January 2013 - Page 2 of 17

Under all that glitter fashion has got a soul that can’t bear the debilitation of beautiful things around. And that very soul of popular Italian fashion house Fendi made it undergo a four-year initiative funding the restoration of roman fountains.

The brand recently announced its project titled, ‘Fendi for Fountains’ going for restoration of five of iconic Rome’s fountains, starting with the Trevi Fountain (the one featured in epic movie Roman Holiday).

The revamping work will be done in stages and once completed will acknowledge Fendi (the name written on a small plaque on the site). The project will also see the launch of a coffee table book shot by Karl Lagerfeld, featuring these hailed roman fountains.

After Bibhu Mohapatra who showcased at the Lakme Fashion Week a season back, it’s the international flavor of luxury fashion, Naeem Khan debuting in India with his exquisite collection at the forthcoming edition of the fashion event.

The Internationally acclaimed designer who frequently showcases at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week, New York will bring his trademark luxurious collection consisting of impeccably cut dresses, sophisticated gowns and separates all hand embroidered by experts at Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2013 – scheduled from 22nd to 26th March, 2013.

Talking about his participation in the Mumbai-based fashion week Naeem Khan says, “I am incredibly excited to showcase my collection in India for the first time, especially in my hometown of Mumbai. It is truly an honor to be part of Lakmé Fashion Week, India’s answer to the international runway, and I am thrilled to announce our partnership.”

The 16th edition of Milano Unico 2013, one of the premier fashion events held in Milano, Italy, will see British fashion priest Paul Smith opening the event.

Scheduled from February 6 to 8, 2013, the forthcoming Spring Summer 2014 edition of Milano Unico catering to European fabrics and accessories will have storied fashion designer talking about his vision of Italian textile market. Moreover, we expect the designer to bring to the fore his Ivy League inspired design sensibility and quirky prints and colors in Milan.

Lately, Cotton Council International in association with Fashion Design Council of India announced the names of the three finalists selected from the Delhi region for the upcoming season of ‘Let’s Design’.

Selected from over 2000 entries, the chosen participants Padma Raj Keshri, Vimal Abhinash, Sanya Mukesh Jain, Josh Goraya and Gurmaan Singh Chawla will join the young hopefuls selected in Kolkata in the final round of ‘Let’s Design’. The Delhi entries were judged by renowned designers Samant Chauhan and Nitin Bal Chauhan.

Finally, the top ten candidates from around India will meet in Delhi, where they will face a series of design challenges that test their creative and technical skills. A panel of fashion industry experts will judge each challenge, with one or more designers eliminated in each round. The winners will receive1 million rupees and the chance to present at Spring/Summer 2014 Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

About the contest designer Samant Chauhan said, “I have worked predominantly in silk but various possibilities of cotton have been an eye-opener for me. With numerous variations of cotton, I strongly feel that there is tremendous scope in this fabric. It is not only comfortable to wear but can also become inviting via innovation.”

The designer Suneet Varma recently joined the bandwagon of designers publishing their works by launching his first book celebrating his 25 years journey in the fashion industry.

Titled "Suneet Varma", the book was unveiled by H.E. François Richier, Ambassador of France to India, over Champagne and hors d’oeuvres at the lawns of Residence of France in New Delhi.

The book giving enchanting insights into the world of couture is enriched with photographs by Prabuddha Das Gupta, Bharat Sikka, Tarun Khiwal, Farrokh Chothia, Hemant Khandelwal, Vibash Tiwari, and others; interviews with designers JJ Valaya, David Abraham and FDCI President Sunil Sethi, amongst others, and an introduction and foreword by textile guru Martand Singh.

A hardbound book in matt finish with 296 pages and over 500 illustrations in black and white and color mirrors the growth of the industry while charting the designer’s journey from his early years as a sketch enthusiast to a design education in Europe, in addition to his experiences at Yves Saint Laurent in Paris, to the date where he represents some of the most celebrated brands of the country.

On the occasion of the launch designer Suneet Varma said, “From a very young age, I grew up around books and they became my best friends. Books – on Art, European history, Architecture, and the Indian and European classics, from the lyrical poetry of Shakespeare to the tender text of Kamasutra – taught me all I know about life and learning. I read them and reread them several times as each time I learnt something new and exciting. My book has been a labour of love and was started over a decade ago with my dear friend and photographer Prabuddho Das Gupta. It captures through imagery the creative mood of the Indian fashion industry over the last 25 years.”

The event was well attended by who’s who of the city including Ravi Bajaj, Rohit Bal, Abhishek & Nandita Basu, Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, David Abraham and Kevin Nigli, Rakesh Thakore, Namrata Joshipura, Leena Singh, Monisha Lepps, Poonam Bhagat, Anupama Dayal, Manav Gangwani, Nayanika Karan, Nitin Bal Chauhan, Harmeet Bajaj, Milind Soman, Rahul Dev, Sunil Sethi, Asha Kochhar, Vidyun Singh, Tikka Shatrujit Singh, Pernia Qureshi, Priya Paul, Koel Purie, V. Sunil, Raseel Gujral, Navin Ansal, Chetan Seth, Sanjay & Sheena Sharma, AD Singh, Mamta Modhy, Alka Raghuvanshi, Amol Vadhera, Rohtash and Pushpanjali Chawla, Simar Duggal and Radhika Jha amongst others.

