ASIF SHAIKH

FIBRE TREND WATCH Lakme Fashion Week hassetabenchmark forIndiandesigners. MEHERCASTELINOreportsonthehighlights. LFW Summer Resort ‘16 2 FASHION

GAURANG DESIGNERS, WEAVERS MASTER HAUTE

MAKU

INDIGENE

PAROMITA BANERJEE he fabulous Walking Hand in Hand – The Craft + Design + TSociety show was one of the highlights of the first day at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2016. The innovative presentation featured ’s five designers who teamed up with the best craftspersons and expert weavers. They displayed creations that combined designer and craft skills. Day Two was devoted to Sustainable and Indian . Designers presented interesting collections, showcasing textiles and crafts and also upcycling and recycling fabrics. The message was clear: fashion can be sustainable.

Chikankari came Giving kinkhab The glory of the alive on the ramp under his amazing touches, leheriya was brought the creative guidance Rajesh Pratap Singh centre stage by of Aneeth Arora. worked with master Anupama Bose’s skills Master craftsman weaver Haseem and Islammuddin Jakir Hussain Mondol Muhammad for a Neelgar’s expertise. worked his magic on striking collection of The gorgeous leheriya the pretty summer formal westernwear. designs in rainbow dresses, cool blouses, Using rich, golden hues were turned into layered minis, softly with floral stunning ensembles. embroidered long- weaves, Singh A ravishing red kaftan, sleeved covers, presented culottes with a feminine green/ delicately embellished cropped tops, bias cut blue gown, an electric midis, skirts and gowns jackets, pants, anarkali, a variety of in shades of white and capris, coat dresses, sarees in leheriya and pale blue/grey. Just trouser suits, midi/maxi the , and perfect as the mercury skirts, ‘A’ line midis, bell were perfect rises. bottom pants and jacket offering of memorable combos. Add to that the ethnic formals. double-breasted coat, and the look is decisive.

Showcasing the grandeur of Banaras , Hemang Agarwal worked with master weaver Sharfuddin Ansari for his sensational line of Banarasi sarees teamed with jackets and blouses. The rich hues of Banaras brocades mesmerised as yellow, blue, grey, black, red, green, bronze and copper came together on stripes and floral weaves.

FIBRE2FASHION FIBRE TREND WATCH LFW Summer Resort ‘16 2 FASHION . wide salwarsor and shawlswith featured prints. Menswear myriad coloursand , ina blouses and palazzos, , kurtas, anarkalis, designs asdid intricate ajrakh skirts dazzledwith blouses. Long sarees withstylish Gorgeous formal Khatri. Theresult? Jabbar craftsman worked withmaster twist, AsifShaikh a contemporary old ajrakhtechnique Giving theage-

roses were woven in. roses werewovenin. vines, andintricate like tinybugs,flower generously. Motifs wereused and hand-spunkhadi fabric. Tussar feel weredistinctin but thelookand inspired byjamdani techniquewas to thecollection. The wasintegral to MotherEarth. were anaccolade and statementcuts handwoven textiles Engineered luxurious different techniques. Nature collectionhad Samanta’s LoveThy Debashri Debashri collection. marked the patchwork styles bandhani and embroidery, in mirrorwork New explorations andariwool. of khadimerino winter highlights fine silkswiththeir cottonand (organic) cotton, khadi ,kala in were crafted Serene silhouettes a uniqueidentity. dissolved, creating and eveningwear between daywear The distinction local strengths. sustainability of prints, ensuring block andvegetable natural dyesin khadi fabricsusing the ensemblesin eleven labelframed The 11.11/eleven fluid andtimeless. silhouettes were The KhadiWay. The with design story presented their of 11.11CellDSGN and MiaMorikawa Shani Himanshu

