I’ve been a fan of Raw Mango as a label for a long time. Yes, the clothes are gorgeous, but it’s always been the way the clothes were put into real-life contexts - the campaigns and storytelling - that has kept me going back. Looking closer, I realise that all my favourite lifestyle brands integrate their products with lived experiences and inspired narratives over dripping displays of opulence. When speaking to the founder of Raw Mango, Sanjay Garg, one of the biggest talking points was how Garland, their latest collection, achieves exactly that.  

With Garland, Raw Mango offers more than beautiful garments - it presents stories of love, conflict, and cultural coexistence. Through an intimate wedding campaign told in an episodic, almost found-footage style, Raw Mango blends traditional Indian aesthetics with everyday human realities. To unpack the layers of this collection and its campaign, we caught up with Sanjay Garg, the founder and designer of the iconic Homegrown label.

The festive collection, Garland, is rooted in an exploration of cultural symbols, particularly garlands. Garg explained: “Celebrations, blessings, ornamentation - garlands represent a feeling for us as Indians, they are not just decorative. They are the architecture of Indian culture, an essential part of our daily life.” 

Inspired by the deep association with floral garlands that South Asians have, and traditions associated with it - whether as torans hanging on doorways, intricate malas at weddings, or those immortalised in Mauryan sculptures - Garland, according to the brand transforms these symbols into clothing. The collection features brocade, colour-contrast appliquéd details, and celebratory hues like gulkand rani (rose-inspired pink), lotus petal pink, mogra white, and the deep green of raw mango leaves.  “We wanted to capture more than just visual beauty,” Garg said. “Our goal was to translate the essence of garlands into the textile - how they embody connection, joy, and shared experiences.”  

The campaign for Garland sets itself apart with a narrative approach that feels raw and authentic. Shot inside a South Delhi home, it portrays the spectrum of emotions surrounding an intimate wedding: joy, celebration, disagreements, drunken revelry, and reconciliation. Garg was deliberate about always steering clear of over-the-top glamour typically associated with wedding campaigns. He went on to share how, “Weddings aren’t just photo ops - they are complex social gatherings. This campaign reflects real pressures - like couples navigating expectations and finding meaning in smaller, personal celebrations. The last thing people need to see is another polished Bollywood fantasy where attires are presented in front of palaces.” A key part of the campaign's authenticity was avoiding professional models.

The designer went on further to add how the cast engaged in conversations through the shoot, discussing stereotypes and cultural touch-points. He also shared how the campaign film followed an unscripted storytelling format. “We didn’t write any dialogues as such for the campaign," he explains. We simply gave the cast topics to discuss, or tuned into the topic they were already on, and let the conversations flow naturally. It was authentic, not scripted.” And this in turn is what has given the campaign an intimate, found-footage effect that resonates deeply.  

Of Human Hymns and Unscripted Campaign Film

The use of folk traditions, particularly Kanhaiya Dangal performances, further ties the campaign to Indian roots. As the performers encircled the couple, their presence evoked the imagery of a gajra to me - a garland crafted from interactions and shared moments. Garg reflected how going back to the art form was a touch on his personal roots, that he keeps going back to. But more than that, he has always had a love for the beauty of real human voices singing in unison. From Raw Mango’s 2018 Heer Campaign that featured a young girl singing, to this one that featured Kanhaiya Geet, Garg has kept going back to it. In the case of Garland, he mentioned how “...the performers were like witnesses to the wedding, similar to how priests oversee rituals. Their hymns carried a personal, spiritual energy that was vital to the campaign.”  

During our conversation, I couldn’t help but mention the campaign’s resemblance to Monsoon Wedding - a movie that captures the messiness and magic of Indian weddings. Garg agreed on how he wanted to show the good and the complicated - arguments with parents, drunk friends singing into the night, the joy of simple moments. The love for human voices singing in unison, threaded through the campaign episodes, beginning with overlapping conversations, the Kanhaiya Dhangal performances and ending with friends and loved ones drunkenly singing into the night. The campaign was rightfully not just about presenting Raw Mango’s clothes, it was also about reflecting real emotions. 

This commitment to authenticity extends to the design philosophy as well. Garland subverts expectations, challenging the norms of what a wedding outfit should be. Garg emphasised further, “Mainstream Media in India has created an obsession with Bollywood-esque heavy, ornate outfits that don’t breathe or move with the body. We want to bring back clothes that reflect personal style and comfort — something that lets the individual shine, not just the garment.”  

The campaign has sparked varied reactions. While some praised its authenticity, others found it contrived. For Garg, these reactions are part of the process. “I’m not a filmmaker; I’m a designer. I don’t create campaigns to sell clothes but to tell stories. People have messaged us saying, ‘This feels like my story.’ That’s all I need to hear. Feedback matters, and I will take all the feedback that has been given as a way to improve what we do. But I’ll keep expressing what I believe in through my designs, and in turn through my campaigns.” 

This approach to storytelling makes Garland a deeply personal campaign, one that resonates with anyone who has experienced the beauty and chaos of a wedding.  Ultimately, Garland reflects more than just fashion - it represents a vision of India that embraces both tradition and change. Sanjay Garg sums it up perfectly:

“This is my way of expressing what I believe India needs right now. Through my designs, I document stories and moments that matter, just as you as a writer does through words.” 

And that line itself is the biggest selling point of Raw Mango as a brand and Sanjay Garg as a creative. He offers a refreshing perspective that creates a connection that is deeply relatable to their audience. The Garland collection and campaign is a befitting celebration not of convention but of meaning, connection, and individuality. Through their thoughtfully crafted clothes, presented through an evocative narrative, the collection invites us to reimagine what it means to celebrate, to love, and to belong.

Follow Raw Mango here.

If you enjoyed reading this, here's more from Homegrown:
Into The Heartsong: Péro’s Latest Collection Captures The True Essence Of Slow Living

Structure + Fluidity: In Conversation With Label 431-88 Founder Shweta Kapur

Kanakavalli’s Latest Editorial Captures The Beauty Of Ageing & The Passage Of Time