Agnieszka Fijol, Senior Manager for South Asia at Cotton Council International, oversees all marketing efforts in the region including brand/retail trade relations, the Generic Cotton Education program in India. Fashionfad.in goes tete-a-tete with the face of Cotton Council International on her efforts which have been focused on the generic cotton promotion program, and aims to introduce Indian consumers to the benefits of cotton clothing and home textiles.

Rika the label by Rekha Arora is a fresh new approach to jewelry design making it fun, chic and very versatile. A jewellery collection that dictates the sense of individuality and pride possession it is set in the kinkiest fashion. Launched in 0ctober 2009, the Rika jewelry design studio offers statement pieces in jewelry to create a look that is unique to the personality of the wearer.

The latest addition to her creation is the animal prints jewellery. For Spring-Summer 2010, ‘RIKA’ draws inspiration from the myriad floral blooms of spring as natural motifs and flowers find pride of place in statement neckpieces. The colours are young, fun and represent gorgeous spring profusions of oranges and lilacs of the bougainvillea as well as blossoms of orchids in shades of pink, white and purple. This exciting new collection captures the mood of the moment by bringing a new dimension of freedom and self-expression to the world of jewelry. Rekha’s sense of design, the fine East Asian workmanship and dazzling character of each semiprecious stone combine well in this new collection made from semiprecious beads, corals and stones such as amethyst, turquoise, agate, arcade, jade, lapis lazuli and more.

Rika as the local Bangkokians referred to Rekha, was born and brought up in Thailand till she shifted to New Delhi about a decade ago. She was taken in by the creativity, skill and precision of the local Thai and Burmese jewelers, lapidaries and artisans and branched off into a new direction from the gemstones business her family had setup in the late 1970s. Thus was her label very aptly christened Rika, feminine, fun, elegant and bold, the label is all about the woman of today – confident, splendid in every form and very individualistic. The avant-garde jewelry designs can be worn in different ways and makes the perfect accessory that can be dressed down for daywear or dressed up for an evening out.
 

A style defined by the elimination of excess along with strong Asian influences. Felix Bendish is a mixture of supremely classic, traditional, historical designs blending with real fashion. The label was launched in 2001 at the in-house design studio in Mumbai, where it creates exquisite handmade embroidered clothing and accessories.

 Felix is a Graduate with Bachelor in Commerce and then Graduate from L.S Raheja Fashion and Technical institute in Mumbai. Basically a fashion designer and couture embroiderer he caters to Europe and America and has recently entered the domestic market. He was also a debutant  in accessories at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2010.

Passion of designing couture embroideries and transforming these to an accessory is Felix’s current obsession. Every accessory piece designed dictates quality, finish and flawless workmanship, while keeping international forecasts, trends and colours in mind. As the creativity of Felix derives inspiration from the inner complexity of human being the design philosophy lies, in not being afraid to experiment.

The brand mainly caters to Europe and America and has recently entered the domestic market with a medley of personal clientele, Bollywood films, television, beauty pageants and fashion shows, in India and overseas. Felix has also worked as a costume designer with stars like Helen, Riya Sen, Ashmit Patel, Sameer Dharmadhikari, Priyanshu Chatterjee, Rajneesh Duggal, Sayali Bhagat and many more.

Niharika designs translate Silver-Screen moments to 24X7 Life.   From couture to prêt, her lines are high-spirited and high-impact.  Mix bold colours with clever cuts with embellish as required, her collection is for the woman who gets the limelight without stealing it.  Niharika believes that the wearer and she are equal partners in making an outfit work.

Her clothes reflect passion for drama as she is an ardent fan of theatre and has designed costumes for National School of Drama, while working with them. Here, Niharika learnt to imagine in Technicolor but execute in Real Time: an understanding that found her self-titled label. As she says, “Skill lies in the ability to create drama while side-stepping melodrama, usually in very high heels.”

Her Autumn Winter collection is about most interesting journey of anyone’s life that is love. It is full of emotion with all colours of the universe. This romantic collection has all sporty carefree look to ultimate feminine grace, adds Niharika.

