The story of Amit Aggarwal is one of quiet revolution, which has placed him among the most talked-about Indian designers in recent times. His mind was always regarded as a gold mine of future-forward design language, but momentum is now shifting as India awakens to his limitless soul.
The idea of transformation also lay at the core of Amit’s Lakme Fashion Week X FDCI showcase called Orizon, an Indriya x Amit Aggarwal presentation — the journey from darkness to light. Sculpted, almost moulded to the body, luminous and powerful. “The collection moved from shadows to the presence of light and finally to reflection. The first sequence was all very dark, yet sculptural, resembling the formation of shadows and closely touching the skin. I think it’s a metaphor for how the light we seek externally is actually within us,” said Amit.
The second section was entirely light. “Without light, you would not observe colour, shine, or anything. You slowly start seeing the development of colour or glimmer, but it’s still somewhat in the darkness. It led to the Benarasi ('pre-loved' Benarasis that have been a hit since their introduction at India Couture Week in 2024), which was, I would say, a full-blown understanding of life and celebration. Finally, the light you sought has always been a part of you. It’s how you reflect the light that comes from within you (which is where mirror work came in). In all senses, a mirror has always warded off evil, reflected light, and actually became one with its surroundings,” said Amit.
Amit’s journey is a testament not only to his resilience but also to his dogged belief in his own thinking. As a brand, AA was way ahead of its time, working with materials as different as polymers and liquid organza. Over the years, Amit has honed his craft to sheer brilliance. Hailing from a middle-class family of engineers and botanists, Amit dreamed of becoming a fashion designer since he was eight. He studied at NIFT, Delhi, worked with Tarun Tahiliani and was the creative director of Morphe. Amit Aggarwal was founded in 2012, followed by his ready-to-wear line AM:IT in 2015. The latter was relaunched at the India Art Fair this February through an installation.
His couture creations have taken the form of phantasmagoria over the years. Much like his jellyfish fantasy. “As a child, I used to look at the clear blue skies, and I could almost see these translucent jellyfish creatures that could float in the air, almost like amoeba, or they could be like caterpillars with a big head or a very amorphous form. I’d already befriended these creatures, these long, old friends of mine. I could push them at the corner of my eye and blink again, and they would just pop up like a storybook,” Amit said in 2012 at TEDx Delhi.
Amit’s steadfastness in his vision and dreams has earned him his muses. Men and women who are independent and sure of themselves. Brides who want to stand out. “The first bride who walked into our studio said she wanted to wear something different. And that started the legacy that is Amit Aggarwal. Today, I can proudly say that at every third wedding in the country, the bride owns something that’s made by our studio, completely made out of discarded materials, out of textiles that never saw the light of day. So, every little thought, every little dream that you’ve ever had for yourself is going to be true if you travel deep within you because everything you ever wanted lies close within you,” said Amit at TEDx 2024.
A thought that tied it well with Orizon, which was also a quest to find oneself. “It’s like taking a train ride. While the world around you moves, and it literally becomes a haze, because when the train picks up speed, you kind of lose what the individual things are, but they kind of become just a pattern, right? But only when you stop at a larger station do you realise the distance you’ve crossed. I think as individuals, we evolve daily. I mean, the people that we meet, the conversations that we have, the movies that we see, even what we are doing right now, I think it will only lead us to evolve to something else. One day, you’ll likely reflect on the person you were versus who you are today. You’ll realise that the journey from the shadows into the light — becoming a bright light yourself — has been a pivotal path in your life,” Amit told t2 post-show.
Amit’s bride was desi, edgy, and cool, and she liked to keep things light. “Opulence cannot always come from wearing 25 kilos of a piece. So I think the lightness of things — how easily they can be packed and stored — is crucial. But I also feel that the bride of Amit Aggarwal has not uprooted herself completely from the realms of tradition because I do feel that the wedding or the marriage as such is something that’s bound in a traditional tonality, right? That has been an age-old philosophy of humankind, but I think she also seeks that platform to realise that it’s not just about me giving up on my dreams and hopes, but a step toward collaboration,” said Amit.
We ended our conversation by focusing on strong women. Amit recently dressed the Icelandic singer-songwriter and composer Björk. A match of avant-garde aesthetics. “I think, only a few times in a person’s life do you feel that it was meant to be. Björk has, of course, engineered the scientific aspects of sound. I wouldn’t call her just a musician or a singer. I think she has created a new language by understanding what the core DNA of sound means. And I think, especially with what she wore, that whole collection also really spoke of DNA as the benchmark for all the understandings we take from our lives. It wasn’t about happiness or an achievement. There was a sense of completeness, which has nothing to do with whether you’re happy or sad,” he smiled.
