A Riot of Fabrics Fabrics Played a Pivotal Role at the Five-Day Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/ Resort 2019

REPORT Lakme Fashion Week

A Riot of Fabrics Fabrics played a pivotal role at the five-day Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/ Resort 2019. Designers worked with fabrics to give a new dimension to their styles to craft some unique garments. Sustainable fabrics made a major impact along with the promotion of crafts and weavers. The event was held in Mumbai from January 30 to February 3. Meher Castelino reports.

118 | FIBRE2FASHION MARCH 2019 Asa Kazingmei: The collection was futuristic Madhumita Nath: Using in nature with denim and a combination of textures leather as the basis along created with herringbone with studs, chains, rivets and diamond weaves, there and a dash of painting for were organic hand-woven the ‘Bionic’ line of tight patterns along with prints trousers, biker’s jackets that created a calm essence and shirts, which were for garments. battle-ready and Gothic in appearance.

Sneha Arora: Botanical Gaurav Gupta: The opening miniature prints with hand- show called ‘Unfolding’ had embroidered details were chikankari and brocade the favoured option for the with origami folding as ‘Breathe’ collection. So, the the centre of attraction. designer used airy silks, The colour card started smooth cottons, skinny with midnight black, then organzas and cotton silks fiery rose, soothing ivory that had sky blues, leaf and gradually moved on to greens, earthy beiges and gorgeous golden brocades. whites as the colour card. The fabrics were wired, curved and moulded for eveningwear creations.

Ujjwala Bhadu: Mixing Gauri and Nainika: Chiffon, cotton and satin with silk crêpe de chine, organza gazar, there was a blend of and micro crêpe formed the knitwear for the collection fabric base and presented that had textured weaves as a luxe line called ‘The Art of well as tassels for edging Latte’ with prints of polka the garments to give a retro dots and vivid colours look. holding centrestage.

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| FIBRE Lakme Fashion Week patterns. designs inspiredbyPattu featured thegeometric the Bhutticoweaversalso developed byPérowith off-white. Thefabrictapes shades ofblue,khakiand monochrome coloursin in Kullu Valley. Itwasof geometric patternscreated which havethetraditional designs ofPattu patterns, wool withthemarked a collectioninmerino Bhuttico triofeatured Woolmark Companyand Péro: ThePérowith lavender motifs. pink andaflowoflively misty blue,champagne green, marigold,yellow, were splashedwithpista feisty funsummerprints in yellow, apricot,seafoam, the runway, thecreations that exudedfreshnesson a backgroundoffloraltones summerblends.On perfect used withsilktocreate developed withTencel fibres the fabricforwhichwas called ‘A SummerReverie’ the basisofcollection Anita Dongre:Tencel was ensembles. were thefocalpointof horses, theembellishments along withafewprancing sunflowers andpeonies motifs ofpoppies,tulips, flowers ontheramp.With like abouquetoffresh called ‘Guldastah’was embroidery, thecollection the beautifulKashmiri and velvets,alongwith silk organzas,silks silk blends,chanderis, organic fabricslikecotton, Rohit Bal:Usingexquisite 2 FASHION MARCH2019 Vietnam. Bhuj andevenSa-Pa, clusters inWest Bengal, and dyeswerepreparedat in nature,Anavila’scolours the collectionmoreglobal creations.Making crafted of thehand-wovenand that heightenedthebeauty 100 percentnaturaldyes mélange ofcolourswith then turnedthemintoa for cotton, linen, silkand her yarnsassheopted Anavila wasselectiveabout for hersaris,thisseason, experiments withlinen Anavila: Knownforher 300–400. had acountofmorethan All silhouettes’fabrics textiles toholdcentrestage. line thatallowedthe and wasasimplewearable woven withnaturalyarns khadi andlinensilk,all was madefromhandloom collection called‘Bunon’ fabrics andcollections.His 450 artisansworkingforhis Bengal. Currently, hehas well asartisansinWest 15 yearswithweaversas Soumitra hasworkedfor Soumitra Mondal: as 3Dlaser-cut flowers. through tessellationaswell design wasachieved prints, whilethefive-petal as ondamaskandmosaic gingham checksaswell tantalisingly onmicro-floral The motifswereseen prints andasembroidery. they appearedinmultiple that weresoversatile had thefive-petalblossoms 5Petalcalled ‘The Story’ Varun Bahl: Thecollection 122 REPORT

