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Fashion with traditional crafts

Veteran designer Anju Modi pays tribute to the power of generational legacy. Cultural traditions in the form of family heirlooms formed the theme of the ‘The Eternal Story’ collection…reports Tanya Banon.

India Couture Week is known for luxurious fashion, setting and themes. After a stellar line up of designers and fabulous fashion, the curtains finally came down on the digital edition of India Couture Week 2021. The Grand finale showcase was by Rahul Mishra, the first Indian designer to showcase at the Paris Haute Couture Week and a champion of slow fashion with traditional Indian crafts.

‘Kamkhab’ by Mishra, was a sequence of dreams woven together like a garland of artistic musing, emotions and instances that that we’ve subconsciously lived through. ‘Kam’ translates to ‘less’ and ‘khaab’ refers to a ‘dream’ — a collection developed during two lockdowns, the breaking and rebuilding of hope, resilience and the fluctuating strength of love.

The collection featured Mishra’s signature floral motifs, creating ensembles like bouquet of flowers with age-old techniques of hand embroidery, intricate details –interpreted for the world of today. Realised in fabrics such as silk organza, georgette, crepe and tissue along with Banarasi cutwork and Chanderi silk textiles, each piece made of love, craft, beauty, longevity and human touch, enabling the brand’s community of craftsmen and weavers from across the country. Much like a garden after the process of seeding-soaking its sun and water. Each sapling taking its own sweet time to produce flowers… the clothes, emerging out of a different verse of the same poem, each tell a different part of the same story.

Veteran designer Anju Modi pays tribute to the power of generational legacy. Cultural traditions in the form of family heirlooms formed the theme of the ‘The Eternal Story’ collection. Over the years Modi has dedicated her craft to the researching, reviving and reinventing age old textiles and herilooms. “Preserving our heritage and its unique craft legacy are the cornerstones on which our brand is built,” says the designer. The bridal line up featured lehengas, saris and skirts which showcased regional traditions beautifully merged into ensembles to be nurtured from generation to generation. ‘The Eternal Story’ is instinctive, almost as old as time itself.

Day 7 of the event also featured designer Kunal Rawal, who brings to life a collection of menswear full of spirited joie de vivre. ‘Vision Quest’ reflects on a carefree journey that continues beyond labels and roles, evolving identities and exhilarates in evolution. Recognised for his non-conformist and multifunctional approach towards design, Rawal presents a fresh take on contemporary silhouettes, intricately detailed embroideries, with a dynamic play on metallic tones.

Actress Sonam Kapoor played muse for this collection which featured menswear in subtle hues of blue, lilac, dusty salmon, whitish-pink, lemons, mint, sage, ivory, and gold. A variety of 60 unique styles handcrafted with soothing fabrics such as linen, jute linen, cotton, organza, and silk formed the backbone of the line-up. Focusing on intricate design elements, the collection uses techniques of French knotting, double layering, pleating, patchwork, and fraying to add a touch of super-luxe grunge to the pieces. The show also marked the launch of the label’s new junior line for boys aged 4-14 years.

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Fashion Lite Blogs

India Couture Week: Blending love, fashion and cinema

The Delhi-based designer didn’t shy away from his signature structural silhouettes and sharp cuts for his debut couture outing ‘Ambrosia’…reports Nimerta C Sharan.

Day two of the Fashion Design Council of India’s (FDCI) digital edition of the India Couture Week 2021 was a celebration of love, fashion and cinema, with designers Siddartha Tytler, Suneet Varma and Gaurav Gupta showcasing their collections.

Designer Gaurav Gupta’s ‘Universal Love’ was inspired by the expanse and the grandeur of the cosmos. His larger than life film, ‘Mirror of the Sky’ shot at the beautiful Taj Faluknama, Hyderabad, perfectly encapsulated the mood of the collection which celebrated love in its many avatars.

Concept lehengas, hybrid gowns and glamorous styles in space greys, pale pinks and bold blues were the highlight of his collection. For menswear, the designer opted for tuxedos, jackets, flared trousers and bandhgalas in subtle blacks, whites and teal. Keeping with modern design techniques, Gupta’s latest couture offering is perfect for the new-age bride and groom.

