It’s that time of year when the fashion community around the world enters a state of frenzy, as fashion weeks convene in all the fashion capitals of the world to showcase their autumn / winter collections for the upcoming season. Not one to remain out of the loop, India also showcases the best of its fashion offerings in a week-long showcase. This season’s Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) showed top-of-the-line designers from around the country who presented a wide variety of looks for the Autumn / Winter 2024 season. A focus on sustainability, inclusivity and shining a light on new talent even while cementing the position of established designers were some of the highlights this season. We present a round-up of everything you need to know:
A RETURN OF GIANTS
In a departure from the past few seasons of Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI, the opening and closing shows for this season were earmarked for the presentations of two sartorial geniuses after a long hiatus from this stage of nearly a decade.
Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango fame opened the season with his show titled ‘Children of the Night’, collaborating with Lakmé for the launch of their Glitterati collection. The designer took the opportunity of the playful theme provided to move away from his established oeuvre as a designer of handloom sarees and showed a more playful side of his personality. Handlooms still formed the basis of his collection but they were jazzed up with a play on disco through modern silhouettes and bright colours.
The closing show was reserved for New-York based designer Bibhu Mohapatra who originally hails from Odisha. He showcased a selection of his best couture designs made over the past decade to provide an overview of his wide range of work. By the end of his 75-garment presentation, it became clear to the audience how Mohapatra became the designer of choice for former first lady of USA, Michelle Obama among other international celebrities.
A commonality between both these shows was their shunning of the concept of a celebrity showstopper as both chose to send a number of celebs on the runway wearing their clothes just as regular models, instead of at the end of the show. A refreshing change for sure!
STRATEGIC PARTNERSHIPS WITH BRANDS
Brands always look to partner with designers who are aligned with their philosophy and ethos, and there is perhaps no better place to show this partnership than Fashion Week. In this edition, a number of well-known brands collaborated with top designers including the Lakmé Glitterati x Raw Mango opening show, NEXA and Amit Agarwal, Kohler and Tarun Tahiliani, RElan and Varun Bahl, Birkenstock which presented ‘Grounded in Nature’ with Shivan & Narresh, Raga by Titan and Pankaj & Nidhi, Caprese with Gauri & Nainika and the House Of Lakmé Grand Finale which was in partnership with Bibhu Mohapatra. Speaking of the value of such partnerships, Pushpita Gaur, Business Head, Caprese shares, “The collaboration with Gauri & Nainika was an incredible journey for Caprese. We were inspired by our shared passion for creativity and innovation. The partnership felt like a natural fit because we both had a vision to redefine fashion with elegance and grace. Gauri & Nainika’s unique design sensibilities blended perfectly with Caprese’s commitment to luxury and style. The fashion show was a beautiful reflection of this partnership, and I couldn’t be happier with the results. Our colour-changing collection was the highlight of the show for me. It’s uniqueness and the way it added a touch of magic to the event were extraordinary. The bags’ innovative design and the mesmerizing way they transformed in the sunlight were a hit with everyone.”
SUSTAINABILITY SHINED
With an entire day dedicated to spotlighting sustainability stars in the world of fashion, this edition of fashion week was indeed impactful. The brands shown on this day included 11:11/eleven eleven, Amita Gupta Sustainable, Swatti Kapoor, Kaveri, Sawti Vijaivargie, Ka.Sha, Verandah, Payal Pratap, Reliance brands presents Abraham & Thakore, and a power packed showcase by RElan where they showed the winners of the Circular Design Challenge in partnership with the United Nations in India. The winner for the latter was Indian designer Anish Malpani of label ‘Without’ and Felipe Fiallo from the European Union was the runner-up. Their designs were displayed at an exclusive show which took place at the UN House.
YOUNG DESIGNERS GOT THEIR DUE
A number of other young designers also got their due through the INIFD Presents GenNext showcase which was presented on the first day. The talented young designers who showed their collection included Arnav Malhotra of label No Grey Area, Sonam Khetan with her eponymous label and Prasoon Sharma of label Triune. Where Malhotra drew on South Indian cultural influences to present a quirky presentation of comfort fits, Khetan had a unique take on ecological initiatives through her clean cut clothing, and Sharma presented a proprietary fabric created by him called cactus which had been 3D printed to give the effect of stonewashed denim with long tassels. Tisha Khosla, style mentor for INIFD outlined the essence of this program, “INIFD presents GenNext is indeed a remarkable talent discovery program that has consistently provided a valuable platform for aspiring young designers in India. This initiative plays a pivotal role in showcasing their creative talents and aesthetics to a wider audience. It is an excellent opportunity for them to gain exposure in the fashion industry, both nationally and internationally. We are thankful to RISE Worldwide and Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI for helping in providing the fresh talent with a splendid platform to not only showcase their designs but also to network with industry professionals, gain insights, and launch their career on a larger scale.”
FASHION AND ART MET FOR A FRUITFUL PARTNERSHIP
Across the week-long celebration of fashion, perhaps the most unusual presentation this edition was the one shown on the last day titled “Fashion Wears Art”. In this session mentored by FDCI Chairman, Sunil Sethi, seven leading artists and designers presented six unique garments each where the designers were inspired by the artworks of the artists they were paired with. The curation of this task was undertaken by well-known art aficionado Shalini Passi who believes that art and fashion are two sides of the same coin. On display were the works of top names in the business including JJ Valaya who teamed up with American painter of quirky photograph and miniature painting hybrids Waswo X. Waswo, Namrata Joshipura with sculptor Sudarshan Shetty, Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna with mixed media artist Vibha Galhotra, Varun Bahl with nature painter A. Ramachandran, and label HUEMN with Hanif Kureshi who is known for shining a light on street art, Gautam Kalra with filmmaker Siddharth Singh Bokolia and Rajesh Pratap Singh with conceptual artist Mithu Sen.
Noor Anand Chawla writes on lifestyle for various publications and her blog www.nooranandchawla.com