Phulia andPanipat. from Banaras, outstanding weaves it showcased Priced between in cottonandsilk. orange andwhite bright pink,blue, from pastelsto capes inapalette singular shirtsand dresses, tunics, long shirts,cool Highlights included Fashion Week. created forLakmé Make. had14pieces collection, Think. ethical fashion. The Centre champions pieces. Artisans’ presented over300 and constructions, textiles, textures for innovative Akaaro label,known Gaurav JaiGupta’s in Fashion Weeks, For thefirsttime Design, Mumbai. and for Art,Craft Artisans’ Centre collection by the grandAkaaro concept featured direct-to-consumer ` 7,000 and30,000, A novelB2Cor

mirror workcoat. with along-sleeve and acheckedmaxi geometric prints with kaftans black/white mini, negative/positive pleated dress,the the dropwaist feminine, especially were flowingand weaves. Silhouettes andJamdani like mirrorwork, techniques craft was repletewith hues. Thecollection small hintsofbright and white,with favourites, black card hadperennial Gujarat. Thecolour Khamir cottonfrom and from , She usedcrafts woven creations. with handmadeand Expedition collection Goenka showedThe Aish labelbyNupur fashion brands.The the rampwithfive excitement on show created #indiacollective The Injiri by Chinar Farooqui revived rustic style from Santanu Das Amrit Kumar the Kutch. Farooqui and Chirag Gandhi and Mriga Kapadiya presented Rebari, of Maku believe of Nor Black Nor Gaurang Shah a collection of in slow fashion White, presented presented ’s traditional elegance and sustainability. their colourful iconic weaves and revived for the They presented retro collection techniques. Calico contemporary a monochrome of menswear and emphasises the dresser. Inspired by collection in ecru women’s garments, rich and vibrant Amrich is unstitched skirts or and indigo. The 100% Pure Love. history of Indian inspired by the Pernu, and Pachedi eight hand-stitched Working with craftsmanship. intersection , the colour garments had a three clamp dyed Each ensemble of traditions, scheme was white uniform silhouette of from Kutch, was crafted from techniques, styles and black with empire line smocks vibrant cotton exquisite hand- and habits. The simple textures and with loose, knotted- checks from Kerala woven textiles in collection featured weft cross borders, at-the-back shirts. and ikats from khadi, uppada and garments made reviving hand- The garments were Andhra Pradesh, kota, using iamdani using numerous woven and spun, created in different the pair created technique. The hand processes. organic, cotton from fabrics including a multi-coloured, patterns were woven It also had a good Bhujodi, Kutch. , , fine cool range. The with a non-structural amount of variety, Draped garments cotton, and silk. Kutch section had weft. To that was from the specially had large accents. The look was fluid feminine flouncy added chikankari developed khadi and There were striped and cool. Inspired silhouettes, like embroidery. Working hand-woven cotton pants, bias yoke by air, water and embroidered with weavers across and silk textiles blouses, smocks, sky, the collection boleros. The ikats India, Shah’s to the time-tested palazzos, striped highlighted the textile were given the designs begin at the techniques like ikat, jackets, kedia style traditions and prints unisex look. The loom and emerge as shibori, resist hand- tops, midis with of Bengal. Maku has Kerala checks finely crafted outfits block printing and skirts, gathered experimented with the included the befitting royalty. natural dyes. summer dresses Tangail saree in the regal Kerala gold and a long-sleeved past. The designers handloom Mushru. black maxi pinafore try to ensure there On offer were with interesting is no wastage while long blousons, yoke detailing. creating the garments bermudas, loose to showcase a tunics, multi- striking, practical, coloured kaftans long-lasting collection. and floppy jackets.

