By: Natalie Johnson
Putting something so personal on a runway takes courage. When Mayuri Kothari debuted her collection Moods of Motherhood (MOM) at New York Fashion Week x Runway 7 2025, it wasn’t about proving a point or making a comeback. It was about translating a part of her life — messy, beautiful, still unfolding — into clothes.
A Pause, and a Different Kind of Beginning
For more than a decade, Mayuri’s name was known in India’s design circles for embroidery and detail-driven craft. Her career looked steady from the outside. Then life shifted. She got married, moved to the United States, and soon after, her daughter Taara was born.
“Everything slowed down,” she says, with a small shrug. “Not because I wanted to leave fashion, but because something bigger needed my attention.”
Sketchbooks stayed tucked away. Deadlines disappeared. In their place came nap schedules, long nights, and a different kind of patience. Fashion didn’t go away, but it no longer demanded center stage.
A Return, Gently Stitched
Mayuri’s return to work wasn’t a dramatic leap — more like dipping a toe back in. A few months ago, she launched Aara Embroidery, where she leads as Chief Embroidery Designer, focusing on the part of the process she’s always loved most.
“Embroidery has always been my thing,” she says. “Even when I was designing full collections, I was happiest working on the details.”
At the same time, she started thinking about showing under her own name again. The goal wasn’t to recreate the past. “I didn’t want to go back to how things were,” she says. “I’m a different person now. So the work had to reflect that.”
The Language of Fabric and Form
The collection was stripped back, in a good way. She chose silk and organza in their natural state — no dyes, no heavy treatments — just the fabrics as they are. “I liked the idea of not overcomplicating it,” she explains. “It felt honest.”
The clothes were light, easy on the body, the kind you notice more for how they move than how they sit. Hand embroidery, naturally, was front and center. 3D organza flowers sprouted across the pieces. White buds hinted at beginnings; soft pink blossoms suggested tenderness. Together, they told a story — not a metaphor, really, but a reflection — of childbirth and the way it reshapes a life.
One dress with cascading petals caught people’s attention. It caught the light in small, shifting ways as the model walked — quiet, but impossible to ignore.
A Finale That Felt Like Real Life
The most memorable moment didn’t happen in the clothes. It came when Mayuri walked out at the end in a saree, holding Taara’s tiny hand. The 13-month-old waved clumsily at the crowd, who cheered right back.
“That wasn’t planned,” Mayuri laughs. “But honestly, that’s motherhood — it never goes the way you expect.”
It was a small, human scene on a stage that often thrives on perfection. And maybe that’s why it worked. It made everything — the collection, the story, the effort — feel grounded.
Looking Ahead
Backstage, people stopped her to talk — not just about the clothes, but about how real the show felt. Some people said it felt like they were watching a designer who was creating from a very personal place, not just presenting a collection. Others admitted they’d never heard of her before but connected instantly to the story she was telling.
Mayuri isn’t rushing into anything next. “I want to build slowly,” she says. “I want to set up a studio here in the U.S. and grow from there. No pressure to do five shows a year or be everywhere all at once.”
She pauses for a moment before adding, “I want the clothes to feel part of life — light, comfortable, still luxury. And I want people to see the woman behind them too — the tired, happy, figuring-it-out mom.”
Moods of Motherhood wasn’t loud or showy. It was honest. And that honesty — stitched into every seam and shared in every small detail — might just be what sets Mayuri Kothari apart in the next chapter of her story.
