Fashion, designs, designers, garments, all following a linear way and here’s someone en route to trace the untraversed parabolic path. Lecoanet Hemant, the design label of designer duo Hemant Sagar and his French partner Didier Lecoanet came to India in 2001 and set up their headquarters in Delhi. They had formed their label in late seventies and for over two decades were a part of the haute couture establishment in Paris. The well panned out journey of their brand transits into a new realm as they have recently decided to draw a full stop to their showcasing at the fashion weeks in India.

Little curios, a little apprehensive we headed to their firm to meet Hemant Sagar and to find out the real story behind this stride. And what we discover is a much more intense thought provoking visionary and a full proof working model of an alternate reality. As we entered the premises of his eco friendly huge firm we had already realized that there is lot more than just garments to this design label.

A warm host brimming with enthusiasm Hemant Sagar discussed with us his future plans of building his label into a brand, to sketch a much larger than life image and there is no physical person attached to the attributes and enormity of his label. It’s an entity in itself and not a mere piece of cloth but a high fashion luxurious culture. He not only believes fashion is about individuality; it’s about being you and is of course luxury.

The modus operandi at ‘Lecoanet Hemant’ ( I should specify clearly here I am talking about the brand and not the individual designers) works in LH corporate which takes care of uniforms of around 35 hotels all across India and LH factory which caters to international high fashion brands like Balmain, Cerruti and more besides their own  fashion label. They have also launched their first product Ayurgyanic, a clothes line developed from natural herbal oils for the well being and immunity boosting, a hundred percent ethical product.

The patterns have been set right, Lecoanet Hemant proposes to barrage with a total of 10 retail stores in a year’s time and has already geared for the same. His product line is on an expansion spree and the Lecoanet Hemant label is already designed and geared into a self sufficient module with in-house innovation, design and production of bags, garments, leather products, metal hardware and still more to come over. He is also actively looking up for tie-ups with manufactures to launch his brand’s jewellery line.

Celebrating the start of its second glorious decade, the International Indian Film Academy is set to write its grandest chapter yet. The IIFA Weekend to be held in Colombo, Sri Lanka from June 3rd – 5th, 2010 is slated to be a spectacular show with India’s biggest cinema stars in action.

June 3rd will see the trend-setting IIFA Foundation Fashion Extravaganza which will be a trail blazer event in Colombo, with Indian and Sri Lankan fashion designers showcasing their collections. The Fashion Extravaganza will be spread over two days and is of special significance as it supports the IIFA Foundation. The Foundation is a charity organization that was set up by the IIFA Academy to support families of the film industry workers who have been adversely affected during the production of films.

This year, ‘IIFA Fashion Rocks’ will feature Indian designers Manish Malhotra and Vikram Phadnis and leading Sri Lankan designers Yoland and Kanchana (KT Brown). The Manish Malhotra collection is inspired from textures of the Mughal period influenced by the British Raj, albeit they will retain a contemporary perspective. While the collection by Vikram Phadnis, specially created for the IIFA Fashion Extravaganza, will have an influence of costumes and styles inspired by Indian films through the years. Sri Lankan designer Yoland’s collection will feature pieces depicting the Sri Lankan traditional mask and floral designs inspired from the country.

The second night of the IIFA Foundation Fashion Extravaganza – IIFA Bling will feature celebrity showcases by designers, Rocky S and Nandita Mahtani. The collection by Rocky S includes classy suits with a twist, creating an old English school feel. Nandita Mahtani’s line will consist of evening wear, appealing to women of all ages.