FIBRE2FASHION FIBRE TREND WATCH LFW Summer Resort ‘16 2 FASHION Africa. of BurkinaFaso in decorated walls and theelaborately Gurunsi architecture influenced by and linear, were forms, geometric woven khadi.The spun andhand- printed ajrakh, hand- added tothat,hand- processes. They objects and osmosis ofnatural quiet, free-flowing collection hada elegance. The and understated of rusticsimplicity Japanese rubric by Wabi-Sabi, a theme wasinspired Transience. The collection, showed arefreshing Ruchi Tripathi Jaya Bhattand Indigene by and greens. blues, greys,yellows including pinks, for theseason, hues appropriate with anarrayof consisted ofwhite colour palette garments. The ofthe surface texture onthe was aninteresting texts. Theeffect hand embroidered techniques suchas fabric manipulation she usedquirky woven cottonikat, cotton andhand- silk ,pure textiles suchas natural, hand-woven in abeautifulmixof and NoPlay. Soaked collection, AllWork Pamnani calledthe Project bySonali The Meraki and tassels. bags, stoles,buttons turned intofootwear, Waste fabricwas and peasanttops. blouses, smocks with relaxed,wide Sarees wereteamed andmotifs. weft techniques ofextra hand-woven Bengal ininteresting Jamdani from offering withDhakai line wasthesecond motifs. Theindigo triangular varying featured print story draped stoles.The dressesand shift Punjabi pyjamas, Mughal jamas, into voluminous were created linen andcotton khadi, malkha, woven fabricslike Luxurious hand- two distinctstories. presented through collection was and breezy. The and easy, delicate of Lifeflowedfree Banerjee Paromita ’s Salt embellishments. were theonly hand knotting detailing and Unconventional and lungiskirts. knotted kurtas jackets, loosely waistcoats, bag tea-stained tunics, soaked shirts, jackets, coffee floppy homeless belts, therewere at thewaistwith Layered andcinched were comfortable. glamour. Silhouettes minimal inrustic fashionable yet was feminine, the collection from Varanasi, gorgeous weaves Working with collection, Banaras. elegant andtimeless presented an organic , for herpractical Gupta, known Mrinalini spelt femininity. New Agefeelthat ensembles hada and languid.The that wererelaxed to formsilhouettes cleverly tessellated the patternswere single blockoffabric, Developed froma and silkthread. reclaimed pinewood texturing waswith beige tones.Surface subdued withwarm shade cardwas Pashmina. The silk, Cashmereand pure Eri,Ahimsa light hand-woven She selectedfragile, milieu offabrics. with anexotic P.E.L.L.A., worked whose labeliscalled offering. Lama, was aZen-like collection, Maitake Lorena Lama’s Priyanka Ella FIBRE TREND WATCH LFW Summer Resort ‘16 2 FASHION fashion offering. essentially feminine foran embroidery She usedsujani was silkorganza. For glamour, there and cottonsilk. ghicha silk,cotton included tussarand hand-woven textiles grey andmadder. The of black,ivory, camel, worked withshades silhouettes, Kalsi global-inspired around luxurious fabrics. Working fabulous hand-woven and embroidery the traditionalsujani ode tothebeautyof Monad linewasan Swati Kalsi’s clothing werenotjustpassing fads. buzz wordsincludingslowfashion, ecofashion, sustainablefashion, recycle/upcycle,organic towards sustainability. Sustainability, sheemphasised,wasforallofus.She hopedthecurrent sustainability infashionandtextiles. Thewalk-throughtalkexplainedtheroleofadesigner textiles andmemberofWorld Council, gaveaninformativeandenlighteningtalkon Craft motifs. pure zariandMughal ae-rawan, glittering seen withtheAab- weave ofrung-katwas technical traditional jamdani. Thevery cotton withgossamer finest hand-spun were wovenwiththe the breeze. The effect,lightas palette waspastel. grasshoppers. The stalks, flowersand delicate leavesand embellished with intricate textileswere Being Radha. The The Lightnessof latest collection, of Banarasfortheir with masterweavers sarees. Theyworked woven heirloom Sunaina , co-founder oftheCreativeBeeFoundation,Designer BinaRao of, co-founder advisortotheministry Swati and presented mainstream Indian. voguish andglobalyet and chicattire, compilation ofclassy a magnificent touch. Ozadisplayed and eco-friendly maintain ahealthy substances to and unprocessed was dyedinorganic and silk.Thefabric fibres likecotton handloom andnatural of fabricswasamix scenario. Thechoice extravagant fashion from thecurrent approach, different label hasautilitarian ’s ASA Shreya Oza’sASA blue andsage. turquoise, Prussian to coral,crimson, ranging fromivory palette wasplayful, shibori prints.The over gorgeous layered delicately and appliquéwork aari embroidery motifs. Intricate showcased delicate now, thecollection mélange ofthenand classic floralprint.A reinventing the past, revisitingand heirloom ofthe a mesmerising prints, intricate medieval highlighted Bagh. Theshow collection, unveiled her Swati Vijaivargie extravagant. minimal yet yet international, the effectwasIndian muga andorganza, cotton, silktussar, greens. Usingkhadi peacock bluesand indigo, purple, pomegranate, like fuchsia, in brightcolours were hand-woven kurtas. Sarees skimmed over hit thefloor, capes into sarees, morphed shoulder blouses, intooff- turned intocapes, icons. Ghagras Indian clothing referenced antique celebrated Emporia collection Rodricks’ Indica Wendell