April 2012 - Page 4 of 17

The renowned jeans Brand Lee, is activating its seasons campaign “The City is Mine” is all about claiming your City & interacting with its Shadows.

The Photo-City Walk is a guided 2hr photography workshop conducted by Photography Onthemove. The participants were divided into groups of 10 to 14 members, who created & captured their own myriad Shadow stories that they cast with the help of their fellow group members. The participants were also constantly given tips and were guided as to how to capture these Shadows in one’s lens, which can get challenging otherwise.

Activating the campaign, Lee organized its second Photo-City Walk in Mumbai (Gateway of India) on April 22, 2012. The waking & scorching lazy streets of Colaba saw 70 active enthusiasts armed with their camera lenses and abundantly flowing creativity, claiming their City by drawing out various shadow stories on the Mumbai lanes.

People, who could not make it to the walk, can participate in Lee’s digital Photography contest – “The City is mine – A Shadow Photography Contest” and stand a chance to win exotic photo tour to either Hampi or Varanasi.

Grit & Grace of Suneet Varma The 25 years of Designer Suneet Varma and his passionate affair with high-end fashion come archived through an iconic photo exhibit, ‘Grit & Grace’.

The beautifully put together exhibit, which was lately displayed at DLF Emporio, New Delhi, brings to the fore Suneet’s extensive body of work over 25 years through iconic imagery created on some of the best models and celebrities by the revered photographers.

Each image somehow exudes a sense of narrative, grandeur and individuality – a result of the stunning expressions and aura of the models shot aesthetically and infused with the different outfits by the designer which varied from the spectacular breast plate and sari to more quieter traditional ensembles to ornate ruffled embroidered dresses and gowns.

The exhibit features the images of the illustrious names from art, cinema and fashion on the glossy sheets of the glamorous fashion magazines. It includes Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Deepika Padukone, Katrina Kaif, Priyanka Chopra, Feroze Gujral, Milind Soman, Madhu Sapre, Mallaika Arora Khan, Ujjwala Raut, Tamara Moss and Rahul Dev amongst others.

On the heels of a successful launch of its iPad Application in USA last year, Forevermark, one of the world’s premier diamond brands, launches a multi-language iPad App for India, including other countries where the brand operates.

The iPad App takes the user through the journey of a Forevermark diamond from the mine where it is unearthed, all the way through cutting, polishing, and jewellery design. Using exclusive video, interactive content and photography, the app brings to life the 3D Forevermark diamond which on zooming in reveals the Forevermark inscription.

The app can also be used to learn more about different colours, sizes, cuts and quality standards of diamonds. Interactive elements allow users to see the different sizes while gaining a realistic idea of the type of diamond that suits them.

The very recently concluded Salone Internazionale del Mobile, the annual furniture fair held in Milan, saw designer Roberto Cavalli launching his first home ware line.

The ornate collection exuding extravagance featured luxurious furniture, carpets, upholstery and lamp shades in signature Roberto Cavalli style. The use of fabrics like leather, suede, velvet and silk with animal prints and gold detailing galore make the collection an interesting piece of art perfect for the palace like settings.

Roberto Cavalli’s home line is inspired by the iconic prints, colors and overlapping textures of the most significant collections of Maison and boasts of some spectacular pieces like Murano glass lamps, hand crafted velvet and silk cushions, animal printed sofas, Jaguar hand woven silk carpet and circular rotating with bedside cabinets made of stitched leather and suede.

Gaurav Gupta at Alchemy Alchemy London 2012, the five-day cultural extravaganza hosted by British Council in a bid to explore the abyss of Indian culture saw designer Gaurav Gupta showcasing his eclectic futuristic collection revolving around a bionic woman.

The severe, sculpted and reed like silhouettes of the collection are balanced by accents of calculated fluidity. The collection flowing from all sexy siren look to nasty secretary look features jackets morphing Gaurav Gupta at Alchemy into dresses and drape saris mainly. The sculpted shoulders, flapping fins and meandering drops of ink render distinctness to the collection.
The use of materials like gold leather, lace, metal, velvet, and felt add to the collection a dreamy feel.

Fables by Sanchita Ajjampur The latest buzz of kidswear in the fashion industry makes one of the India’s leading designers Sanchita Ajjampur taking her children’s wear line, Fables to the racks of prestigious upmarket store Lane Crawford in Hong Kong.

The Mini Fables collection by the designer is inspired by the famous original fables, and features T-shirts, tank tops, dresses and swim bags. The designs consist of funky graphic prints, bright colours and the softest organic cotton jersey overprinted visuals of the inspiring book Fables whereas the tees capture the essence of avant-garde and folk interspersed with playful and free-flowing elements.

The collection made it to the Lane Crawford which also houses kids wear lines of Lanvin, Marni, Kids by Philip Lim, Stella McCartney and Acne.

The assortment of exquisite handcrafted designs at Malaga by Malini Agarwalla sees an appendage of a new line ‘Cornucopia’ featuring some vibrant and scintillating designs, under its pret label Pimento.

‘Cornucopia’, which according to Greek mythology stands for a horn filled with plenty of flowers and fruits, features bags and footwear in easy to wear silhouettes and bright floral embroideries. The fun filled collection standing for quality, comfort, style and utility is comprised of bags in colored fabrics and accented with funky tassels and scarves, along with sandals with embroidery and beadwork in the signature Malaga style.

