Firstpost at Lakme Fashion Week 2025 | Lakmē Fashion Week X FDCI: Pankaj & Nidhi unveil ‘Araquis’ – A futuristic royalty

Araquis is imagined as attire for a sovereign world. The palette draws from the landscape of a sun baked realm, rich earthen browns, smoked copper, burnished gold and flickers of silver and blue that catch the eye like mirages on sand

Design duo Pankaj & Nidhi presented “Araquis” presented Lakmē Fashion Week X FDCI- a collection that reimagines eveningwear through the lens of regal futurism and warrior elegance. The show unfolded like a vision from another world, a desert spanning empire where sovereigns are dressed in couture that fuses armor with grace and strength with sensuality.

The moment that defined the night came with Mrunal Thakur closing the show. She appeared in a sculpted golden bodice layered with metallic textures that shimmered like molten armor under light. The shoulders rose into a commanding architectural form, giving the look a celestial strength. Paired with a sleek black skirt and a high slit, the ensemble balanced restraint and power, beauty and authority.

Araquis is imagined as attire for a sovereign world. The palette draws from the landscape of a sun baked realm, rich earthen browns, smoked copper, burnished gold and flickers of silver and blue that catch the eye like mirages on sand. Surfaces are treated as terrain, layered with ripples, scales and metallic sheens that evoke desert winds and molten dunes. The silhouettes alternate between flowing gowns and structured jackets, fluid drapes and strong geometry, revealing both movement and might.

True to the design house’s language, the collection is a study in construction and craftsmanship. The garments are sculpted yet soft, intricate yet effortless. Metallic embellishments glint like sunlight on steel, while sharp tailoring gives form to fluid fabrics. There is a quiet sense of discipline in every cut and seam, as if each piece was forged rather than stitched.

“Araquis was born from the idea of resilience, of beauty that protects,” said Pankaj and Nidhi. “We wanted to imagine what power would look like when expressed through grace. The silhouettes are structured like armor, but within them lies fluidity, handwork and the human touch.”

With Araquis, Pankaj & Nidhi reaffirm their mastery of storytelling through surface and structure. The collection is both timeless and futuristic, rooted in craftsmanship yet soaring in imagination, a coronation of form, strength and modern femininity.