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If Kanika Goel’s Fall Winter 2024 collection Arc Echo was inspired by the varied perceptions within the dream realm, her latest collection, 'Playfield', is one that ‘plays’ with one of life’s biggest joys: the state of being at play. If I had to pick one intention I’ve observed this New Year, it’s got to be play; people talking about letting go of rigidness and learning to go with the flow, of allowing ourselves to succumb to our inner child. We millennials as a generation grew up with the need for productivity ingrained into our very being, and it seems like most of us are trying to dismantle the conditioning. The latest collection from Kanika Goyal has vibrant hues, unkempt edges, playful motifs in spades.
The founder and designer of Kanika Goyal Label or KGL has many accolades to her name, and their latest Spring Summer 2025 collection was showcased at London Fashion Week at the renowned Institute of Contemporary Arts in London. According to the brand, the collection was inspired by various schools of thought that are connected to the concept of 'Play'. First is the fluidity and transformative nature of human existence that is captured when we actively play. The way we break free from our other constraints to explore ourselves and the world around us in those moments.
Second, is the concept of Divine Play or 'Lila', that is often talked about in Hindu Mythology. It is a signifier of concepts of cosmic scale; that the universe and its order, or lack thereof, is a product of cosmic humour at the behest of gods, For the brand, “Lila embodies the charm of cosmic humour, illustrating the joyful and spontaneous facets of existence, reminding us that life is a delightful game meant to be enjoyed and valued. The various realities are transformable, blurring the lines between divine play and non-play, akin to a divine game of hide and seek. This blurred boundary reflects the cheerful and spontaneous elements of existence, emphasizing that life itself is a magnificent game to relish.”
But most importantly, as creatives, Kanika and her team took to the Play collection as a way to reflect on their many explorations with art, and especially the beauty of it when one is not looking for perfection and colouring within the lines, but rather doing unbridled expression and creative exploration. In delving further into the mindset of Play, the brand took inspiration from the play that they’ve observed in their everyday life- from the brutalist buildings that dot the horizon of Kanika’s hometown of Chandigarh to the beautiful geometry observed among flora.
While they did throw caution to the wind by choosing the theme of Play as their inspiration, they remained resolute in their dedication to being on the right side of the story in terms of production approach. According to their website, “A majority of the cotton and denim are sourced from their network of vendors that have surplus stock, as KGL embraces circularity by using materials that are less resource-dependent and that have longer life cycles.”
The myriad of inspirations that the brand found has been transformed into truly playful design elements - from childlike scribbled details featured in the embroidered details of their pieces to uneven drapes juxtaposed with structure to add dynamism to the overall collection. They have also worked extensively on the surface details and created textures through bonded or pleated fabrics, or even kept details that seem undone or unkempt, leaving an air of incompleteness that the brand refers to as being something ‘of comfort.’ This is the reason why the brand has featured odd embellished motifs, layered graphic engineered shirts, and even denims featuring new and innovative ways of distressing, or ombre fades.
A favourite for me would have to be the slouchy jeans that fade from pale blue to lavender, or perhaps the Tee/Top emblazoned with the clause of ‘absurd days’ and detailed with childlike scribbles and doodles for good measure. After all, if the state of being at Play is what the label was trying to channel, absurd days of creative chaos would’ve exactly been the reason why this riot of a collection came into being.
Learn more about Kanika Goel Label here.