Lustre fabric satin to chiffon, silk knits, gheecha silk has been used to portray the best look of a character who is in love. Metallic texture, chains, little flower patterns all put together to create a unique statement. Short dresses to cowl tops, shorts, jump suit, and a long draped gown.

 A graduate from Pearl Academy of Fashion. Her cuts reflect silver-screen drama for everyday life. It’s great fun for her to design everything around her. Her strong believe is" life is a drama" so everything she creates she love using theatrical mood into it. To create illusion through fabric texture, colour and ornamentation always fascinates her. For her garment is not a just garment, it’s the attitude.

With Akshay R.S. Rathore a visual artist based in New Delhi, who has been practicing as a creative director for advertisements, publications and set design, set the ramp on fire for Gaurav Gupta’s show at the recent WIFW ’10/11. Born in 1978, Chindwara (Madhya Pradesh), India, he holds a BFA from the Faculty of Fine Arts, M.S. University, Baroda and a PG from the National Institute of design, Ahmedabad.

Akshay an intriguing artist and design therapist collaborated for the first time with a fashion designer and to design the set or ramp for his collection. Gaurav’s design inspiration for the collection spelled checks all over with Victorian romance. Thus Akshay interpreted this affair in a visual blast of images that break the norm of being a single or multiple unit as he absorbingly played with pixel art. The art work cased in light boxes formed the backdrop of the ramp and these light boxed were also placed strategically on the ramp as he explores the fluidity of fabric and restriction in geometrix of Gaurav Gupta’s inspiration. 

He says, “My work inspired by fashion designer Gaurav Gupta, is an intermingling of clothes and bodies, nature and man. It is both the incarnation of a real and imagined self. The idea is to record this interaction in its most basic and primitive form. I have used pieces cloth created by man’s imagination to wrap around a human form and create a poetic visual imagery, which has been explored by artists and poets from time immemorial. My work is a contemporary tribute to these lyrical sights and the sensuous, curious emotions they arise.”

Akshay has exhibited his work of art very recently at the Seven Art Gallery, where he addressed the issue of violence with the use of strong imagery titled ‘When She is Away’. Non-conventional artistic mediums such as animated video and glass sculpture aid his complex narration. Seven Art gallery is young and hip, established in 2006 by promoter Aparajita Jain with a mission to provide a curatorial and infrastructural space where new artists may be identified and motivated.

WIFW brings that time of the year where all the glamour and hi fashion meets real business in Delhi, the fashion capital of the country. This season at the event that showcased collection for the coming Autumn/Winter 2010/11 by 130 designers was well attended by the loyal buyers as well as a few new additions to the list. Fashionfad.in plunges in the business scene at the fashion week to dig out the buyers’ point of view of the entire event and what they expect from the Indian designers.

The buzz around at the fashion week this time somehow spelled less warmth than the usual thoroughfare. An emerging designer showcasing for the first time, who does not want to be quoted said, “We have been given quite an exhaustive list of buyers, can’t actually number how many of them but the list is two pages long. But I still feel there are comparatively less number of buyers this time, as I have been part of WIFW before when I was working for a renowned designer and this time the market seems lukewarm.”

The showcase of winter fashion for India has always been a little challenging as our country itself experiences winters only in the north whereas the south and east and western coasts remains pleasant, thus winter for us does not call for very warm trench coats or too much of woolen fabrics. And if there is wool it becomes difficult for the buyers from Mumbai and Middle Eastern countries to pick their choices unless the designers are open enough and provide some design solution of replacing the woolen or warm fabric with a breezier one without hampering the fashion and design quotient of the ensembles. But the European buyers who experience really cold winters demand for a more winter fashion that would be warm enough.

Julie Woodhead, General Merchandising Manager, The Collective, Madura Garments was present at the venue to look out for luxury designs for the new launched premium fashion store The Collective. She said, “Our’s is a menswear store and we have all the International couture designers and few very big names from the Indian fashion scene in the menswear segment. I have specifically been looking for menswear and WIFW seems to be entirely dominated by women’s fashion. Though the creations by the designers are very good and I have placed orders with Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Manish Arora for his bags and more.”

