Fashion is always chasing what’s next. Dhruv Kapoor, however, seems more interested in what we already know, and what happens when those familiar things are pulled apart and seen differently.For Spring Summer 2027, Kapoor presented a collection in Milan built around memory, movement and change. His latest collaboration, PUMA X RCB X Dhruv Kapoor, became part of that story, bringing sport and collective identity into his world of reconstructed silhouettes and unexpected proportions.Rather than keeping the familiar PUMA and RCB visual codes intact, Kapoor played with them. Logos, shapes and details were shifted, enlarged or broken up, making something instantly recognisable feel new again.The idea of movement went beyond sportswear. Clothes moved between different eras, identities and ways of dressing. Some silhouettes were long and loose, while others were cropped and close to the body. The colours started off muted and sun-faded before moving into deeper, more saturated shades.
Indian dressing gets a contemporary twist
Indian clothing was another major reference point.Kapoor looked towards the lungi, vest and saree, but didn’t simply recreate them on the runway. Instead, he took their sense of wrapping, folding and layering and worked those gestures into contemporary silhouettes.Draping became part of the construction. Traditional shapes were stripped back to their simplest movements and then given a sharper, more urban form.The result was distinctly Indian without feeling like a literal interpretation of traditional dress.
Clothes that look lived in
There was also something deliberately imperfect about the collection.Embroidery travelled across seams instead of sitting neatly in one place, with botanical shapes appearing almost as if they had grown across the garments. Prints brought to mind faded posters, moss-covered surfaces, old timber and images that had survived from another time.The fabrics followed the same idea of things changing with age and use.Silk was bonded with jersey. Checks were crushed and fused. Leather was worked to create an uneven, almost weathered surface. Faded denim, distressed appliqué, layered lace, softened poplin and bonded tailoring gave familiar fabrics a less polished character.And that contrast between polished and worn ran through much of the collection.
Accessories become part of the story
The accessories weren’t treated as an afterthought either.Kapoor’s ‘Constant’ trunk, a large maxi vanity pouch, appeared in wrinkled, bonded and hand-embroidered versions. The practical bag took on a more tactile, almost sculptural quality.His Mary Jane returned with a square toe, while another shoe took the form of a tasselled mule. Leather-wrapped thong sliders brought in the simplicity of Indian footwear, but with a distinctly city-ready finish.For eyewear, Kapoor collaborated with Helsinki-based label Paloceras, whose sculptural frames added another architectural element to the looks.
A wardrobe that feels personal
Perhaps the most interesting part of the collection was the styling.The clothes didn’t look as if they’d been pulled from one perfectly coordinated wardrobe. Instead, they felt collected over time. Pieces were layered because they seemed to belong together in the wearer’s life, not because they belonged to the same season.Boxy vests appeared with tiny floral embroidery and colour-blocked panels. Speckled trenches were styled with their collars turned up. Sheer embellished tunics were worn almost like dresses, while lace tanks and wrapped skirts brought a softer side to the collection.One asymmetric black-and-white dress carried a woodgrain-inspired print and was paired with a bright blue tote containing a rolled yoga mat and flowers.That little detail said a lot about the mood of the collection. These weren’t clothes imagined only for a runway. They came with the things someone might carry through an ordinary day.Wide-leg trousers appeared alongside embroidered blousons and oxblood leather shorts. Fringed loafers added movement, while a voluminous black gathered skirt made an impact through sheer scale.
Butter yellow, sheer lace and unexpected contrasts
Butter yellow also made its presence felt, but Kapoor gave the familiar shade more weight.A quilted leather co-ordinated look brought the colour into sharper territory, while a matching vest and skirt moved it away from the usual soft, delicate associations.Sheer dressing came with its own tension. A sage-green lace top sat close to the body, paired with a high-waisted wrap skirt in black and teal glittered plaid. A floor-length column dress, covered in tiny black beaded florals, used transparency almost like a structural element.Elsewhere, a pale yellow quilted leather blouson came with a matching skirt, while a sheer beige embellished poncho was layered over wide black trousers and a blue leather backpack.A canary-yellow lace tank was paired with a black-and-white printed draped skirt and oversized beaded earrings.Even the construction of the clothes was allowed to show. Seam allowances and underlayers were deliberately exposed, making the process of making the garment part of the final look.
Between the polished and the undone
That’s where Kapoor’s SS27 collection feels most at home: somewhere between two states.Tailored trousers meet sarong-like drapes. Quilted leather sits against transparent lace and silk. Structured pieces are softened by loose layers, while polished surfaces are interrupted by distressed textures.Nothing feels completely untouched.And that seems to be the point. Kapoor takes things that already carry a history, whether it’s a familiar Indian silhouette, a sportswear symbol, an old-looking print or a fabric that has been deliberately weathered, and gives them another life.For Spring Summer 2027, memory isn’t treated as something to simply look back on. It’s something to take apart, reshape and wear again.