A self-confessed non-conformist, Tytler’s creations were anything but the ordinary. The Delhi-based designer didn’t shy away from his signature structural silhouettes and sharp cuts for his debut couture outing ‘Ambrosia’. With ivories and shades of gold in focus, voluminous anarkalis, lehengas, sherwanis and gigantic skirts dominated the collection. Cotton silks, silk organzas and georgettes were in focus with splashes of beadwork, ruffles, laser cutting and quilting.

The evening also saw Suneet Varma present his fashion feature, ‘Noor’, known for his elegant pastels, intricate embroideries and statement blouses, his collection comprised of lavish lehangas and ghararas, elaborate gowns and finely tailored sherwanis. While the opening and closing scenes of the film focused on the sponsor rather than the collection, the rest of the presentation featured a bride reminiscing her wedding while walking us through the many ensembles of Varma’s couture collection.

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ICW 2021: Contemporary silhouettes into fashion statements

There are very few Indian designers who really fall into these categories, Day 6 was a treat because all three showcases captured couture and haute couture in its true sense…reports Tanya Banon.

Fashion is always a signature of the period.Couture in India is a fairly loosely used term, usually in reference with “shaadi” fashion or bridal wear. What couture actually means is “the design and manufacture of fashionable clothes to a client’s specific requirements and measurements”, and so “fashionable clothes” is the operative term largely forgotten in the Indian context.

Haute Couture on the other hand “is a protected name that may not be used except by firms that meet certain well-defined standards”. Which goes to say that it refers to “fashionable clothes produced by leading fashion houses”, “constructed by hand from start to finish, made from high-quality, expensive, often unusual fabric and sewn with extreme attention to detail and finished by the most experienced and capable of sewers –often using time-consuming, hand-executed techniques.[1][2]

Produced by a few of India’s leading designers, the clothes were fashionable, high quality, sewn with extreme attention to detail, hand crafted by the most experienced and capable sewers with time consuming techniques. Albeit they may be expensive, but competitively priced compared to international artisanal creations.

Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna began a new chapter with this Couture line. The dresses, as if immersed in gleaming crystals were a profusion of opulence with embellished rich fabrics like velvet, duchesse satin, and chiffon in a harmonious palette of wine, grey, sapphire, and with mostly tonal arabesques or floral embroideries. For gentleman, sharp tuxedos detailed with embroideries and made with heritage techniques were tailored in modern luxury silhouettes.

Of their collection the designers stated, “We have worked on a couture collection for the first time. We specialize in textural surface ornamentation and our hand embroideries are all based on old Indian crafts. So, it was a very natural transition to infuse our hand-done techniques on couture ensembles. The modern Indian bride and the groom were looking for something unusual, which is global yet traditional. We believe our collection with its emphasis on sculpted silhouettes softened with sensual shimmer is apt for the modern bride and groom who are breaking conventions by trying unusual silhouettes for their big day.”

Couturier Tarun Tahiliani’s ‘Artisanal Couture’ collection featured a stunning set of six discrete capsule collections, each of which showcases his signature ‘India Modern’ design aesthetic. Featuring Chikankari, Pichwai, Rangrez, Cocktail Goddess, Pakeezagi and Bridal capsules, each showcase presented unique techniques, stories and designs that appeal to the label’s loyal and dedicated clientele.

In a career spanning over 25 years, Tahiliani has always focused on exquisite hand-craftsmanship and contemporary silhouettes, where Indian techniques, embroideries and textiles are used in modern ways. Aimed to provide relevant design work to the craftsmen that he works with, through his creations the designer hopes to keep the artisan’s stories, livelihood and Indian culture alive.

Celebrity favourite designer, Anamika Khanna’s collection was an emotion, a rejoicing of beauty, wonder and surrender. An ode to celebrate and accept what is and what is given, in homage to the most intricate crafts of India. To get inspired and internalize the spirit of what was and what will be for eternity. Festive and joyful, Khanna’s collection honoured the human spirit, “stars masquerading as humans”, shining bright. Heavily embroidered and embellished lehengas, kurtas and skirts in flowing silhouettes for women and modern interpretations of traditional styles for men dominated the collection.

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