May 2010 - Page 2 of 17

A first of its kind Lingerie Fashion Show was held in the atrium of Palladium Mall on the 26th of May. The event saw upcoming talent from across the country take centre-stage to prove their mettle at the Grand Finale of the Triumph Inspiration Award 2010. The theme this year “Shape Sensation” witnessed the multinational interpretation of shapes and silhouettes.

The contest in India kicked off in Mid-February. Participants, in the final year of their curriculum from leading fashion schools viz. National Institute of Fashion Technology, National Institute of Design, Pearl Academy, JD School of Art, SNDT, Raffles School of Design and Wigan and Leigh College showed overwhelming response.

Triumph had showcased the short listed products in their stores for around a month before the final event which had International models walking the ramp in designs created by young creative minds from across the country.

Yadvi Aggarwal won over the jury with the innovation of her unique showpiece. Sneha Advani and Shweta Gupta stood second and third respectively. The contest was judged by Mr. Thorsten Allenstein, MD Triumph International,India and Sri Lanka along with eminent personalities from the fashion fraternity viz. Meher Castelino, Neeta Lulla, Babita Malkani and Anita Dongre.

The winning designs from 29 countries will then need to impress a prestigious international jury at the fashion metropolis of London as well as the worldwide online community at www.triumph-inspiration-award.com in September this year. The International winner would receive a prize money of 15,000 Euros as well as an opportunity to convert his/her design into a commercial piece and put it in Triumph Stores all over the world.

The LAP Garden recreated their “Wed La Moda” nights with the introduction of the installation by acclaimed designer duo, Lecoanet Hemant titled “Fashion [on the] rocks” at “Las Ramblas” the garden’s ode to the summer months in the capital.

An escape from the lazy hazy days of summer, Las Ramblas at The LAP Garden offers an electrifyingly evolving mix of installation art, live music, delicious sangrias, video, fashion and contemporary tapas.

Together with The Lap Garden Lecoanet Hemant was delighted to interpret the Ramblas they love, an attempt to reproduce the bustling vivacity of south European life outside after Sundown mixed with a bit of Fashion on the Rocks…

The integral elements of the displays for Las Ramblas in The Lap Garden would be constantly evolving and some of the upcoming participants are Nandita Basu, Artist Baba Anand, Shrivan & Narresh, Vaarya, Blanca Peralta, Veronica Jorda Martinez, Spanish artist Carlos Berruezo’s Photography Exhibition amongst many others…

“We have come a long way, since we started eleven years ago and we still have way to go”, says Sunil Sethi, President FDCI, the eponymous body of Indian fashion. It would not be wrong to call him the face of Indian fashion as he is someone absolutely impossible to be missed at any fashion events. A buyer himself for his own Alliance Merchandising Company he took the initiative to strike the right cords at the right time of the developing fashion fraternity. His magnetic personality, charming aura and ever so energetic persona definitely helped him break the image of the president from being only a nominal head to the most active participant as well as host for the most massive fashion week in India. Not only has he been credited to hold the reins of the fashion industry and taken it to new directions and new heights he has a new approach to even miner integrities of life, so as you see the uptight crème de la crème fashion fraternity with chin ups and a glass of wine, Sunil Sethi can be spotted in the group of media professionals and photographers addressing them with their names and chatting over a hearty laugh. Fashionfad.in chats over with Sunil Sethi on his fashion views and tries to dig out first hand information on the latest buzz in fashion.

Any buzz in the world of fashion reaches your doorstep first so how do you envision the future of fashion?

Though the fashion industry in India is still at a very nascent stage it holds tremendous potential and scope for future. Domestically we certainly have achieved a balanced and firm hold and certainly has a strong and pan India presence and awareness. But yes internationally we have long way to go and spell the same magic across to globe establish our identity and foothold. The bright future of fashion is not very far away and we certainly are here to stay. My trust and vision both follow the fashion paths traversing the exponentially accelerating success and thus even I am a part of this industry.

