Fashion designer Archana Kochhar, the official designer for Miss World 2025, described her experience as “transformational” during an exclusive conversation following her showcase at the 72nd Miss World Festival. Speaking from Hyderabad where she presented a collection rooted in Telangana textiles, Kochhar said the pageant offered her a rare chance to present Indian heritage on a global platform. “It’s more than just a professional milestone. It’s a statement of what Indian fashion stands for today: heritage with global relevance,” she said.Her garments were worn by all the Miss World contestants at the Top Model event of the festival, including India’s Nandini Gupta, who appeared in an ensemble crafted from handloom fabrics. Kochhar’s creations blended Pochampally Ikat, Narayanpet, 2G and 4G sarees and Gollabhama weaves into contemporary silhouettes. She sees this process not merely as design but as storytelling. “I didn’t just design garments. I curated narratives,” she said.Kochhar worked with Telangana’s weaving clusters and sourced directly from artisans. She recalled one moment in particular and said, “A Gollabhama saree weaver told me, ‘We don’t just weave fabric, we weave grace.’ That line stayed with me.” She described the artisans as engineers of emotion whose stories formed the intent of the collection.Kochhar designed over 240 looks this year. Each outfit had to strike a balance between unity and individuality, especially given the diverse backgrounds of the contestants. “Designing over 240 looks isn’t about just making clothes. It’s about building a language that unites without erasing identity,” she explained. She opted for structured gowns, jacket lehengas and draped formats that felt global but stayed rooted in Indian tradition. The South Indian half saree and the North Indian lehenga served as her base template, brought together to evoke both heritage and innovation.When asked how traditional weaves like Pochampally were adapted without losing their identity, Kochhar responded, “You evolve the silhouette, not the soul.” She retained original motifs and textures while introducing globally accepted cuts and fits, believing that authenticity does not require translation. “It’s not about disguising the tradition. It’s about letting it shine in a format that resonates globally,” she said.Some contestants, she shared, responded with astonishment at how breathable and luxurious the handloom outfits felt. One felt regal in a Pochampally ensemble and was moved after learning about the lives of the weavers. “That moment proved that craft speaks a universal language,” Kochhar said, adding, “Personally, it grounded me even deeper in my purpose to give our textiles a voice that echoes far beyond our borders.”
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