About the launch of Cornucopia, Malini Agarwalla says, “Pimento, Malaga’s prêt label, has used this idea in its Cornucopia collection of floral and vibrant colours- perfect for the holiday season.”

Taking her inspiration from day to day life, different cultures and traditions, a young accessory designer Dhruva Patel unveils her latest collection of handbags and belts.

A reflection of high craftsmanship and unique aesthetics, the latest range by the designer comes as one eclectic assortment of handbags and belts ranging from vintage kind-of pieces to contemporary chic designs in leather and metal predominantly. The detailing like knotted tubes, sheared edges on flaps, color blocking with leathers and laser cut techniques render distinctness to the range.

The modish and visually appealing range is mainly done in earthy hues with pop of bright colors. The metal bows used as buckle of belts or dainty flowers on bags are the few highlights of the collection.

Chrysalis 2012 presented by S.N.D.T of late saw designer Masaba Gupta showcasing her collection, along with nine of its graduating students.

The glam packed event had Masaba displaying her chic range of saris, jumpsuits, harems, gowns and dresses. The use of layering, kitsch prints and golden accents on black and white dominated the collection comprised of fit-and-flare styled pieces. The bright hues of green, pink and yellow shared the palette with black and white.

The other nine collections by the students of Apparel Manufacture and Design Department of the institute came as a medley of unique themes and inspirations. A collection titled, ‘A Memory of Marrakesh’ reflected layered luxurious silhouettes with rich Indian and Middle Eastern influences whereas ‘Anubhavam’ was inspired from highly dramatic, expressive style of classical Kathakali and Mohiniattam dance forms of Kerala.

The event was mentored by designer Hemant Trivedi and choreographed by Achla Sachdev while the collections of the graduating students were judged by a panel of esteemed jury comprising of Anjana Sharma, Diana Hayden, Pradeep Hirani, Priyadarshini Rao, Dolly Thakore, Meher Castelino, Subi Samuel and Zahra Khan.

Apart from such illustrious names associated with Chrysalis 2012, it also witnessed the glam brigade of Tinsel Town jazzing up the event. The attendees included Zoa Morani, Teejay Sindhu, Amy Billomoria and Aashka Goradia, Lina Tipnis and Aminder Madan amongst others.

A brand new initiative by Body Shop that aims to plant and protect more trees than it uses in its supply chain, thereby increasing the world’s natural resources rather than depleting them.

Launched on Earth Day, the Wood Positive initiative is an ongoing commitment that will be targeting biodiversity hotspots all over the world. Together with partner The World Land Trust, Wood Positive has already contributed to the world’s resources by protecting and planting over 55,000 trees in the Ecuadorian Andes and the highly endangered Atlantic Rainforest.

At The Body Shop, Protect the Planet is one of our core values says Simon Henzell – Thom , International Head of Sustainability. We bring you excerpts of Q&A session with him:

Q: If ‘Protect the Planet’ has always been a key value of The Body Shop, why has it taken this long to put this initiative into place?

We’ve been working to protect the rainforest for decades. One of our first campaigns was back in the nineties called ‘Stop the Burning’ where we raised millions of customers’ signatures to petition the Brazilian government to stop illegal burning of the Amazon. 100% of our accessories are made with FSC certified wood. All our palm oil is for RSPO certified sustainable sources and we use FSC and/or recycled material in our packaging whenever we can. Wood Positive is just about us doing more and going one step further.

Q: How many products will be carrying the Wood Positive logo?

All of our products that come in paper/card packaging will have the logo.

Q: Why did you decide to partner with The Wood Land Trust? What will they bring to this initiative?

The World Land Trust is a credible, scientific and intelligent organization with a good network of local partners around the world. They understand the science but they are also practical about its implementation. They are very experienced in purchasing land in fragile areas and know what a good tree-planting scheme looks like. They also understand that good environmental practice can only happen when you involve local communities in the protection of those habitats.

Q: With regards to the land protection, how long will the trees be protected for?

The World Land Trust works with its conservation project partners throughout the world to ensure the permanent protection of all the land purchase it funds. As land is purchased it is incorporated into an existing nature reserve and protected by our partners to ensure the preservation of these important habitats and their biodiversity forever.

Q: As this initiative focuses on wood and paper-based packaging, when will other forms of packaging be looked into?

We are constantly looking at minimising our packaging so this isn’t new. A very small percentage of our products actually come in secondary packaging. We will constantly commit to reducing where we can. The concepts of ‘Wood Positive’ will not always work with other commodities – for example with plastic our best way of having a positive impact is just to reduce our use.

Q: How often will you be re-planting trees throughout the year?

It depends on the location and the climate and also the growing seasons in various countries. In Brazil and Ecuador, we have been planting since October 2011 in order to ensure the trees have a good chance of survival.

Q: Tree species being replanted are found in endangered environments in South America. Does this mean that this is where you source your trees for packaging?

No – it doesn’t. We are starting our programme here because some of the most endangered habitats are here and they need immediate attention. There are other endangered habitats such as in Asia and Africa and it may be that as the programme grows we look to expand to those areas. The key driver was not where we source our packaging from but where the most attention is needed in terms of endangered habitats.

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Monthly Archives: April 2012

Lee Photo-City Walk

Grit & Grace of Suneet Varma

Forevermark iPad App

Roberto Cavalli Homeware

Gaurav Gupta at Alchemy

Fables by Sanchita Ajjampur

Malaga Introduces Cornucopia

Dhruva Patel Accessories

Chrysalis 2012

Body Shop Wood Positive