Walk like an Indian

The second day at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2016 was dedicated to sustainable fashion and Indian textiles. The aura of fashion shows held on Day 2 revolved around designers celebrating fashion with home grown textiles as their primary concept. By creating a different perspective towards handlooms and Indian weaves, Lakmé also took the initiative to bring forth the designers of Assam and allowing them to showcase their distinctive creations.

Elegant East
Aditi Holani

To the strains of flute player Prabin Nath, the show by Aditi Holani opened with eight gorgeous black and red Mekhela Chadors that were breathtaking in their beauty and elegance.

Hand woven fabulous textiles turned into garments were stunning on the ramp. Making a show stopping entry was Bollywood star Sara Jane Dias in a slashed multicoloured skirt with a black blouse that gave the show the necessary pizzazz.

Tricks up his sleeve
Kallol Datta

A fashion show by Kallol Datta is for the cerebral audience. The designer’s creativity is so intense and innovative; it is a visual challenge to delve into this very creative designer’s thinking process and figure out his amazing, extreme, construction techniques and ideas. Using simple cotton in monochrome hues along with wool, crepe, chiffon, velvet, foil and silk, the intricate silhouettes of the garments were the piece-de-resistance of the show. Moving away from excessive seams, Kallol had a profusion of drop-shoulder garments. In the past Kallol put a strong emphasis on the backs of the ensembles, but it were the sleeves this season that got all his attention.

Documenting India
Mayank Mansingh Kaul & Monisha Ahmed

One of the most eagerly awaited events presented by Lakmé in association with Marg Publications and Artisan’s on the key experimental initiatives of Sustainable Fashion and Indian Textiles Day at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2016 was the launch of Cloth and India 1947-2015 in Mumbai, guest edited by India’s leading textile curator and writer, Mayank Mansingh Kaul along with textile historian and former associate editor at Marg publications, Monisha Ahmed.

At the start of the presentation Monisha Ahmed informed how the need for documenting textiles led to the start of the book.

Future perfect
Three

Presenting exciting innovative but totally wearable women’s wear has been Alan Alexander Kaleekal’s forte ever since his debut at the Gen Next Show during Summer/Resort 2015. His Garçonne collection Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2016 was a mix of sharp tailoring, conventional fits and interesting gender norms. Using sustainable hand woven fabrics from organic natural fibres; the designer had stylish silhouettes for contemporary wardrobe solutions.

Others who presented their collections were Sanjay Garg, Anavila Misra, Bina Rao, Hemang Agrawal and Priyanka Ella Lorena Lama of P.E.L.L.A. label.