Monthly Archives: October 2010

Gaurav Jai Gupta

Gaurav Jai Gupta debuted at the prestigious ORIGIN: The London Craft fair in 2007 under his studio AKAARO. 

Gaurav makes clothes, accessories and product for interior spaces which are all hand woven and sustainable. His approach towards his work and commitment to revive appreciation for contemporary Indian textiles has earned him both critical acclaim and a list of high profile customers with in U.K with likes of Emma Thompson and Dato Jimmy Choo and Gwyn Miles.  With coverage in very prestigious selected publications, Gaurav’s studio has been identified as one of the most promising young studio outside India. SELVEDGE the coveted English textile magazine termed his work “as much a cultural regeneration programme as a textile label”.

  • Trained at Chelsea College of Art and Design London in Woven Textiles.
  • Graduated from National Institute of Fashion Technology in Fashion and Graphics, New Delhi.
  • His graduation show at NIFT Delhi won him the most innovative textile development award by the jury followed by the same award from Fashion Design Council of India at Fibers of Fashion in 2003.
  • He was commissioned by the prestigious Central Saint Martin’s London as a trend forecaster from Delhi for a period of one year from 2006- 2007 for a British publication called PREVIEW.
  • He was invited to co-curate and exhibit in a show called London Calling in Tokyo on the commemoration of 150 years of British and Japanese Friendship in October 2008, the same was inaugurated by Dato Jimmy Choo.
  • In 2009, Gaurav was selected for the prestigious “Shared Talent India” project for promoting Indian sustainable textiles an initiative by Centre of Sustainable Fashion, London which was exhibited at London Fashion Week.
  • He was a finalist of British Council and ELLE’s Young Creative Fashion Entrepreneur Awards 2010 India.
  • Recently Gaurav was invited to exhibit at All Tied Up which showcased works of 14 most contemporary textile designers internationally at the Ruthin Craft Centre in Wales followed by another showcase in Bath where he was invited to exhibit at the Bath Festival in May 2010.

A fair amount of his design practice address issues within the context of design education in India; as a part of which he regularly conducts workshops, do talks, juries and teach at various design institutes. As a graduate ambassador for University of the Arts in India and a fellow of Royal Society of the Arts he has been successful in establishing a platform for young designers like himself to connect to the right audience and develop networks which are inclusive. He is also a founding faculty member at Sushant School of Design where he heads the weave studio.

Akaaro retails products from selected stores, galleries and museums across India, England and Tokyo.

You can get  Gaurav Jai Gupta at:
www.akaaro.com
 

Dev R Nil

Fondly known as the Boys of Bengal, Dev r Nil have gradually and steadily expanded their horizons from women’s prêt to menswear and now bridal wear. The duo plays around with beautiful textiles, subtle surface texturing and classic cuts to create what they term as ‘easy chic’. Indigenous printing techniques like Batik and creating handloom weaves are just some of the very Indian traits of the designer duo. They boldly and confidently defy fashion norms in India and experiment with unusual colour combinations for a style which is distinctively Dev r Nil and yet very desi in appeal. 

Dev learnt the art of fashion from NIFD, Kolkata while Nil completed his fashion education from the Canberra Institute of Technology, Australia. By a twist of fate, Nil returned to India in 2004 and met his soon-to-be partner Dev. They then started their eponymous label in December of the same year. 

Their debut in the fashion week happened in 2006 when the pair was selected to showcase at the Lakme Fashion Week. Their designs won rave reviews and they were awarded the Best Debut Collection by Elle. Now, after showing at 10 successive seasons at the LFW, Australia Fashion Week and Kolkata Fashion Week, this year the young designers debuted at the recently concluded WLIFW with their Spring/Summer 2011 collection. 