The position that you hold offers a lot of responsibility simultaneously triggered with ever fresh ideas, concepts and innovation at the same time. How do you balance portraying the cohesive face of Indian fashion industry internationally and keeping it intact and growing in the country?

Yes, the crown comes with the responsibilities! There are numerous consolidate measures that we are taking for fashion in India. Or precisely we have been building our property with Mumbai Couture Week, and the New Delhi Couture Week, Men’s Fashion week and of course the Wills India Fashion Week. Simultaneously there are innumerable scholarship programmes that we have been promoting and sending designers and design students to international university. Recently Ritesh has gone to the London school of fashion on scholarship in accordance with our endevour towards sustainable fashion. We also give chance to lot of fresh and new talents infact students who are still studying are also given opportunity to showcase simultaneously. Amalraj who showcased as an upcoming designer for Van Huesen Men’s Fashion week last season will be showcasing with us this time. The FDCI gives participation to young and new talents at nominal fees and the money is in turn rotated and used for the benefit of the designers and the fashion industry.

Is craft and Indian fashion two sides of the same coin?

Definitely! Craft is our unique selling proposition so we can’t leave it behind. Without craft Indian fashion would loose its identity. We might be still working hard at perfecting the art of silhouettes and cuts but craft is our forte and we are the masters of it. Crafts have brought us international acclaim and recognition for our industry to flourish its very important that craft and fashion work hand in hand.

How do you see media as a vehicle to the success of any cause in this case fashion?

Media has given a fantastic brand value and played pivotal role in positioning fashion where it is today. In India after Bollywood and cricket it’s only us that enjoy the importance privilege of public attention and it is all credited to the awareness and buzz created by the media. It has played a very important role to chanelize the creative potential in the fashion industry. However my only regret is that media gives far more importance to the celebrations and party scene in fashion and the hard work of the designers is quite a lot of time overlooked and overshadowed.

And what are your views on the more recent upsurge of online media?

Online media is definitely making its mark and has far speeder and wider reach. And with Fashionfad.in I must say, I am very impressed with it. It has a concrete data of valuable content and fresh style which was missing from the online scene. And it’s very informative to anyone from the fashion fraternity. Fashionfad is at the right place at the right time so it also has way to go and has the potential to make it big.

Dynamic designer Riyaz Gangji striked yet again with his elegant and stunning bridal wear! He showcased a dramatic line at the Renaissance, Powai, with a very stylish jewellery collection by Imtiaz Motiwala.

Riyaz was seen in high spirits as he cheerfully stated, “The wedding collection that was showcased for Shagun 2010, is all sold out… In-fact, we are still catering to our buyer’s demands from that show.”

The show had two sequences. The first was the gold sequence in which men sported an indowestern sherwani with a fusion look. The girls flaunted gold net sarees, with halter cut short blouses and printed petticoats. The sarees were embellished with rich stones and zardosi work giving a gold shimmer look.

The second sequence was purely bridal projecting the traditional red-look with boys wearing red sherwanis along with brocade silk salwars and trousers. The styling was fabulously complemented with scarves while the girls wore red lehengas with contrast blouses and dupattas with lots of draping. The lehangas looked dazzling as they had cutwork and zardosi embroidery on them which was further highlighted with Swarovski stones to add bling to the entire bridal attire.

Renowned model Shawar Ali opened the show along with the lovely and glamorous model brigade including Simran Kaur Mundi, Alecia Raut and sister Anjali Raut, Poppy, Archana and Dimple amongst others. The show received a huge applause when the gorgeous and sensational Sonal Chauhan walked as a show-stopper for Riyaz Gangji. Bunty Garewal choreographed the show, while Sanober Kabir and Ishq Bectar gave some lovely performances!

After seven fruitful years of creative partnership, Jean-Paul Gaultier and Hermes have decided to bring to an end their collaboration allowing Jean-Paul Gaultier to concentrate on his own projects. Lacoste designer Christophe Lemaire is taking over as artistic director, the fashion company announced.

The designer who was the artistic director of the luxury ready to wear brand Hermes confirmed that he was leaving it "on very good terms" and said he would still have a "privileged relationship" with the label.