M.A.C Cosmetics India opens its exclusive PRO Store at Shopper’s Stop, Dynamix Mall, Juhu in Mumbai with the goal of providing superior products and education to professional makeup artists.

The contemporary PRO store catering to the professional makeup artists is spread over 1000 square feet space. The store design is a juxtaposition of styles and textures combining materials such as wood, high gloss surface, mirror and colors with a signature M.A.C acrylic to create a unique look and feel. The overall neutral palette is punctuated by a playful, colourful wall displaying an array of mason jars filled with vivid paints and pigments.

With its big makeup zone comprising five makeup stations, the new M.A.C PRO store offers makeup in unconventional colors and finishes, in addition to several distinct formulas such as Chromacakes and Paint Sticks.

About the new store Mickey Contractor, Director of Makeup Artistry, M.A.C Cosmetics, said, “This has been truly an amazing, successful step by M.A.C worldwide and we are so thrilled to announce that India will now have its own M.A.C PRO Store. PRO members from India and other makeup artists within the country would be happy to know about the launch and we look forward to a collaborative and creative exchange of ideas.”


Let’s Design Activity Report
Date	Subject line	Senders name	No. of subscribers	Open Rate (%)	CTR (%)	Bounce
28-Dec-2012	Lets design season 5 returns! Last Chance to become a Millionnaire Designer !Register now!	Cotton Council International	139,400	30.4%	12%	5.1%
19-Dec-2012	Let’s Design 5: Your Chance to be a Millionnaire	Cotton Council International		21.5%	3.5%	1.2%

In the times of the craze of eco-friendliness one of India’s premier bag brands Baggit invited a host of catwalk queens to stitch their own colorful eco-friendly bags at their store in Mumbai.

The afternoon soiree seeing models like Dipannita, Nethra, Carol, Binal, Manasi and Sagarika was hosted by Sapna Ahuja of Baggit along with Suchitra Pillai. After finishing the fun task of stitching together tricolour cloth bags to take away their bags, the girls decided to select the bags themselves.

Nethra went for laptop bags while Dipannita was keen on clutches. Manasi wanted a ‘sexy mom’ bag to fill in just about everything, while Ushoshi loved the caps. Suchitra checked out travel strolleys while Sagarika was happy to try out slings.

On the occasion Sapna Ahuja said, “Our chromatic spectrum bags with vibrant colours, lace detailing and chic retro designs rendered in jute are doing extremely well across India, and we are happy to make a responsible fashion statement in every way possible.”

The 8th edition of Bangalore Fashion Week Summer/Showers 2013 bringing an interesting mix of new talents and veterans on the same platform came with a splash of colors and contours never seen before. Here we chart the first two days of the event scheduled from 25th to 28th January, 2013 in Bangalore.

The Day 1 had newbies like Eddie & Simmi, Priyanka Batra, Pratiksha Hegde and Vandana Raj presenting their exquisite collections. On one hand where Eddie & Simmi showcased a beautiful amalgam of modern age fabrics with modern forms of traditional embroideries, on the other, Priyanka Batra’s collection was consisted of pleated patterns, 3D textures and exaggerated flowy silhouettes, highly inspired by the Egyptian era, mixing it with rich Indian culture.

The collection titled ‘Glitter Desert’ by Pratiksha Hegde offered well-tailored outfits with design details and cuts – perfect pencil fits to floor length outfits with a touch of cutwork embroidery. While the ‘Kadambri’ by Vandana Raj had a variety of stylish creations in Sarees & Blouses featuring cutwork embroidery, sweeping necklines and striking sequence work. The day had finale by designer Niki Mahajan presenting a collection full of fluorescent and neon colors. The use of tulles, chiffons and georgettes created juxtaposition between transparent and opaque.

The Day 2 had interesting lineup of designers like Archana Kochhar, Sandhya Reddy, Anjali Rai, Akshita Jain and Umesh P Joshi amongst others. Designer Archana Kochhar’s Bridal Sutra was inspired by the richness of the country – an amalgam of the rich and diverse cultures. The collection was comprised of heavy exquisite lehengas, Sherwanis, Anarkalis and Saris lavishly fabricated in fabrics like silk, brocade, satin, velvet, georgette, net and chiffon.

Designer Akshita Jain belted out a playful collection titled ‘Crayons’ comprising of gowns with fun filled flares and dazzling colors of spring and summer whereas Sandhya Reddy had a collection which was inspired from a garden sprawling with colors. Umesh P Joshi’s collection was richly done using fabrics like gold, brocade and Benarasi silk. Its highlight was the Kasuti work traditionally made on dress wear like Ilka saris and Kanchivaram saris.

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Monthly Archives: January 2013

Fendi for Fountains

Naeem Khan at LFW SR13

Paul Smith at Milano Unico

Let

Suneet Verma Launches a Book

M.A.C Pro Store in India

Let’s Design Activity Report

Models Stitch their Bags

Bangalore Fashion Week SS13