Their tryst with B-town happened when National Award winning actress Tabu chose them to create her look for the international premieres of her movie ‘The Namesake’. They foray into the world of costume designing with Onir’s I AM and are also working on a few more projects. Amongst a long series of awards in this short span of 6 years, Dev r Nil recently won the Most Creative Designer award in Kolkata by the ABP group.

You can lay your hands on a Dev r Nil collection at premier stores like Zoya, AZA, Origins and 85 Lansdowne.

You can get Dev r Nil at:
www.devnil.com

The Accessory Story Gets Richer

In the first ever fashion week that meets the scale of a Maison et Objet or Heimtextil or even Pitti Immagine (A textile and design fair that spreads across the picturesque town of Florence), WIFW Spring Summer 2011 spreads across 165 well designed stalls. With the very industrious, arched roof flanking the hall, FDCI puts forth a spectrum so wide that  two days down and  I have still have many stalls to see.  

It’s a wondrous maze that leaves you lusting for more, a repertoire of visual design that enchants you. Of special mention being the calming beige stall of Cell Design or the tribal inspired space crafted by Charu Parasher that mixes tribal memorabilia both African and Indian. However the one segment that takes your breath away are the Accessory design stalls that grow in number this year to incorporate a new world design .These stalls have something interesting to say. 

Shah Rukh Zaidi’s Vintage Panorama topping my list in design perfection. His rucksacks take you to a vintage past. To a childhood when one travelled three tier sleeper and slept on a rucksack made of khaki canvas cloth with rugged leather edges. In his Tribute to Heroes Collection he simply recaptures that notion. Then there is his collection of Grandma Clutches that remind you of the purse Mom got made on order through the family bag maker. The bearded guy who came home with leather swatches and allowed you to get your red and then converted it into that one bag you could carry for the next ten years.

From Shahrukh’s vintage to Samir’s new age…. It is like getting into the time machine and leaping across three decades to a hip hop new era of studded stilettos, zany closed shoes, well finished Ballerinas and some stylish looks for men. Close your eyes and you could well imagine that you are in Mr. Choo’s shoes in a famed Ferragamo pump….so impeccable is his impersonation of that fabled finish.

I particularly enjoyed the three bling shops that give the Swarovski obsessed diva a sigh of comfort. PVS by Pinky Saraf, Felix Bandhish and Radhika Gupta who together give bold a new dimension. First stop  is PVS where the myth that hundred crystals together will bling your mind out gets busted.  Her soft and easily moldable chains get attached to mega creations in crystals, vintage metal and rhinestones. Bags go bold suggesting that you only dare wear all this on a Little Black dress. But the beauty in her creation is that the bling is also charming. 

Felix Bandish essentially a textile person creates neck laces in fabric highlighted with myriad colored stones and interesting thread inclusions. His studded and embroidered necklines are a design delight. Attach them to any silhouette and you are ready to shine and sparkle. As for young designer Radhika Gupta it is once again great to see India shining in a very nice take on an embellished mojdi and potli collection. India also comes through the accessory line by Payal Kapoor. Her band Famous brings you the bag Miley Cyrus and Cameroon Dias were caught wearing over their white shirt dress recently. A modern and shapely take on the mirror work basta that Payal Kapoor of Famous brand insists is a big hit on the streets of LA.

In the jewelery line as always Amrapali wins hands down with a very loud and showy Envy leaving little to imagination…..All in all a visit to the accessory display is a must do on your list this Fashion Week.

it’s a Refreshingly Young Fashion

 Luscious colors, young imprints, a burst of new ideas and fresh energy…. WIFW SS’11 is a coming together of the new brigade. It’s a moment for all of us design aficionados to press the alt + refresh button in our mind and get set for a completely new mood board. Change the shades of your rose tinted glasses and please welcome a whole new gen next that has something new and nice to say. And this lot is also unabashedly Indian and proud to be so.