| FIBRE Lakme Fashion Week floral prints. intricately wovenalongwith Delicate frenchknotswere silk wasavisualdelight. weaves withjamdaani The marriageofthechattai leather beltsandshoes. teamed withcustomised the anti-fitgarmentswere being ofprimeimportance, draped eloquently. Comfort creations. Theoutfitswere the delicatebeautyof the ensemblestohighlight of ikatwasentwinedwithin Tahweave: Theiconicart desire duringthesummer. were whatfashionistaswill and noodle-strapblouses, fragile femininenegligees the monochromaticstripes, cleverly createdweaves, down theramp.The of beautyastheyfloated laces andlayeredvisions the basisforsheers, were their gentleglory Eka: line. to livenupthemenswear of saffron, greenandblue hues therewerealsotones with theusualmasculine important,asalong very checks. Colourstoowere traditional Prince ofWales with thewell-known contrasted andjuxtaposed versions weresurprisingly as lightwindowpane with checkscreatively, Soni. Thedesignerplayed menswear linebyAshish exciting unveiled thevery GBTL –GrasimandOCM, brand fromthehouseof fabricsandapparel luxury Ashish NSoni: 2 FASHION MARCH2019 The pastelsinall Grado, the and weatherinmind. keeping Indianlifestyles light xhavebeencreated anti-static, anti- management, anti-odour, for moisture like dry-tech feel. Thevarioustreatments and lightertowear making thegarmentssofter scoured fromPETbottles from recycledpolyester athleisure creationsmade exclusive lineofsustainable collaboration wasan brand AlcisXNari Narendra Kumar: The of womenswear. aesthetically pleasingline textures tocreatean Bengal handloomsand organzas, basiccottons, Sarkar playedwithsheer Sayantan Sarkar: Sayantan glamour. were usedtoaddatouchof mixed together. Metallics translucent sleeveswere tops, bomberjacketswith generation, rippedcropped Focusing ontheyoung vibe ofthecollection. textures addedtotheclassy of sheers,denimsand Kanika Goyal:Theblend UV and 124 REPORT

| FIBRE Lakme Fashion Week to suitingmaterial. sturdy fabricsthatwereakin for seamlessly perfectly blocking, allcametogether monochrome andcolour panels, shine,matte,solid, while angles,curved took off-bodyshapes, con silhouettessuddenly came intofocusasbody- Nikhil Thampi: contemporary manner.contemporary hints ofbandhanidoneina on theoutfits,alongwith knotted formsembroidered bold printsandthedistinct handlooms inthestyleof in theformofIndian archives. Tradition came inspiration fromheritage Kunal Rawal alsodrew the ideaofMorsecoding, and dotsthatinterpreted a novelconceptoflines Kunal Rawal: Bringingin Bandhgala’. called ‘An Odetothe statement forthecollection distinctfashion a very charcoal greythatcreated mix ofnavy, and black,ivory and colourtoneswerea unconventional silhouettes and naturalyarns,the prominent useofsilk fabric developmentswith woven textilesalongwith Using exclusivehand- Raghavendra Rathore: 2 FASHION MARCH2019 Opposites greens, redsandwhites. yellows, blues,oranges, the rampinhuesofbright the garmentsburstonto versatile rangeofcolours, collection tolife.With a MovingWall’brought ‘The chanderi andorganza gauze, mul-mul,silk, Jajaabor: Khadi,cotton unbelievably noteworthy. the amalgamationwas ofAndhraPradesh, puppetry Tholu Bommalataleather their gazetowardsthe gear andwhentheyturned duo’s creativityintotop Pattachitra artthatgotthe It wasBengal’sKalighat andpaintingsofIndia. crafts Series’ lookedtowardsthe Pattucollection called‘The latest Shivan&Narresh uses renewableenergy. The manufacturing processthat sustainability withatraceable bottles, GreenGoldfurthers Made fromusedplastic the lowestcarbonfootprints. fabrics globally, withoneof one ofthemosteco-friendly powered byGreenGoldis Shivan &Narresh: that tookonmyriadlooks. twisted, knotted,dyedforms as embroidered,braided, fringes attimesappeared textures. Raffia inflorals, motifs andpre-pleated emphasised withangular of theensembleswas slightly androgynousnature blues.The blended withsoft orchid thatwereperfectly melody withrosequartzand of peachcreatedafashion Shriya Som: Gentlehues R|Elan

