Pink Phool India and Radhika Charitable Trust recently came together to present Sakhiye, a fashion showcase in Hyderabad that placed transgender designers, models and creatives at the centre of the runway. Homegrown looks at the community-led event, its contemporary reinterpretation of Indian textiles, and how it reflects the growing visibility of queer fashion and regional creative ecosystems in South India.
Hyderabad-based Pink Phool India has carved out a space for independent fashion, handcrafted design and cultural programming, bringing together emerging designers, artists and creative entrepreneurs through its concept store and community-led events. Over the years, it has become a platform where regional labels and craft practices find visibility alongside exhibitions, workshops and collaborations that reflect the city's growing creative ecosystem. Continuing that vision, Pink Phool India partnered with Radhika Charitable Trust, an organisation that has consistently worked towards the inclusion and empowerment of transgender communities, to present a fashion showcase that placed trans creatives at the heart of the experience.
Titled 'Sakhiye,' the contemporary showcase was held at Toko Café, Hyderabad and curated by Neha Prakash. The event centred on a collection by designer and Telugu social media influencer. Subbalakshmi, a trans woman whose work explored traditional Indian textiles through contemporary silhouettes and styling. Eighteen transgender women took to the runway to present the collection, while Hyderabad-based non-binary drag artist Patruni Sastry appeared as the show's showstopper. Costume designer Sunita Konidela, along with members of Hyderabad's fashion and creative community, attended the showcase, making it a gathering that brought together designers, performers, supporters and audiences within the same space.
At the centre of the collection was a contemporary interpretation of Indian textiles, particularly the saree, approached through a design language that honoured familiar materials while opening them up to new forms of expression. The garments reflected ideas of identity, craftsmanship and self-expression through fabrics that have long occupied an important place in Indian fashion. The runway itself became an extension of those ideas, with transgender creatives leading the presentation across design and modelling. Together, the collection and its cast celebrated individuality while demonstrating the possibilities that emerge when fashion grows from lived experiences and community.
Sakhiye also draws attention to a part of India's fashion landscape that rarely receives sustained coverage. Much of the national conversation continues to revolve around a handful of metropolitan fashion hubs, even as cities like Hyderabad nurture their own networks of designers, drag artists, community organisations and cultural practitioners. By bringing together a trans designer, eighteen trans women models, traditional Indian textiles and a community-led platform, the showcase highlighted the evolving queer fashion movement taking shape in South India. It offered a glimpse into a creative ecosystem where representation is embedded throughout the process and where regional voices continue to shape the future of Indian fashion.
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