A design protagonist known to have a soft corner for young and new design, FDCI’s Impresario Sunil Sethi pulls a coup by bringing together so many more, new and extremely talented names to show at this fashion week. Infact the first day itself set the tone with rare talents of Cell Design, Anand Kabra, Rahul Reddy and Rahul Mishra showing the way fashion ought to go. Fashion forward it were today as the young lot dipped back into Indian influences to create what I call Indian soul infused into a spanking new, globally viable silhouette.


Lets face it India is a young nation. The under thirty ascribe for most of retail selling and retail surveys  stop the  age limit of the ‘buying lot’ at  45.Then why should fashion remain the domain of the   top ten who have already completed a decade or two in the business? Off course they have shown the beacon to Indian fashion. To their credit goes the emergence of this young design conscious new generation. It is they who had the Indian man and woman think beyond predictions and wear something a more western silhouette. However as the design schools churn out a whole new crop every season and fashion trends turn turtle at the flip flop of the whimsical socialite’s eyelid, it’s time to say ‘I do’ to young designers. 

On day one those who showed promise were the two Rahuls: Reddy and Mishra. Rahul Reddy once again dipped into the Indian palette creating a ‘this and that’ collection of very yummy and varied silhouettes. Each ones a muse to themselves. And the other Rahul, Mishra  like many other new kids on the block gladdened the heart by hand picking the mythical lotus flower out of a  pichwais and placed them on clearly western silhouettes….each piece able to walk as much on Champs Elysees as it could in Connaught Place. Then there were the beige story of Cell design upbeat yet casual chic, created for those daring at heart. And Anand Kabra touched a feudal note as he took a tour of his city Hyderabad going from nawabi elegance to street chic.

A walk down the stalls reflected an Indophile spirit as the new designers on a never before creative high gave India a new mesmerizing avatar. Manish Arora, the one senior designer who becomes younger in his design sensibility every year created a yummy new line under his new brand tag INDIAN. A little easier on the graphic story Manish seems to say it with colors and cuts…. All in all welcome to gen next as fashion forward give s the Indian deisgn sensibility a new refreshing appeal. Reiterating my belief that the western buyer, on his visit to India might look for perfect western  cuts but he still seals that hint of India in everything he buys… 

Posted by : Anshu Khanna  at 10:30 AM

Men at Fuel

Designers Gogee, Shraddha & Mayank launched their ‘Festive’ collection for Men at Fuel. The Fashion Store, which mainly focus on Women’s designer wear, hosts some of the best names in the Fashion Industry, extended the collections to Men’s Wear with Gogee ,Shraddha & Mayank.

Azaan Shah and Bharat Kundra looked impressive in Designer Gogee’s creations, which were specially designed for the evening. 

Purab Kohli who is mostly spotted in Gogee’s exclusive Indian fusion wear said, “I adore her collection and feel that it is a huge responsibility that she has taken up to keep the ancient culture alive”. Sharon Prabhakar, a dear friend of Gogee said, “Each time I preview her collection, it gets difficult to resist”. 
 

Royal Fables

Taking its commitment to  good design and luxury life-style forward, DLF Emporio presented ROYAL FABLES, the first of its kind exhibition featuring creations by  Her Highnesses belonging to leading Royal families of India.

This matchless exhibition showcased a fine collection of heirloom quality products created by members of leading royal families of India. The exhibition opened on the 21st October at The Atrium, DLF Emporio, and continues through 22nd and 23rd October, 11am to 7 pm. 

ROYAL FABLES brings the treasure trunk of eleven royal families under one exotic roof of DLF Emporio. Collectors can hand pick silver inspired by the architecture of City Palace, Jaipur and designed under the refined eye of Diya Kumari. Or look beautiful in heirloom sari created by the royal family of Baroda, an exact replica of the sari their ancestors crafted for the painter Raja Ravi Varma’s muse. Bring home an exquisite hand tucked quilt. Or even add to their enamel box collection designed by Princess Jyotika Singh of Kashmir. There is a whole new fable to bring home from the Royal collection.