Pratima Pandey Presents ‘Katha’ at Lakmé Fashion Week, Turning Kathakali’s Visual Language Into Handcrafted Stories
PRAMA by Pratima Pandey brings silk Chanderi tissue, patchwork, Kantha and Sujani embroidery together in a collection built on storytelling through craft
Designer Pratima Pandey will present ‘Katha’, the latest collection from her label PRAMA, at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI in New Delhi this October. The collection draws on the visual language of Kathakali and India’s long tradition of telling stories through colour, movement, gesture and costume. It translates the theatricality of the art form into a contemporary design vocabulary, using silk Chanderi tissue, patchwork, Kantha and Sujani embroidery in garments meant to work as individual narratives.
Storytelling at the Centre
The idea of storytelling sits at the heart of Katha. Kathakali can communicate character, emotion and narrative through a distinctive visual language, and Pandey reads those elements through material, silhouette and handcraft. She does not recreate the theatrical form literally. Instead, the collection takes its spirit as a starting point to ask how stories can be carried through clothing.
Chanderi Tissue as the Foundation
Silk Chanderi tissue forms the base of the collection. Its luminous delicacy and ethereal lightness bring fluidity to the dramatic influences of Kathakali. Against that lightness, intricate handcraft adds depth and texture, setting up a dialogue between the theatrical and the intimate.
The Craft Vocabulary of Katha
Patchwork, Kantha and Sujani as a Language of Memory
Across Katha, patchwork, Kantha and Sujani embroidery work as a vocabulary of memory. Fragments, layers and stitches come together to hold traces of character, time and lived experience, so the handmade details become part of each garment’s story rather than decoration added to it.
Spectacle and Restraint, in One Collection
The interplay between material and form carries through sculptural silhouettes and richly worked surfaces. The result is a considered tension between spectacle and restraint, and between grandeur and quiet detail. The collection moves between these contrasts while keeping the delicacy of Chanderi and the individuality that comes with handwork.
The Theatrical
- Kathakali’s visual language
- Sculptural silhouettes
- Richly worked surfaces
- Spectacle and grandeur
The Intimate
- The lightness of silk Chanderi tissue
- Handwork with individual character
- Layers and stitches that hold memory
- Restraint and quiet detail
In Pratima Pandey’s Words
With Katha, PRAMA by Pratima Pandey treats every garment as a narrative in its own right, composed, layered and brought to life by hand. The collection looks at tradition not only as a reference to the past but as a living language that can carry stories forward through contemporary design.
At a Glance
Quick Answers
What is Katha?
A collection by PRAMA by Pratima Pandey inspired by the visual language of Kathakali and India’s tradition of storytelling through colour, movement, gesture and costume.
Where will it be presented?
At Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI, in New Delhi, in October 2026.
What crafts feature in it?
Silk Chanderi tissue as the foundation, with patchwork, Kantha and Sujani embroidery adding depth and texture.
Does it recreate Kathakali literally?
No. The collection uses Kathakali’s spirit as a starting point to explore how stories can be carried through clothing.
About FDCI
The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) is a non-profit organisation and the apex body of fashion design in India, represented by over 400 members. Its prime objective is to propagate the business of fashion. More at www.fdci.org.
