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Amit Aggarwal’s AM:IT Brings a New Mood to After-Hours Dressing at Lakmē Fashion Week X FDCI
The end of the working day rarely means switching off one version of yourself and stepping into another. Sometimes, it is simply a matter of changing the mood. A familiar silhouette takes on a different character, colour becomes more expressive, and the details that felt restrained a few hours earlier begin to make a statement. This transition from the everyday to the unexpected set the tone for On a Day Like Today, Amit Aggarwal’s AM:IT collection presented at the Lakmē Fashion Week X FDCI Grand Finale on October 18, 2026, in collaboration with the House of Lakmē.
Drawing from the visual language of everyday India, Aggarwal revisited familiar domestic objects, traditional crafts and everyday gestures, translating them through unexpected materials, textures and techniques. Utility and ornament found common ground, while colour and surface detailing brought a sense of play to the collection. The references were rooted in the familiar, but their interpretation belonged firmly to a contemporary wardrobe.
The collection follows four after-hours personalities: The Clock-In, The Unwinder, The Escapist and The Socialiser. Each reflects a different mood, from the composure of the working day to the desire to relax, break routine or step out for an evening with friends. Rather than prescribing four distinct ways to dress, they capture the many directions personal style can take over the course of a day.
The beauty direction followed this shift in mood. Through Lakmē 9to5’s ‘5PM Glam Reset’, the collaboration explored the moment when daytime commitments give way to evening plans. The new Lakmē 9to5 HYA Glam range brought a hydrated, high-impact glow to the runway, positioning makeup as an integral part of the transformation rather than an afterthought. A change in beauty, much like a change in styling, can give an outfit an entirely different presence.
Lakmē brand ambassador Aneet Padda walked the finale runway, bringing the collaboration’s approach to dressing and beauty into focus. Speaking about the experience, Padda noted how makeup can complement an outfit and bring a look together, with a few thoughtful choices taking it from simple to statement-making.
For Aggarwal, the collection was an opportunity to find new possibilities in familiar surroundings. “With On a Day Like Today, I wanted to draw from the visual language of everyday India, reinterpreting familiar crafts, domestic objects and gestures through unexpected materials, textures and techniques,” said the founder and creative director of AM:IT. His approach places everyday cultural references within a new design context, allowing their character to emerge through a contemporary vocabulary of material and form.
Sunanda Khaitan, CMO, Beauty & Wellbeing, HUL, described the partnership as a natural meeting of fashion and beauty. Pairing Aggarwal’s designs with the Lakmē 9to5 HYA Glam range, she said, reflects the way women move between workday responsibilities and evening celebrations, with beauty helping them navigate that transition.
At the Grand Finale, On a Day Like Today approached after-hours dressing as an opportunity for expression rather than a strict change of dress code. Through its references to everyday Indian life, its interplay of utility and ornament, and its partnership with Lakmē, the collection explored the small but meaningful ways a woman can change the mood of her look as the day unfolds.