As very aptly pointed out by Julie Woodhead WIFW showcases more of womenswear and a very fractional proportion of menswear is visible. The question that arises here is that being the national platform for Indian Fashion how we let the menswear fashion go ignored.

Fausta Malingri, a buyer from Milan, Italy, said “I am not looking for embroidery but we want something which is more subtle and suits the European market. The design and creativity of the Indian designers is outstanding and I love the creations by Ridzyn, Tarun Tahiliani, Abraham and Thakore, Manish Arora, Namrata Joshipura, Gaurav Gupta and Gaurav & Ritika,”

Alessandra Dainelli, a buyer from Italy also comes looking for Indian sensibilities in cuts and styles. She has been truly impressed by the works of Cue by Rohit Gandhi Rahul Khanna, Sanchita, Prashant Verma (says she work is nice and has very strong sensibility) and Abraham and Thakore.

Helen Marlen from Italy, looks after the merchandising for seven high fashion stores, was here for the first time and said she had not been disappointed. She said, “The fashion industry in India is truly evolving and very promising so we look forward to India for more business and would definitely be there at the next edition of WIFW as well.”

The designers are set in a paradox to meet the requirements of different buyers and at the same time retain the strong sensibility and flavour of Indian design. Thus a right balance is very essential to meet the all colourful domestic market, the high on bling market of the Middle East and the subtle understated European taste.

The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Autumn/ Winter 2010/11 summarized on Monday the 29th of March 2010, after a gala dose of fashion from 74 fashion shows, a total of 130 fashion and accessory designers, host models and ten new faces, the media buzz all that floated over the 5 days, errrr… 6 days long event.  After the cancellation of the first day the week took off with from the scheduled second day shows with panache and grandeur. The first day shows got added at the end of the fashion week as the sixth day named, the Grand Fashion Day by Sunil Sethi, President FDCI. The grand fashion day proved to be grand enough with the acclaimed quirky accessory designer Little Shilpa opening the day followed by the theatrical opulence of Nida Mahmood’s Sadak Chap. The WIFW though missed Satya Paul who is celebrating its 25 years of fashion as he cancelled his show after the first day’s cancellation.

This fashion week also went absolutely upfront and active on the internet this time as it saw for the first time live updates of each show by the official blogger of FDCI Harilein Sabarwal, tweeting by Farah Khan and live streaming of the event online. And yes we also saw the most glamorous and beautiful Sheetal Mallar behind the lens as she was official celebrity photographer catching the action backstage and finally she even graced the ramp for JJ Valaya on the last day last show. The star quotient and the Bollywood show stopper trend was much under reins as very few Bollywood guests came down and the clothes undoubtedly attracted the entire centrifugal force.

Art, fashion and social cause posed a picture perfect image with the unveiling of designed inspired art on auto-rickshaws which have been painted by twelve high profile artist. This collaboration is for the FDCI’s association with Khushi to support its global development initiative, the World Action Forum. For the first time in India six international World of Wearable art (WOW) designs were showcased highlighted with a photo exhibit by India’s ace photographer Rohit Chawla featuring fifteen other garments. And winning design of Burn contest which was a garment created out of empty cans was also showcased.

The venues woes though kept surfacing now and then while you had to go out in the sun each time you wanted to visit the stall area or the washrooms and the entire media traffic was transferred in an opposite direction for lunch and dinner. As usual the sponsors had their stalls and lounges in the premises of the main show area.

An unofficial buyers list named around 18 International and 10 domestic buyers. The international thoroughfares came from Paris, Japan, Riyadh, Hong Kong, Italy, Kuwait, Dubai, Bahrain and USA. The rendezvous at WIFW ended with satisfied business transactions as the buyers seemed quite impressed with India’s fashion scene and raising the hopes of ascending fashion and business at the upcoming WIFW.

Megan Ryley has worked in popular design, for labels like Tommy Hilfiger and in haute couture under the Maggie Norris label. During her days in New York, she started her own small boutique-designer knit line with a partner. And it was nothing else but these little ventures that fuelled the desire to start a full collection. So when she moved to India, she fell in love with the rich colours, textures and visually interesting sights. Then, she gave birth to the independent fashion designer lying dormant inside for quite a long time. 

