Nikhil Thampi announces new brand era with ‘Naia’

Designer Nikhil Thampi has launched a new creative chapter with ‘Naia: Rebirth of a Goddess,’ a demi-couture collection that marks 15 years of his presence in the fashion industry. Rather than revisiting past ideas, Thampi announced he aims to redefine his label’s future with a concept rooted in strength and transformation.

With Naia, Thampi has signalled a purposeful reset, the eponymous designed announced on Instagram, sharing a number of campaign videos for the new collection. Naia is designed to usher in a new brand identity anchored in emotion, craftsmanship, and contemporary storytelling.

“It’s not about a character from a book,” Thampi told Elle India about the collection. “It’s about a woman going through life, going through change and finding strength in that journey.”

The Naia collection draws on the idea of feminine evolution. Thampi combines softness and structure to reflect this duality with clean tailoring softened by flowing drapes and detailed kundan-style embroidery paired with minimalist silhouettes. One outfit features a single embellished earring reimagined as a strap, symbolising self-support.

The collection’s colour palette was conceptualised as a narrative arc. Ivory opens the journey, followed by a delicate blush pink and a fiery rust, moving into grounding cocoa brown and concluding in a rich black. “When I think of softness, I see a blush pink,” said Thampi. “Strength? That’s structure, shoulders, a strong neckline.”