In 2002, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, a little-known designer from Kolkata, West Bengal, made his debut at Lakme India Fashion Week in Mumbai. There was some buzz around his name, but expectations from the media and industry insiders were modest.

His debut collection, entitled ‘Kashgaar Bazaar’, featured Western-inspired silhouettes, yet it was steeped in unapologetic Indianness. From the intricate embroidery to the layered use of India’s diverse textile traditions, the collection celebrated the country’s craftsmanship in a way that felt fresh and authentic. The show’s styling — with books, glasses and nods to the intellectual spirit of Kolkata — was a love letter to his home city, often considered the cultural and intellectual hub of India. Mukherjee’s ability to weave Western influences with a proudly Indian ethos made him the disruptor the country’s fashion industry had been waiting for.

“I remember it being so beautifully styled and staged… [the] models all wore horn-rimmed glasses and were carrying books that had a leather belt roped around them,” says Fern Mallis, author and former SVP of IMG Fashion, who spent a decade working closely with Lakme Fashion Week. “They walked slowly and deliberately, and it was quite mesmerising. My fashion industry colleagues and I all said: ‘Wow — what was that? We have to watch this guy and see if this is a one-time wonder. How will he follow this?’ …and he did, again and again and again.”