In photos: The era we built

This editorial is a love letter to the Punjabi women who left home, crossed oceans and built lives in places that didn’t always see them — but could never ignore their power. Set in the warmth of a reimagined 1960s, each image carries the elegance of an era and the boldness of a new beginning. Titled ‘The era we built’, this story reclaims a time in history where our presence was often overlooked and reimagines it through our own lens. It’s not just about revisiting the past, but about constructing a parallel universe where our mothers, aunties and ancestors didn’t just adapt — they thrived, styled, and rewrote the narrative with grace and grit.

Inspired by my mother and her sisters — each with distinct styles, soft strength and radiant spirit — we crafted three set designs that blur the line between nostalgia and now. Instead of centring struggle, we focused on abundance: the richness of culture, the inheritance of beauty and the joy of seeing ourselves not just surviving, but styling the future. This is a story of resilience dressed in retro silhouettes, a celebration of femininity across timelines and a reminder that wherever Punjabi women go, they don’t just arrive — they build eras.