November 2005
Lahore boutique to showcase Indian fashion
Lahore: Indian
fashion brands have always been in great demand in Pakistan,
but there may have been very few outlets there to cater for
the frenzied demand from the locals, especially women. But,
now Pakistani women no longer have to fly all the way to Delhi
to choose their favourite designer clothes. Alyia Aftab, a
Pakistani fashion designer, has decided to open a boutique
'Aura Collections' selling an exclusive range of handmade
parsi gara saris, kashmiri kurtis, phulkari suits, lehngas
with Swarovski crystals, distinctive metal work and embroidered
pashmina shirts made by some of the top names of the Indian
fashion industry including, Manish Malhotra, Rohit Bal and
Satya Paul. Alyia Aftab's boutique will be launched tomorrow
at Royalton Event Complex, Sherpao Bridge, and will feature
casual and formal Indian women's clothing with traditional
embroidery and trendy clothes for weddings, reported the Daily
Times. Aura Collections is Aliya Aftab and wife her partner
Afiya Wasim's idea, with the latter having a exclusive right
to chose the clothes for it. Afiya reportedly said that the
collection would be a delight for Lahore's women and that
she also had plans to introduce local embroidery, which would
be a great success. A unique collection of gold plated jewellery
encrusted with stones was also available, she said, adding
that the collection included magnificent bridal and wedding
sets, traditional earrings and dazzling bangles. She further
claimed that the boutique would emerge as an exclusive spot
for jewellery, bridal wear, casual kurtis and shalwar kameez,
offering the best from across the border. She said that she
had used crepe, georgette, raw silk and tussar silk to make
the clothes. "I will not have cheap imitations and knock offs
that ultimately cheat the customer," she said and added that
the designs were impossible to imitate because of the unavailability
of materials in Lahore. Ms Aftab said that clothes had been
stitched using techniques that were unknown to local tailors.
"The price tags will give men something to be happy about,"
the paper quoted her as saying.
-Nov 15, 2005
Ritu Kumar's star-studded launch for latest
collection
Mumbai: Renowned
fashion designer Ritu Kumar recently organised a fashion show
in Mumbai to launch her latest collection. The collection
consisted of hand-embellished tiered skirts, tulle dupattas,
mukaish sarees and stunning new silhouette of a jersey choli-kurta.
"The collection is in two parts. One part is Ritu Kumar's
label line and other part is traditional wedding line. Ritu
Kumar label line is a very young collection, based on the
crafts of India but is sourced mainly from Kachan Punjab region.
It's aliened in handloom and wool and also the techniques
in handloom and crafts we have in our country," said Kumar.
The show was followed by an auction that aimed at raising
funds for Women's Cancer Initiative-Tata Memorial Hospital.
"We hope to get donations. There's going to be an auction
and we hope people will bid at the auction. We also want to
create awareness about cancer, breast cancer in particular,"
Kumar said. Actress Mandira Bedi conducted the post-show auction
and tried to lure people to open their purse-strings. In fact,
Bedi was the first one to buy a peacock-blue lehenga. "Be
it fashion, films or sports, if it is associated with a good
cause, it becomes easier to spread the message. The show by
Ritu Kumar will definitely be successful," said Bedi. While
former Miss India Neha Dhupia and Diana Hayden walked down
the ramp to the beats of folksy music, the show was stolen
by screen veteran Shabana Azmi, who lit up the ramp with her
terrific presence and made it a truly memorable one. "What
we need to do for women is to urge them to start having their
regular check-ups for breast so that if it detected in time,"
said Azmi. Zeenat Aman and Jackie Shroff were among others
who conducted the auction.
-Nov 5, 2005
Indian look a part of world fashion, says
Selfridges rep
London: A
top representative of one of London's most prestigious shops,
Selfridges, has recently stated that the Indian look, from
embroidered denims to sequins and kurtis, has become an integral
part of world fashion. Elizabeth Pederson, women's wear buyer
for the store said that: "Jodhpurs, Nehru collar jackets,
kurtis, these are all vital parts of the international fashion
scene. These things are part of many a designers collection,
whether the designer is Indian or not". Selfridges has had
a relationship with Indian fashion for some years now - ever
since it laid on a Bollywood festival, showcasing Indian designs,
back in 2001. And, as Elizabeth Pederson said: "We believe
in the inherent talent of Indian designers and a lot of what
I have seen recently has been very exciting". Representatives
of the store have successfully worked with a number of Indian
designers already - people such as Aki Narula, Rina Dhaka
and Raghavendra Rathore - and Pederson recently visited a
fashion week in New Delhi looking to make further contacts.
As she commented about that event: "It was very well co- ordinated,
buyer friendly, and it helps that every thing was under one
roof. There was a business-like approach". Such an approach
has helped designers like Anamika Khanna, who pre-sold her
entire collection to another London store you may just have
heard of: Harrods. And buyers from other countries are joining
in the praise for Indian fashions as well. Michael Fink, senior
fashion director of Saks Fifth Avenue in New York, said: "We
believe India has something that no other country has, and
if it uses its wealth of textiles and heritage in the right
way, it can make an enormous difference. Many designers in
India know their customers and their collections are very
focussed". Of course, part of the reason that Indian fashion
is such a hit in Britain is because of the large, and increasingly
prosperous, Indian community in the country who are always
on the lookout for something that is new in fashion. And,
also, some of Britain's more regularly photographed women,
like actress and model Liz Hurley, have been seen more than
once out on the town in a sari. So, it would seem that the
Indian look is one that will not lose its popularity for quite
some time to come. And why should it? After all, it's worked
out pretty well for a few hundred years or so already, so
why should it stop anytime soon?
-Nov 2, 2005
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