Los Angeles: Luxury couture designer Anjali Phougat presented her latest collection, Kintsugi: Devi Mended in Gold, at LA Fashion Week’s Fashion Beyond Borders, organised by LA Fashion Closet by Shagun Gupta. Held on the iconic Dolby Theatre Steps at Ovation Hollywood, the collection brought together couture, spirituality and a powerful message of women’s empowerment on an international fashion platform.
Founded by Anjali Phougat, Designer Dream Collection was among the 12 designer showcases selected for the evening. The event featured presentations alongside Karl Kani and Grammy Award winner Septimius The Great, with 200 models and more than 70 beauty professionals participating under the direction of Rashad Todd. Dr. K. J. Srinivasa, Consul General of India, was also present at the event.
The collection featured eight striking red couture looks, each detailed with gold-accented seams. Inspired by the Japanese art of kintsugi, which involves repairing broken pottery with gold, the collection explored the idea that imperfections and scars need not be concealed but can become symbols of strength, beauty and transformation. Bringing together this philosophy with the spiritual energy of Devi and Shakti, Anjali reimagined red as a symbol of feminine power, while the gold detailing represented the resilience and renewed strength that can emerge from life’s most difficult experiences.
The presentation also carried a meaningful social message. The showcase opened with a flute performance by renowned artist Mohit Lalwani of ML Records, with the evening’s music dedicated to acid attack survivors and women entrepreneurs rebuilding their lives through their work. The collection paid tribute to women whose journeys reflect courage, resilience and the power of reinvention, including Laxmi Agarwal, whose story inspired the film Chhapaak, and fashion designer Monica Singh, founder of the Mahendra Singh Foundation.
Speaking about the inspiration behind the collection, Anjali Phougat said, “Kintsugi teaches us that breakage is not the end of the story; it is where the gold enters. Every woman who has been told she is broken is, in truth, being mended into something more precious. This collection is for her. We are not what happened to us. We are what we create.”
Through Kintsugi: Devi Mended in Gold, Anjali sought to move beyond conventional couture by presenting fashion as a medium for storytelling and social awareness. The collection reflected her belief that a woman’s strength lies not in being untouched by adversity, but in her ability to rebuild, reclaim her identity and move forward with dignity.
Based in Columbus, Ohio, Designer Dream Collection is a luxury couture house known for conscious couture that combines craftsmanship with meaning, creating bridal and couture pieces rooted in energy, intention and storytelling. Under Anjali Phougat’s vision, the label brings together fashion, spirituality and conscious design. The brand has previously showcased during Paris Fashion Week and received recognition at a Cannes short film awards event, continuing to build its presence on international platforms.
With Kintsugi: Devi Mended in Gold, Anjali Phougat brought a message of hope, empowerment and transformation to the Dolby Theatre Steps, reinforcing the idea that every scar can carry a story of survival and every woman deserves to be celebrated for the strength she discovers within herself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?si=RtToJsBhYBatUrym&v=mOuYNSdhjHA&feature=youtu.be
