Dhruv Kapoor’s SS25 Co-Ed show at Milan Fashion Week: Bunny therapy meets gender-fluid fashion

While it is tough to get a word in edgewise when Sabato De Sarno’s micro shorts at Gucci and Alessandro Michele’s debut Valentino collection are in competition, Milan Fashon Week Spring 2025 had a few, albeit quiet, winners this season. One of them, MFW regular Dhruv Kapoor (this is his fifth showcase), simply called his the SS25 Co-Ed show, referencing nostalgia, in particular childhood memories of dressing up in dad’s shoes or a sibling’s outfit. According to a release circulated before the show, he was taking audiences “to a time when gender had no bearing and natural feelings trumped controlled thoughts”.

Kapoor, 34, who is celebrating a decade of his eponymous brand this year, and retails through 65 stores, had tapped into consecutive dreams and his favourite stuffie as a toddler for set design. An inflatable red bunny sat at the centre of his red-lit Milan runway, its print embroidered and engineered on his models’ dresses, giant shoulder bombers, jorts and pyjamas. It was quite easy to imagine director-producer and Dhruv Kapoor regular Karan Johar in one of the blazers showcased. Or style icon Kelly Rutherford, actor Jameela Jamil and her partner James Blake or any of his other famous front row guests, in the ensembles.

Delhi-based Kapoor, who has put his stints at Etro and his many awards — the Vogue India Fashion Fund award in 2015, the Young Designer Award by Camera della Moda, Italy in 2019, nominations for the International Woolmark Prize — and mentorship programmes to good use, has over the years emerged as an Indian designer well suited to the global stage. While his success in Japan comes as no surprise, he has been creating a multiverse, dipping into many cultures, with show titles like Soul-Tech and The Embracer. This SS25 collection, featuring transitional looks in washed cotton poplin, upcycled denim, textured faux leather taffeta and glazed nylons, is a study in contrasts. Hyper brights with dull neutrals, or a playful combination of giant and petite. Almost all are gender-fluid, as we have now come to expect. Taking a breather a day after the show, Kapoor admits that backstage his female models had their eye on the red lace dress and the sparkly nylon bomber. More from him:

Does your bunny have a name?

I call him Junior. He reminds me of the one I had. Mine was beige and was specially dressed for gatherings at home, though they never left the room. Ha ha.

Themes like childhood optimism and nostalgia were seen across MFW shows this season. Is this a reflection of our troubled times?

I feel they serve as memory triggers, to remind us of the magic within each of us. I hope to celebrate the idea of oneness, to unite global cultures by birthing a new aesthetic. It is essential in our current times to unite — we all are the same, desire the same things and forever seek love from one another. As a brand, we aim to bring diverse cultures together, blurring lines of gender, origin, or social and political restraints.

Your 90s slouchy trousers and the gently sparkling denim set are a hit. What’s new with your slogan tees, which earlier made a political statement or had cosmic messages?

I love the handcrafted denim set, which took us weeks to finish, and the toy flowers jacket, which is a hand-beaded 3-D structure by our skilled craftsmen. And for the slogan tees, they are pure humour. These are mostly statements I am shy to tell someone to their face, and now they are stamped onto T-shirts, as if by an outspoken child.

You are now known for your minimal and maximal or giant and petite combinations.

It was always exciting to discover that point where two polar concepts would meld seamlessly. I personally enjoy putting strange colour combinations together and finding that balance between ugly and beautiful.

Congratulations on moving into your new headquarters in Gurgaon this week. I understand you encourage your team to explore their individuality, to liberate themselves from the demands of their national, political or cultural identities?

I never dictate specific ideas to my team but brief them on the mood for the season and the subliminal messaging through our offering. We enjoy discussions on global subjects, films and of course a large dose of spiritual insights.

You have spoken about your journey with spirituality and human consciousness. I hear you mediate for an hour, and have been reading hypnotist and past-life therapist Dolores Cannon’s books.

Personally, I am a very detached person. I am not a fan of crowded places and prefer to centre myself from time to time. I still meditate and constantly read self-evolutionary literature. I choose what I wish to give attention to and the rest floats away. The biggest learning I’ve had over time is that everything that you can think of, already exists — it boils down to the frequency you are vibrating at and how you could lift it to access all desired realities. I enjoy mind-bending ideologies and [conscious media] streaming platforms such as Gaia.

You brought some of these learnings to your venue design at MFW.

It was curated to transport us to a joyful, carnival-like mood in the middle of our current day industrial setting. The sound, light, and colour were carefully selected to perform as memory triggers, the binaural beats to elevate emotions. The overflow of red was to improve blood circulation and improve energy levels.

Che Kurrien, editorial head of GQ India, in an article for India Press, observed that menswear is at the epicentre of global culture now. And that the reason it is most exciting is because it is inclusive and fluid. Would you agree?

I feel it has always been there. But yes, it is thriving at the moment. I personally do not build the collection based on gender but simply divide styles across all categories through sizing. We have noticed a giant jump in experimental pieces that menswear centric stores are investing in, including our direct clientele, adorned with embroidery and in vibrant patterns and colours.

The SS25 Co-Ed collection, from acid-washed baggy jeans (₹66,600) to a bunny stamp notebook (₹950) can be ordered at dhruvkapoor.com