LFW SS26 - Sanyukta Shrestha: Slow Fashion And Opulence
- Simon Nora-Dreyfus
- 6 hours ago
- 5 min read
Best known for her luxurious bridal collections and custom red-carpet looks, Nepalese-born British designer Sanyutka Shrestha offers a daring proposition combining her native country’s legacy, love for imperial silhouettes and commitment to ethical fashion for Spring Summer 2026. Held in the 1901 Ballroom venue of the Andaz London hotel, the show was preceded by a minute of silence, paying a tribute to the lost lives of protesters in Nepal, uprising against governmental corruption in September this year. The tone was set; rather than trying to avoid the world’s turbulence, Sanyukta Shrestha stands for a deeply conscious approach to art.
While the collection title—The Newars 1901—refers to the ballroom, the collection and its parade of bell-shaped gowns definitely juggles with mid-19th-century references. Interestingly, the historical era that inspired the collection is one in which patriarchal dominion over women was at its climax. In British society, women's exclusion from economic activity was often used as an index for a society's progress, especially as women in England remained disenfranchised. Reflecting their constraining status, the average Victorian woman wore about five layers of clothing. Shrestha managed to toy with Victorian grandeur, flirting with historical cliché but always with a mischievous wink, turning old-world opulence into something more accessible. The use of tulle while conserving the crinoline on some designs lightens the traditional Victorian wardrobe, whilst still exhibiting impressive volumes. On some looks, the high collar becomes an accessory, distinct from the rest of the dress. Alongside bringing Victorian aristocracy back to life, the collection was deeply rooted in Nepal’s earliest age.
When asked about her inspirations, Shrestha told STRAND: ‘This collection is about a Newari girl time-travelling to the Victorian era. I’m from a Newar community, and Newars are the first indigenous people who formed Kathmandu Valley in Nepal. They are crafters who built temples many years ago. They are my ancestors. I wanted to bring them and their beauty to my collection. I wanted to imagine how this woman would dress up: She wouldn’t give up her identity. She stands for her identity. But at the same time, she embraces Victorian drama, Victorian elegance, Victorian craft. It is a combination of two different cultures, two different times, two different arts and two different continents.’
The bet was not the safest. Incorporating codes from two historical periods risked the collection resembling a parade of unwearable costumes. However, Shrestha avoids this, and the collection moves away from strict historical realities, instead drawing on an established set of visual codes.It is in this 'camp' approach that lies its strength. Neither old nor clumsy, the collection ingeniously juggles references. For instance, on some looks, the models’ Victorian braids are interwoven with the traditional Newari sachika. The dresses are imbued with elements from Newar temples and seem to be constructed as the very same temples, turning the models into buildings. Their shape evokes the bells, the accumulation of roofs and their ornamented interior. The palette of carmine red, black and white adorned with the gold of the ostentatious accessories, simultaneously recalls Nepal’s architecture and the aesthetics of Victorian aristocracy. But, above all, a third reality merges at the frontier of these two worlds. The designer brings a marginalised culture onto one overrepresented, as a sweet revenge on history.
In 1901, Queen Victoria died, and with her passing, the era that took her name came to an end. In this collection, Sanyukta Shrestha allows herself to dream. The Newars 1901 is a last ball, one in which the vanishing of the colonial empire allows British and Nepalese princesses to meet and exchange traditions. In our real, less exciting reality, very few Nepalis reached Britain in the Victorian era, and those who did were mostly men. Prime Minister of Nepal, Jung Bahadur Rana’s 1850 visit to Britain was one of the rare ones. Accompanied by male officials only, he met Queen Victoria and became one of the first South Asian rulers to visit Europe. Sanyukta Shrestha reshapes history, inventing an alternative to world events through fashion. Her vision of art is not confined to merely images. Rather than depoliticising her creations, she is conscious of the power dynamics underpinning fashion and tackles them.
Reflecting on her journey, Sanyukta Shrestha confessed to STRAND that becoming a fashion designer wasn’t her childhood dream. She told us: “At age 17, I got the opportunity to design for Miss Nepal. My first-ever design got the best design award. As a teenager, I didn’t expect that at all but that opened the door and I keep on continuing my journey. It was not an intentional journey though; I didn’t want to be a fashion designer. I always loved the art, craft but I always say it felt more that fashion went to me rather than me going to fashion. It came in a natural, organic way.” Sanyukta graduated from the London College of Fashion in 2005. Taking advantage of the industry's flourishing opportunities, she entered fashion, seeing it as a platform to put her commitments into practice.
Glamour and glitter were not enough for the designer, especially when used to conceal how polluting the industry is.
Instead, since her debut two decades ago, Sanyukta has increasingly sought to promote a new business model imbued with her values. One ‘kind to people and the planet’, as she defines it.
With a broad commitment to ‘ethical practices’, putting forward the organic, vegan, cruelty-free, handcrafted, timeless designs, she won the PETA Luxury Vegan Wedding Awards 2021. The label encompasses a zero-waste approach, slow and transparent supply chain, minimal carbon footprint, and high-end designs that reflect many hours of meticulous work using the hand-spun and hand-woven sustainable materials. This collection introduced Sanyukta Shrestha’s first luxury handbags, crafted from biodegradable fruit leather! The fabrics also include surplus leathers and handcrafted brass Vaajra handles, inspired by the sacred ritual object in Himalayan Buddhism–serving here as the handles of the bag. The fashion industry is said to be the second most harmful for the global climate because the fabrics are petroleum-based or their creation requires a crazy amount of water, as for cotton cultivation, let alone that most garments are stitched in sweatshops in the Global South. Sanyukta Shrestha’s collections are created in collaboration with Fair-Trade certified artisans in Nepal to promote a circular economy and preserve ancestral skills. As she told Strand, her aim is also to raise awareness: “We can create awareness gradually and tell people that anything can be creative. We should go beyond what is mainstream fashion. You can’t just follow fashion; you have to think, to pause. I want more conscious women.”
Yet questions of practical and economic viability inevitably arise, an issue with which Shrestha acknowledges openly: “It is very constraining indeed, especially when we started 15 years ago (Sanyukta spends up to two years researching a fabric or a process before using it). But I love that challenge, I have embraced it because I think we need to look after our world. We can’t just take, we have to be able to give back to our community and at the same time to the environment. Yes, there are a lot of constraints that come with sustainability; it’s a package. I love to work on that special part and bring even more beauty because then, it gives you more power to think beyond that use of the pattern. It challenges me, as a designer, to create something that is so limited and bring the best out of it.” Her journey into fashion proves that the industry doesn’t need to be defined by consumerism and sacrifice of ethics; another path is possible.
Edited by Arielle Sam-Alao, Co-Fashion Editor
