Through fractured textures, metallic surfaces, and deeply introspective storytelling, designer Bhawna Rao turns fashion into a language of self-discovery.
There is always something deeply emotional about the way Bhawna Rao approaches fashion. Her work has never felt limited to garments alone. Instead, it often exists somewhere between art, memory, emotion, and introspection. Through intricate craftsmanship, layered textures, and silhouettes that balance softness with strength, the designer has steadily built a language that feels deeply personal yet universally relatable.
“Fashion, for me, has always been a medium of expression; it’s my way of turning emotions into wearable fashion.”
But with Oblique, Rao perhaps reveals her most intimate collection yet.
Centred around the idea of the alter ego, Oblique explores the hidden selves we carry within us – the versions of ourselves that quietly evolve through experiences, emotions, vulnerability, pride, fear, and transformation. For Rao, the collection became a way of understanding identity beyond what is visible on the surface. “Every collection I create somehow reflects what I am experiencing emotionally, mentally, and spiritually at that point in life,” she shares.
The idea for Oblique began to take shape a few years ago, when the designer found herself unexpectedly drawn to concepts like quantum physics and parallel selves while working on a creative idea. Translating such a complex concept into something tangible and giving justice to it is a major challenge, on which she reflects, “I tried my best to express this journey through every element of the collection, through colours, textures, silhouettes, the surface treatments and detailing used in the garments.”
The collection reflects this through striking contrasts that appear consistently across the garments – ivory against black, softness against sharpness, fluidity against structure. Some surfaces are intentionally kept minimal and restrained, while others are heavily textured and layered.
The collection also features some key elements that reflect the idea of an alter ego at its best. For instance, the precisely broken-glass-inspired artwork represents those intense moments in life, whether it is an accident, achieving a dream, or winning something unexpected. “In certain moments, it almost feels like the version of us we know quietly breaks away, allowing another self to emerge,” says Rao.
Elsewhere, fringes handcrafted with tiny gold and silver glass beads flow like rain droplets across garments. For the designer, rain became a metaphor for change and evolution. The metallic finishes create strength and intensity, while the movement of the fringes introduces fluidity and tenderness. Through this contrast, Rao attempts to express the innocence that still exists within all of us, regardless of how much life changes us.
“No matter how strong, complicated, positive, or dark our emotions may become, somewhere inside, there is always a soft and innocent part of us that remains untouched.”
What makes Oblique feel particularly moving is how closely it mirrors Rao’s own personal evolution. The designer speaks openly about reaching a point in life where she began fully accepting herself – her insecurities, vulnerability, ego, pride, and strength alike.“That acceptance made me unapologetically myself,” she says. “It changed the way I looked at everything around me.
”And perhaps that honesty is what gives Oblique its emotional depth. The collection does not attempt to offer definitive answers about identity or selfhood. Instead, it quietly embraces contradiction, complexity, and constant evolution.
When asked what she would say to her own alter ego today, she said, “I am able to understand you slightly and feel my conscious self is a little closer to you. Thank you for being this wonderful throughout my life.”