Homesickness is a complicated feeling. In the 17th century, the term 'nostalgia' was coined to describe a potentially deadly form of homesickness. Today, while no longer considered a physical illness, the word nostalgia continues to carry the bittersweet feeling of longing for what has passed. To miss something is painful, but it’s also a gift to love a place enough that you yearn for it.
When Abarna Kugathasan founded Kitschy Couture, she forged a creative space that explores what home means to her. Born and raised in Germany to Sri Lankan Tamil parents, Kitschy Couture became an avenue for Kugathasan to express her diasporic and transcultural identity. As a Tamil woman in Germany, Kugathasan’s cultural experience was split between her Sri Lankan home and her German surroundings. Kitschy Couture is a coming together of the two, allowing cultures to meld together in a magical expression of immigrant identity.
Kitschy Couture’s Spring/Summer 2026 collection is a manifestation of both longing and love. Christened 'Heimweh', German for 'homesickness', the collection is based on Kugathasan’s multifaceted experiences as a second-generation immigrant. On the one hand, her teenage years were marked by exoticisation and a “constant search for a sense of belonging.” On the other hand, she loved her home and felt deeply connected to her Tamil roots. In turn, Heimweh reinterprets traditional South Asian fashion with Kitschy Couture’s signature, lingerie-inspired style, imbuing heritage with unapologetic eccentricity.
While fusion fashion is nothing new, Kitschy Couture’s approach to it feels braver and somehow more authentic than its contemporaries. Their works do not care to conform to convention. Gender, culture, and even inner versus outerwear are not categorical in Kugathasan’s whimsical world. This collection turns bras into racy ballgowns and pairs dupattas with mini-dresses. One model walked down the runway at Berlin Fashion Week in a tank top printed with fake jewels and the words “Immigrant” stamped across their chest in a bold red. Another walked in nothing but tighty whities, knee-high converse, and actual jewels draped over their torso. Kitschy Couture is nothing if not subversive, exciting audiences through its ability to defy expectation.
Although Heimweh maintains the free-spirited precedent set by Kitschy Couture’s previous collections, it’s also the label’s most distinctly South Asian collection yet. Previous Kitschy Couture collections leaned heavily into using polyester, satin, and lace to build a playful, 'gaudy-in-a-good-way' fantasy land. This collection, however, was constructed using vintage sarees from the 90s and 2000s, making it a true love letter to traditional fashion. It’s South Asian fashion unlike anything else on the runway right now; a testament to the power of embracing cultural variance. While Heimweh is an expression of homesickness, it's not about being Tamil or German, man or woman, or any other similar comparision. Instead, it’s the creation of a new sort of home: a creative space where anyone can not just exist, but also belong outside the claustrophoic confines of labels.
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