global presence.
With sixty models walking the runway, the show was stitched together through strings of pearls, Chantilly lace, poetic prints, and embellishments that played with light and movement. Set against a soundtrack of nostalgic Bollywood melodies, the presentation felt cinematican immersive dialogue between memory, craft, and modernity.
The evening culminated with Kriti Sanon, longtime muse of the house, taking the runway as showstopper in a luminous pearl ensemble. She completed the look with an emerald suite of high and fine jewellery from Manish Malhotra Jewellery, as the designer officially introduced his newest vertical, MM Accessories, marking another milestone in the brand’s evolving luxury universe.
With Inaya 2026, Manish Malhotra reaffirmed his position not only as a custodian of Indian couture, but as a global storyteller using Dubai Fashion Week as a stage to celebrate craftsmanship, innovation, and the enduring power of Indian design on the world fashion map.
READ MORE: India Is No Longer Buying Time, It’s Buying Taste