Hermès is deeply grateful to Jean-Paul Gaultier for his outstanding creative contribution during these seven years. With its 45% holding, Hermès remains as the main shareholder of Jean-Paul Gaultier’s house after its creator.

Gaultier’s tenure at Hermès (which began after he succeeded Martin Margiela in 2003) was marked with his own take on the brand’s equestrian roots – mink riding jackets, velvet jodhpurs and Rocky Mountain references were all part of his avant-garde vision. His latest collection for A/W 2010-11 took inspiration from retro British spies, with leather clad models in bowler hats evoking images from The Avengers.

The spring-summer 2011 collection to be revealed in October 2010 will be the last collection created by Jean-Paul Gaultier for Hermès and Lemaire will take over for the fall-winter 2011 collection.

French Connection, the edgy attitudinal high street British fashion brand celebrates World Cup 2010 with the launch of an exclusive range of World Cup tees. Be it England, Italy or Brazil, football fanatics can now get pumped up with this exciting range. Support your favourite team in style this soccer season. Let the countdown begin!

Priced at Rs. 1699 these t-shirts are available at French Connection stores in Mumbai, New Delhi, Pune, Chandigarh, Ludhiana & Bangalore.

This Spring/Summer expect to see Linen in a whole range of colours and styles in Wills Lifestyle’s new collection. Linen’s legendary breathability makes it a breeze for summer and hence Wills Lifestyle introduces it as their fabric for the season.

Linen has a long history of being one of the finest and most comfortable fabric materials in the world. Over a period of time Linen has become an exceptional and desirable fabric for the fashion conscious.

The Wills Lifestyle spring summer range for Men offers premium linen shirts in the most comfortable and cools shades of blues, pinks, greens and purples. Vibrant stripes and intriguing details have been added to linen shirts for the club wear. Meticulously crafted jackets and smart trousers are also available to make a style statement.

For Women, the range goes endless with linen shirts, tops, trousers, skirts and jackets, dresses. The exquisite collection is a must have in any women’s wardrobe with its stylish cuts and fine Italian stitching. Perfect for an all daywear the tops and shirts in breezy hues provide the women on the go with utmost comfort. Linen dresses with arresting hem detailing and linen skirts with stylish cuts provide the most charming drape.

Malini Akerkar and Ali Mamaji of Pallate hosted a preview to unveil the new collections created by the Pallate Design Studio on 25th May. The new Collections 2010 have been flawlessly created by the multi-talented, Shahid Datawala, Head Designer at Pallate Design Studio and the young and refreshing designer Priyanka Gala.

Shahid’s designs reflect his creativity in transforming an every day object or event into a functional work of art. His inspiration has been derived from daily life mundane experiences and the various existences he lives.According to him, “Day-to-day life holds colourful and sometimes bizarre experiences which I translate into artistic form and as seen in the Poached Egg, Orange Peel, the Atom, Alien, Arc and 69 Collection.”

The Collections by Priyanka, with its fluid form, graceful lines and striking colours, reflect her vibrant and vivacious personality. Hers is a fusion style that looks alluring and elegant in any interior. Her persona is truly reflected in her collections Comma, Arched² and Fluid.

Guests seen at this elegant evening do were Elsie Nanji, Preeti Vyas Gianetti, Narendra Kumar, Kadambari, Akanksha Nanda, Krsna Mehta, Divya Thakur, Arjun Khanna, Jyoti Gwalani, Anish & Vineeta Trivedi, Sheena Sippy, Dolly Thakore, Martina New, James Ferriera, Yamini Kohli (Purab Kohli’s wife), Avantika Akerkar, Beenu Bawa and Karen Anand amongst many others.

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Monthly Archives: May 2010

Triumph Inspiration Awards

Fashion [on the] Rocks

Open Works Communication Design

Sunil Sethi

Riyaz Ganji Bridal Wear

Hermes & Gaultier part

FCUK launches FIFA Tees

Wills Linen

Collections at Pallate