Last season, Bibhu Mohapatra broke from tradition. Instead of finding a famous historical woman to serve as his muse, the designer looked inward, building his collection around his pilgrimage to India to perform funeral rites for his brother and parents. Mohapatra debated exploring the emotional, intensely personal material through fashion. “I’m not scared of change anymore,” he said. “I’m ready to pivot.”
For his resort 2026 offering, Mohapatra once again turned to his own life for inspiration. This time, he referenced a recent trip to his ancestral village, which he hadn’t visited for 20 years. “I connected immediately with all those things that I had left,” he said. Childhood summers spent playing in the rice paddies are translated into a recurring geometric embroidery, which is splashed across cocktail dresses and sweeping ballgowns alike. Mohapatra’s interpretation of the monsoon season, a zig-zagging motif, is featured on a high-neck teal evening dress and a black column dress. A hundred-year-old jasmine vine in the village led the designer to create an ivory lace skirt set with 3D floral appliqués.
Like the rest of the industry, Mohapatra is feeling the effects of tariffs. “People become a little conscious about pricing,” he said. So when it comes to his own offering, “it has to be absolutely unique, and the perceived value has to be right.” By tapping into his own lived experience, he is heading in the right direction.