April 2005
All set to have a dazzling 'Made in India
show' at LIFW
New Delhi:
With barely a week to go before the mother of all fashion
events - Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW) kickstarts, designers
participating in the country's most happening fashion event,
are giving a sneak preview of their respective collections.
It will be gloss and glitter, shine and shimmer at the spectacle
of fashion, to be held in the national capital from April
20 to April 26. The 'hot' show has become a trendsetter in
the arena of fashion with the who's who of the fashion industry
rubbing their shoulders and the fashionists and couturiers
descending with their haute couture at the high-profile fashion
extravaganza. Hectic previews sessions and grilling preparations
will be followed by a creative week when the potential buyers
and visitors will congregate to see chic silhouettes. For
one week the venue will be the hub of activity - what with
models sashaying down the ramp wearing stylised creations
with ilan and sporting chic in hair styles, make-up trends
and accessories as well.
According
to Manfred Keiler, GM, the Grand, which is the LIFW venue,
hectic preparations are on to meet the needs of the people.
They are planning different course each day. "Lots of preparations
are going in for Lakme. This is indeed the largest event we
have every year at The Grand. We are expecting 5000 visitors
.We have 75 designers coming from all over India and some
from New York. Lakme is indeed a fashion statement. It represents
style, which we like to project to the market. We are preparing
for the last six months and seeing that everything goes smooth
and that too without any hitches. This is now the second year
and obviously we have some history now and we are proud to
be associated with the Lakme," said keiler, MD. And with hardly
any time left for the show designers all over the country
are busy getting their creative acts together. From Ashmia-Leena
Singh to Anju Modi to Kiran Uttam Gosh, all the designers
are giving a peek-a -boo into their creativity. Recently,
Ashima and Leena showcased their collection. Retaining modernity,
the line based on the Eternal Mystics was interpreted in five
collections spanning the globe and underlining the universal
consciousness of the human soul. An eccentric mixture of delightful
colours could be seen revolving around this uncharacteristically
refined collection of neat tailoring.
The rich vibrant
colours of the collection, embellished with intricate embroidery,
are drawn from the very depths of sensuous red, magical olives
and violets, all encompassing blacks, colours of rock crystals
and earth and shimmery whites. The collection also completes
this line. And as usual, the duo's inspiration is unlimited.
Whereas Anju showed a collection in synchronised with the
choclate. The collection has all the colours of the chocolate
- from browns to chocolate brown. It was an amalgamation of
the cultures from India to Roman. "The choclate brown colour
is a very beautiful colour according to me. It's been my favourite
colour for long. Internationally again this colour is very
much in fashion. And I have connected ivory and chocolate
brown colours together in my prints .I have taken a very wild
and earthy theme. It's the ancient Indus civilization and
I am working on that regions shilloutes ,"said Anju. Not only
this Swarovski too has brought its new range for the week.
And taking this line would be eight more designers apart from
JJ Valaya, the brand ambassador. The brand has partnered with
Manish Arora, Malini Ramani ,Narendra Kumar , Rina Dhaka Satya
Paul ,Tarun Tahiliani , Shantanu Goenka and Valaya. These
eight designers also recently provided a sneak preview of
their crystal interpretations for the season . "It's a tribute
to this individual, who created TinTin, the comic book and
through his mind we have traverse a journey. He was a traveller.
So the entire collection revolves around the concept of travel,"
said Valaya. "Last time it was ivory, gold, silver and coppers
and this time its black, black, black and white, blck and
copper and purples," said Rina.
This year too
big names and small names come together on the same podium.
Top-notch ones like Rohit Bal, J.J. Valaya, Ritu Kumar, Rina
Dhaka, Suneet Verma, Raghavendra Rathore, Rajesh Pratap Singh,
Meera and Muzaffar Ali, Gitanjali Kashyap, Monisha Bajaj,
Monisha Jaising, Kiran Uttam Ghosh, Jatin Kochhar, Rocky S.
Ashish Soni will share space with others like Rohit Gandhi
and Rahul Khanna, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Malini Ramani, Shobhna
and Vijay Arora, and many more. Two leading designers will
l present their interpretations of Lakme's fashion statement
for 2005 through their outfits and make-up of the models at
the grand finale. Hectic events through the week like interactive
seminars on business of fashion covering various facets of
the industry besides of course ramp shows scheduled will keep
all those present steeped in the world of fashion. Be it the
traditional or the contemporary Indo-Western or the Western,
the show will have an assortment of them in fabrics specially
designed, woven or developed by the couturiers themselves
and embellishments in accordance with the lines patterned.
