Loud & proud!

Maximalism is back. Oh, wait—it never left the queer community.

- Bani Sachar

It's hard to miss the memo stitched into a thousand corseted gowns and sequinned bodysuits: Quiet luxury is out; excess is back on the menu. This year, runways from Schiaparelli, Louis Vuitton, Gaurav Gupta, and even Sabyasachi, confirm it—fashion isn't whispering anymore. It's screaming, stomping, and demanding our attention. Eccentric, exuberant, and louder than ever.

But this revival of maximalism isn't just about stacking up jewellery or layering textures. It's about dressing with the urgency of someone who refuses to be ignored. Fashion has laid a bouquet of pristine lilies on the grave of stealth wealth, clearing space for the rebirth of 'more is more'. After years of pandemic-era minimalism (a nod to all those laid-back sweatpant sets we once called 'chic' and 'nonchalant'), we've developed a renewed appetite for colour, texture, and surprise. But here's the thing: The queer community never left the altar of maximalism.

For them, dressing loud has never been just about turning heads—it's about survival, resistance, and unfiltered joy. Long before runways caught on, the queer community was rhinestoning denim jackets, clashing prints with religious fervour, and transforming sidewalks into technicolour spectacles. While the mainstream flirted with normcore and neutral palettes, queer fashion refused to shrink. It expanded—loudly, glitteringly, unapologetically.

Cosmo India spoke to six dazzlingly stylish, queer creatives who prove that maximalism isn't making a comeback. It never left. It's a way of life.

Rani KoHEnur, 34 Performing artist & human rights activist