Young, creative designers to heighten fashion fever at LFW

By Nivedita

Mumbai, March 29 (IANS) From drawing inspiration from mythological characters like Radha and Sita as well as from the enigmatic elegance of iconic royal Indian women, young and creative designers will roll out a melange of styles at the Summer-Resort edition of Lakme Fashion Week, starting here on Wednesday. The event will also mark the Indian debut of ‘ElektroCouture and Friends’, which will showcase bespoke innovative electronic wearable technology.

The five-day fashion extravaganza, to be held at the St. Regis hotel here, has an interesting mix of veterans and new talent as participants -- and needless to say, Bollywood presence will add to the glamour.

Established designer Rohit Bal, who celebrates his silver jubilee in the fashion industry this year, will bring the curtains down on the fashion gala as the grand finale presenter with an offsite show at St. Xavier's College here on April 3.

Others who will showcase their work include International Woolmark Prize winner Suket Dhir, Anand Kabra, Elevan Elevan, Wendell Rodricks, Dhruv Kapoor, Nishka Lulla, Payal Singhal, Amit Aggarwal, Prashant Verma, Anita Dongre, Farah Sanjana, Aartivijay Gupta, Shivan & Narresh, Masaba Gupta, Arjun Saluja, Rahul Mishra, Neeta Lulla and more.

An interesting show will be 'ElektroCouture and Friends'. Based in the heart of Europe's fashion tech hub, Berlin, ElektroCouture is a collaborative house for bespoke technologies along with six international designers like Lina Wassong, Melissa Coleman, Valérie Lamontagne, Igor Knezevic, Kristin Neidlinger and Chritian Bruns from various countries like Britain, Canada and US, who have joined hands to present a collective showcase of fashion and technology.

For their latest lines, designers have found inspiration from the past to present contemporary designs.

Designer duo Swati & Sunaina's line is called 'The Lightness of Being: Radha'.

“We invoke the spirit of Radha for LFW collection. The sensuous, gossamer creations in soothing and calm pastel shades, handloomed with affection, pay homage to a wearer’s purest and calmest incarnation, to her very own Radha,” the designers told IANS.

Jayanti Reddy, who is making her debut at the fashion gala, is going to showcase a collection titled 'Siaa - Re-imagining the Past'.

“This collection is inspired by the chic in the classic, the unusual in the traditional. It celebrates India’s vintage weaves and dyes even as it crafts them for the modern eye. It evokes something that is timeless - ‘Sita’, but with a contemporary streak - 'Siaa',” said the designer.

As for designer Farah Sanjana, who will showcase 'Tales from the Deep', sought inspiration from oceanic treasures. It celebrates exuberant hues of coral reef in signature Farah Sanjana prints.

Designer Aiman Agha, who has done six seasons in the fashion week, is set to showcase a collection titled 'Recreate' -- a pictorial documentation of a love sonnet, whereas designer Payal Singhal's Summer-Resort Bride 2016 Collection is inspired by the iconic royal Indian women.

“Expect saris with boxy crop tops, lehengas with bandeau cholis, drop waist kurtas and our signature churidar-skirts,” she said.

Designer Rimi Nayak's creations are themed on 'Marionette' (French word for puppet) to narrate the journey of a woman who unshackles from a life of obligation and oppression.

The fashion week is not only going to provide wholesome fashion trends for all the attendees, but has also roped in social fashion platform Roposo as the official social media channel for LFW 2016. It will be a window for highlights, videos, live coverage, contests and more from the gala.

(The writer's trip is at the invitation of Lakme Fashion Week organisers. Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)