The names of the 61 designers who would be showcasing their
creations in LIFW 2005 have already been announced and now
everyone is looking forward to the event. The participating
designers will showcase their Pret (ready to wear) and Diffusion
(a line between ready-to-wear and couture) lines in Indian,
Indo- Western and Western categories at the country's largest
fashion event. The seven day event will include 39 shows,
70 exhibition stalls and an interactive panel discussion.
LIFW has steadily gained acceptance from buyers and retailers
as the single largest B2B platform for the fashion design
industry. The fashion business constitutes 2 billion dollars
of India's 15 billion dollars textile market. There is potential
for the designer wear market to grow because people are shifting
from unbranded to branded clothes and designers are looking
at 'Pret' collections which are more affordable. Indian fashion
has come a long way in marketing the "Made in India" brand
across the world. However, for a week the venue will bustle
with activity and will perhaps look like a `mini Paris' where
the best of names will proudly reflect the surges in the fashion
stream. Call it a mela, a jamboree or a melee, the show is
certain to raise oohs and aahs and shrieks of surprise and
shocks in fashion circuit.
-April 16, 2005
Indian fashion industry takes off
New Delhi:
The last decade has been very significant for the Indian
fashion industry. Not only has it grown rapidly, but has also
gained international recognition. Expansion and awareness
of the industry in India has leapt multifold in the last ten
or twelve years of its existence. Today the opportunities
for designers to grow and develop are immense and designer
wear in India has been identified as a key growth sector.
Fashion designing as an industry here is young but is growing
at a very fast pace. Even though it constitutes a small segment
of the global market today, it has shown tremendous potential.
Opening up of the economy, availability of affordable quality
retail spaces and a global consumer have accelerated the growth
in the industry. Fashion in India offers new opportunities
to the designers. Consequently there has been a steep rise
in the number of people and industry sectors that have chosen
to make designer and fashion industry their focus area. Indian
dress designers are often seen to combine Western trends with
the Indian touch in the creation of their range of garments.
The appeal of these designs probably lies in the fact that
they are essentially Indian in spirit, but global in wearability
and concept. Some characteristics that are the source of their
inspiration are a global outlook on fashion with a super understanding
of the local market and the ability to change and adapt while
maintaining the local USP "Indian fashion is really growing
up. It is getting more and more global and getting an identity
of its own.
As long as we
keep to our roots and keep our eyes open and we know what
the buyer wants then we cannot go wrong because then we have
our individuality showcased in something that the western
woman can also wear," said Ashima Singh, fashion designer
"In a world, where Paris, Milan and New York dictate fashion,
India is one of those countries in touch with its natural
handcrafted techniques. This is not surprising, as historically,
India has been globally acknowledged for its rich textile
heritage," she added. India has a unique combination of huge
market, rich culture and resources. "We have excellent growth
prospects from every angle-from the textiles point of view,
from manufacturing. We have craftsmanship; we have a huge
consumer base within the country that is also what the western
market is looking at in India. That is why they are wanting
to come to India. So we have it all-the raw material, the
skill, the manufacturing and the consumer," Asha Baxi, director,
fashion design, National Institute of Fashion Technology.
Annual events like The India Fashion Week (IFW) are aimed
at providing the industry professionals the space to develop
business opportunities, display their skills and market their
creations. The event facilitates an exchange of ideas amongst
established and upcoming designers and trade professionals.
It allows the designers to showcase their collections to a
target audience of industry professionals. "Fashion by its
very connotation is for people who can buy it. At the same
time when one talks about affordable fashion we are talking
about fashion that people can buy. I think today we have a
burgeoning market that can buy the kind of fashion that is
exhibited, showcased," said Rathi Vinay Jha, Director General,
Fashion Design Council of India. The fashion business constitutes
2 billion dollars of India's 15 billion dollars textile market.
There is potential for the designer wear market to grow because
people are shifting from unbranded to branded clothes and
designers are looking at 'Pret' collections which are more
affordable. Indian fashion has come a long way in marketing
the "Made in India" brand across the world.
-April 11, 2005
Fashion label Araiya comes up with 'Matured
Sensuality'!