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| FIBRE Lakme Fashion Week quality oftheensembles. helped toenrichthestriking the beautyofcrochetthat included handmade crafts were visuallyappealing.The arresting garmentsthat combined theseinto Madhya Pradesh, Shweta hand-woven fabricsfrom SWGT: With fabulously organza. kota, linen, khadisilkand fluid, cottonlinen, chanderi, the correctuseoflight, were furtherenhancedwith flora motifs.Theensembles manipulation offabricsinto printing, stitchdetailingand like 3Dembroidery, block handwork techniques was gentlycreatedinto Kanelle: and dupattas. touches forlehengas,cholis orombré embroidery card movedtoblackwith pretty pastels,thecolour formal wearladder. From the ensemblesup sheers atthecentretook and theluxefashionwith the opulentembroidery clothes ofthatdecade; while gave aretrofeeltothe powerhouse shoulderpads Shehla Khan: 2 FASHION MARCH2019 This inspiration The the dabkaembroidery. beauty ofhemp,aswell the designersbroughtin hugging forms.Attimes, a fluidaswellfigure- that werepresentedin deconstructed garments Essé: Itwasalineof came tolifeonthecatwalk. voluminous silhouettes the frills,flouncesand motifs onthegarments, discreetblue hints ofvery interesting embroidery. With developed khakaprintsand Mohammed’s exclusively then embellishedwith These whitevisionswere sheer femininequality. other selectionsfortheir well asTencel werethe voile andmul-mulas creations. Indiangauze, required flounceinthe cotton cambricforthe time thefabricbasewas Mohammed Mazhar: This stunning outfits. glam touchtothealready metallic touchesaddeda motifs. Thehintsof checks andgeometrical pleats andamélangeof were prominentalongwith striking range.Sheerfabrics juxtaposed tocreatea borders, themotifswere intricate detailingand Latha Puttanna: With 128 REPORT

| FIBRE Lakme Fashion Week stripes. checkerboard designand circles, squares,checks, in theformofpolkadots, came corsets. Geometry andwoven of colourful were wornwithavariety and peacocks,which mullavalli motifs,elephants that featuredleaves,paisley, the mostexquisitemotifs saris werepresentedwith in purecottonandzari.The cotton andKasavucollection worked onpitloomsforthe silver. Twenty masterweavers purest formofgoldand free cotton, aswellthe highest qualityofchemical- the ‘Anka’ brandusedthe gold weavesofKerala, 2016. Bringingthegorgeous Balramapuram, startedin sustain theweaversof endeavours toreviveand Balakrishnan’s Anka Ank: form. in acontemporary embellished onthegarments cleverly andpainstakingly and thepopularzardoziwere Kari, MalilehTilla Doza forms ofPietre Dura,Parllin on theramp.Thebeautifulart sophisticated dramaticline shores andtheresultwasa and thenmovedtoIndian beauty ofmid-Europeanart, set hersightsfirstonthe ‘Qo’shillish’. Thedesigner for hercollectioncalled meets MughalArt’story to bea‘Renaissance appeared technics andcrafts art withtranscontinental amalgamation ofIndianfolk Payal Singhal: 2 FASHION MARCH2019 Usha Devi Payal’s clever and apparel. unconventional silhouettes hints ofdeepgreyfor and electric,alongwith bright green, royalpurple moved fromrichtealto Colours of styleandcraft. artsy,a colourful fantasy work, thecollectionwas withmirror bandhani craft centrestage. Combining brought bandhanito modernity andthisseason, art,roots, combined craft, The labelhasfashionably Anaam withRangsutra: lightwool. winter’s cotton andwarmin wearer feelcoolinsummer the abilitytomake The ‘Ereena’fabricshave were strikingontheramp. pomegranate andsapan manjista, indigo, annatto, so, thenaturaldyesfrom were inspiredbynature; ‘Bhoomi Bhoomi’colours Guwahati in2007.The Eri silkyarnfactoriesin she associatedandstarted technologists withwhom has workedwithtextile to theworldmarkets,Jyoti Taking ‘Ereena’s’Erisilk and homefurnishing. fabrics, saris,accessories brand thatoffersErisilk marketer ofher‘Ereena’ as designer, producerand has beenpath-breaking work onthetextilefront Ereena: Jyoti Reddy’s Jyoti Reddy’s