How did she picture her first collection? “The inspiration for my first collection was a little fishing village of Tranquebar in South India. The colours, atmosphere, architecture and sea inspired me so much and everything else too was built from there.” , enlightens Megan.

She holds immense respect and admiration for talented designers like John Galliano, Chris Benz, Christian Dior and Sabyasachi. In reality, these names are mere few as she looks up to everyone who does something good. Recounting the bits of her early career, she mentions that she used to be really inspired by Dior, master of couture. She loves the designer’s absolute attention to detail and fit and not to miss, the amazing quality of the craftsmanship. But now, she feels a deep inclination towards conceptual designers too. 

Well, everybody has an admiration for someone or the other but there lies a true muse always. For Megan, what is it? To this, she responds “A designer is like any other artist – we do it because we love it and it just comes as second nature. When I look at anything, it gives me an idea…So I guess life inspires me to design.”

Her brand sticks to the thought ‘Evolve with every little change’. She lays tremendous emphasis on consumer reaction and personal inspirations. As a consequence to this, the brand undergoes an evolutionary change season to season. She considers every collection a learning process which has to result in something better than before. But how does she clear out her path of design blocks? “Design blocks are definitely tough to deal with! As I mentioned earlier, design just comes as second nature.  Even though times might get tough or I get blocked or busy with something else, I can never stop designing. So as soon as my obstacle passes, my mind is racing with new ideas again. And when I get frustrated, I just remind myself that it will pass.”, says Megan

The designer duo Falguni and Shane Peacock participated at the London Fashion Week for the fourth time and showcased their Autumn Winter 2010.

Their Collection was inspired from the 80’s – with modernity, texturing and colour blocking. The emphasis was on abstract, graphic, novel style and metropolis prints which ran through the entire range with graphic, futuristic, dynamic, pristine and sharp detailing to give a raw energy. Staying true to their essence of creating feminine silhouettes this collection had elements swooping around the body in an elegant slouch with draping, sheer panels and stitching details. Matt sequins and touch of origami textures, combinations of mismatched pieces of luxe and sheen with classical nautical tailoring and audacious prints sketched the finer work. Short shift, cocktail and long red carpet gowns in cut out forms on sheer net dominated the entire look.

The Collection put forth a colour palette of black, petrol blue, burnt orange, red with an undertone of grey for the season and iridescent sparkle of sequins, chains and leather piping.

The show was attended by celebrities like Naomi Harris, Alex Roots, Laila Rouass and the Lisa Maffia, Camilla Terslake, Victoria Adcock (celebrity stylist), Tomo Campbell along with buyers like Robyn Higgins (Harrods), Harvey Nichols, and Ros leach (Selfridges).

It’s almost impossible to look at designer Manish Arora’s latest F/W collection without thinking about the late and great Alexander McQueen a la his Spring/Summer 2010 Plato’s Atlantis collection.  In a bizarre yet beautiful collision between Art Deco meets futuristic Sci-fi, models strutted down the runway in a kaleidoscopic wave of color. 

Silhouettes were inspired by the 20s and 30s with an emphasis on dropped waists, fitted shapes, detailed shoulder enhancements and draping. The color palette included shades of green, purple, black, pinks and blues.

"We took familiar codes of the Art Deco period and, in a word, messed them up," the Delhi-based designer told The Associated Press in a preview of the collection. "We pushed everything so far into the future that it’s hardly recognizable." 

Culled from stills of the 1927 Fritz Lang movie, “Metropolis”, early 20th century stained glass and neon signage-prints were featured in a saturated rainbow.   

The dramatic hairstyles, headdresses accessorized with fluorescent Louise Brooks bobs, were the highlight of the show.  Top looks from the collection included a sack dress with gray sequins above the drop waist and a vibrant stained-glass tee teamed with jodhpurs.  We look forward to seeing this collection on the red carpet worn by the likes of Lady Gaga, Rihanna, Estelle and Katy Perry.