Mumbai: Fashion
label Araiya was conceived and launched by sister duo Aaliya
and Arshiya Fakih. They come from a family, which has contributed
extensively to the garment industry. Launched two years ago,
the label has received a lot of acclaim. The fashion label
by Aaliya and Arshiya Fakih is back with the biggest fashion
extravaganza with its latest collection called 'Matured Sensuality'
in Mumbai city. Aaliya and Arshiya Fakih, the two sisters,
who have carved a niche for themselves in the fashion industry
with their label, think that their label is an extension of
their personality. According to the designers, the designs
are young, trendy and have a style of their own. The name
of the label has been derived from the name of the two sisters.
"Araiya is actually a fusion of my sister's name Aaliya and
mine Arshia and hence Araiya. I think it's been a dream for
both of us; we wanted to get into designing. And the way we
have studied our fashion is that I do the designing aspect
and Aaliya the production and management. And our team together
works really well," said fashion designer Arshia. "We want
to cater to those people who are interested in wearing western
wear with an Indian touch. We like to fuse the two together.
So we have used a lot of Indian fabrics with western embroideries
and cuts. And that's the kind of market share that we want
to conquer," said Aaliya, fashion designer. The fashion label's
2005 re-launch collection is about maturity, and celebrating
a woman's 'sensuality' in the usual bold and forward Araiya
style. Araiya has become a name to reckon with in the fashion
industry. Even the celebrities are pleased with their designs.
"I think it was all in one. What I myself find great about
Araiya, is that it is very wearable and you can just take
it for any occasion. So that's what it is for me," said model
cum Bollywood star, Yana Gupta. Both the sisters, after graduating
from Sydenham College of Commerce and Economics, took to their
own path in honing their creativity. Arshiya attended Sir
J.J. School of Fine Arts, NIFT, Mumbai and the Fashion Institute
of Technology (FIT) in New York. She interned with Ralph Lauren,
and Onyx Noir and worked full time with Neil Beiff. Aaliya
completed her diploma at NIFT-Mumbai and then went on to FIT,
New York. Aaliya went on to work for California Concepts -
an export house in New York. Araiya was formally launched
on 6 November 1998 in Mumbai. With the commencement of its
operations in India, the sisters extended their presence to
the export market. Araiya periodically exports its creations
to Saudi Arabia, Fiji Islands, South Africa, London and New
York, and saw huge success. With the re-launch of Araiya,
the sisters are all ready to cast a magical spell on their
customers once again.
-April 2, 2005
Mandira Wirk unveils 2005 summer collection
New Delhi:
Fashion designer Mandira Wirk on Friday unveiled her summer
collection at the Mist, a lounge at The Park Hotel in the
Indian capital. Wirk showcased an eclectic mix of colours
coupled with contemporary styles, which translated into a
vast array of creations. "We have done lots of layered skirts.
Lots of solids, prints, stripes, polka dots, with fitted denim
corsets. My second collection is hand painted Kaftans, which
are in pastel colours with lots of sequins, embroidery. My
third collection is what I'm wearing now. We have actually
developed the print ourselves. And we have used a lot of Swarowvski
crystals. And, my last collection is the mother of pearls
collection, where we have basically done a lot of Chiffons,
a lot of flooty and a lot of mother of pearls and broaches,"
Wirk said. She showcased her designs in four collections:
1.Gypsy Skirts: Youthful layered skirts with colourful prints
and brightness highlighted with innovative trims, frills,
fringes, patch work and smocking effectively teamed up with
sculptured and stylish denim corsets playfully bring alive
the floral and jungle prints. 2.Printed Collection: Specially
developed prints highlighted with Swarovski crystals and Victorian
Motifs lend charisma and elegance to flowing summer dresses.
Printed shirts for men emphasize the fashion statement of
the collection. 3.Kaftans:Stylish cuts and specially crafted
brilliant hand printed prints, giving way to the brilliance
of spring. The romantic flair and breezy look add to the transparency
of the perfect summer look. 4.Mother of Pearl Collection:
Pearls with Pastel tones such as soft pink, yellow and cream
bring a fresh new look to breezy dresses with sensuous necklines
and romantic silhouettes. "I love the collection, it was good.
It is too vibrant. I anyways love colours in my life as well,
so it was really good," said Vikas, a model. "Mandira's collection
is always very young and trendy and yet very, very feminine
and elegant. It is not like you have to be forty to wear it,
but you can be sixteen to wear it too and still look feminine
and elegant," said Amanpreet, another model.
-April 1, 2005
