LFW W/F’17: Shraddha Kapoor becomes designer Rahul Mishra’s muse

By Nivedita

Mumbai, Aug 19 (IANS) Rahul Mishra has maintained distance from calling a Bollywood face as a showstopper. But for his show at the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2017, actress Shraddha Kapoor turned his muse and walked the runway.

The designer says that as a brand they are evolving and it won't be nice to remain rigid to certain things.

"It's just about being the right fit. We had a few options from Project Eve (retail chain) because ultimately when I create a brand, it's for certain people and we send everything directly. But sometimes the Project Eve wants to reach out to the larger audience and obviously Bollywood is one of the strongest way," Mishra told IANS post his show at the fashion week on Friday.

"Shraddha brought natural excitement for everybody in the team and they made this exception," he added.

Project Eve, the retail chain from Reliance Retail, teamed with Mishra who has created the 'Rahul Mishra for Project Eve' collection.

Aimed at the 25-to-40-year-old fashionistas, Project Eve in Mumbai and Bangalore offers a great ambience that includes an in-store salon called Bounce, French gourmet cuisine at Cafe Noir, personal stylists, lounge and plush trial rooms. The apparel at Project Eve includes Indian, international, handloom brands like 'Swadesh' and its in-house label 'Project Eve'.

Staying true to his roots, the designer's textiles -- Chanderis, Maheshwaris and Banarasis -- did all the fashionable talking when he showcased his fine motifs woven to bring back the heritage, culture of warp and weft. The light as air fabrics had a regal demeanour as chirping birds; kamal, genda and mogra along with hints of Mughal architectural inspirations were entwined into the weaves.

Catering to the needs of the dynamic 'New Age' Indian woman, Mishra offered a festive collection that displayed the beauty and organic blend of handloom craft with impeccable construction.

Shraddha was a picture of elegance as she glided down the ramp in a gorgeous embellished monsoon crane lehenga with hand embroidered muga silk magenta blouse and the superbly crafted chintz, scalloped, dupatta.

Now that Bollywood has become the part of his show, can we see more such associations in future?

"I don't know and I can't say much. Everywhere you have a close connect of films and fashion. I have had the privilege of dressing up quite a few Bollywood faces, they have been liking my product," Mishra told IANS.

"Using a showstopper is one of the very beautiful things and as a brand we are evolving. Today what I feel right, I have to do that. There are no rigid ideologies as rigidity is opposite of designs. Adaptability is all about doing something new," he added.

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