The CFDA Welcomes Diwali to the Fashion Calendar
“Diwali is the Festival of Lights—representing good over evil, but for me it’s about family, food, and fashion,” said Real Housewives of New York City star Jessel Taank, as she co-hosted a lavish dinner with the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) to mark the holiday. “It’s the three things I’ve always put so much focus on.”
Deriving from the Sanskrit Deepavali, meaning “row of lights,” Diwali is often called the Festival of Lights. Around the world, millions observe it over five days: lighting rows of diyas (clay oil lamps), praying, feasting, exchanging gifts, and gathering with loved ones to celebrate the triumph of light over darkness and good over evil.
On Tuesday night at Obvio—an opulent new lounge in NoMad—Taank joined co-hosts Akbar Hamid (entrepreneur and brand builder) and CFDA CEO Steven Kolb for a dual celebration: honoring Diwali and launching Taank Hamid’s e-commerce platform, OUSHQ (Arabic for “timeless”). The venture spotlights contemporary offerings from South Asian and Middle Eastern designers, and the new CFDA partnership will foster cross-cultural capsule collaborations. “This is the first time we’re doing a cross-cultural collaboration with an Indian designer and an American designer,” Hamid told Vogue during cocktail hour. “We’re pairing them to co-create a capsule collection for OUSHQ.”
As a South Asian American, Hamid voiced frustration with the lack of representation in fashion. “We’re behind Europe when it comes to Indian, Middle Eastern, South Asian fashion—so that fueled OUSHQ,” he said. “I’m wearing Dhruv Kapoor, an Indian designer with Milano shows. Why isn’t he more visible here? With OUSHQ, we want to bring that exposure to the U.S. and also bring American designers to those markets.”
Taank added: “Indian fashion has long been pigeonholed as ceremonial or bridal. Now, we’re seeing Indian designers design for a broader audience—wearable, contemporary, global. That’s incredibly exciting.”
The evening began in style: guests arrived through a procession of impeccably dressed faces into Obvio, greeted by tabla rhythms and a DJ mixing modern tracks with bhangra beats. “We wanted cultural elements—but not a traditional Diwali event,” Hamid said. “It’s Indian-inspired. We don’t have to be stuck in heritage.”
Throughout the night, fashion reigned. Women shimmered in modern lehengas and embroidered saris; men wore sleek kurtas and contemporary sherwanis. Junaid Mahmood appeared in a custom sherwani by the celebrated designer Faraz Manan, who praised Diwali’s gleam: “I love Diwali’s light and bling—it’s sensuous, happy, celebratory. That’s the energy I channel in couture.”
Jenna Lyons admired the spectacle. “I love it when people dress up. At this Diwali party, I feel like I belong—this is where I belong,” she said. She wore a men’s Sabyasachi coat in gold sequined devoré velvet, while friend Sarah Clary wore its feminine counterpart. “In New York, people rarely dress up unless it’s the Met Gala. But on Diwali, people really lean into it—and I can’t get enough.”
As dinner commenced, Taank and Hamid offered a toast. Taank, radiant in a gold mirror-work dress by ITRH, said, “Growing up, Indian clothes weren’t considered cool or sexy. I couldn’t wait to change into jeans. Now? The tables have turned.”
Kolb—attending his first Diwali—spoke next. “I’ve long been intrigued. Being here now is meaningful. The energy, the glitter, the creative cross-cultural possibility—it’s more than business. In these times, two cultures coming together through artistic collaboration is a bold statement of unity.”
Around sixty guests dined over an eight-course feast of tandoori chicken, charred octopus, burgers and fries, and crispy calamari. Dessert offerings included barfi (a dense, nut- or fruit-infused fudge) and laddu (sweet chickpea-flour balls bound with ghee and sugar). Actress Avantika (star of the 2024 Mean Girls reboot and upcoming Not Suitable for Work) gazed at the sweets. “I’m South Indian—laddu with my grandma is a memory. It’s tradition,” she said.
Kal Penn, long a Diwali celebrant, reflected on the evening’s deeper meaning: “It’s about knowledge over ignorance, reconciling, hope. For Jessel and team to create this moment—fashion meets culture, elevating designers—it feels like the essence of Diwali.”
By night’s end, guests gravitated to the cocktail lounge’s red-lit restroom for selfies, forging new bonds in tight quarters. “Events like this—reconnecting, meeting new people—bring so much joy,” said Avantika. “We now have so many Diwali parties in New York. Five years ago, you’d go to one. Now? It’s a wonderful problem: what to wear to each one.”
Sansho Scott/BFA.com1/13Steven Kolb, Jenna Lyons
Sansho Scott/BFA.com2/13Kal Penn, Akbar Hamid
