With four major fashion films already under her belt, this season Priya Ahluwalia makes her long-awaited return to the runway with an ode to the powerful women of Nollywood and Bollywood.

Continuing her exploration of traditional Indian and Nigerian storytelling with a collection built in homage to the captivating films of her youth – Kuck Kuch Hota Hai, Games Women Play, Abuja Ladies and Sholay, to name a few – the designer’s cinematic runway was a choreograph of sharp silhouettes and hypnotic wave-prints.

Rebirthing her patchwork tracksuits into formal suiting, the show kicked off with elegant nipped waist blazers and low, slung shoulders. Segmenting such styles with her sportswear-infused piping and long slashes of dyed fabric, slithers of shimmering grey and sunset orange (in psychedelic tie-dye) spliced through the traditionally tailored looks as the designer’s favourite characters mounted flowy viscose shirts and organic denim jeans. These spoke in subliminal prints and recalled the loose and rave-ready fashions donned by London’s UKG clubheads, giving new life to the ultra-stylish dance genre.

Such a love letter also lent a renewed focus to womenswear, manifesting in voluminous and sprawling hats in hues of bright neon, in slinky miniskirts half-pleated above rigid, cropped rugby shirts and wrap gowns in their bold, Argyl camo-prints. With the commanding presence of her favourite Bollywood and Nollywood stars undeniably present on the runway, Ahluwalia ended on a high of show-stopping eveningwear, from lavish coats in tactile pastels or patchwork corduroys right up to glistening club dresses and rouched silk two-sets. We guess it is true when they say the party doesn’t start until Ahluwalia walks in…