: Every designer will have you know that for each collection that goes on the ramp at a fashion week, there are a million tales to be told—backstage drama, stage faux pas, and the tributes and retributions that follow. But the most beautiful of all tales are the ones that unfold on the ramp—each piece of garment that comes alive under the strobe lights, telling the story of its creator and his genius. Three days ahead of the autumn-winter edition of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in New Delhi, we give you a lowdown on who and what to watch out for.
Green Fashion: So far, discarding fur and going organic have been the biggest concession that designers had allowed themselves on the ramp. But suddenly, everyone seems to have decided to go green with the designs. Take for instance, the collection by Kolkata designers Ekta Jaipuria and Ruchira Kandhari. Called The Awakening, the line is crafted out of vanya silks (a wild silk sourced from Assam). It has a sheen of its own and does not have to be treated with chemical dyes. “We have always been green activists and we thought of extending it to our clothes as well. Conventional cotton uses 25 per cent chemical pesticides like parathion, which is 60 times more toxic than DDT. It’s time people became aware of the reality,” says Jaipuria. So expect the designer duo to come out with organic fabrics, pigment printing and azo-free dyes on a line that’s at once clean and sophisticated.
Accessory designer Rina Shah of the successful brand Rinaldi too endorses the green theme. A member of PETA, Shah has done faux leather shoes and accessories, teamed with mostly natural embellishments. The list goes on. From Rahul and Gunjan of Sirali to Payal Jain, the green brigade is growing this season.
Real India on the ramp: Off the ramp and away from the lights, fashion can be found in the mundane and the every day. You realise that when you meet Nitish Bal Chauhan from Chamba in Himachal Pradesh and Atesu Sekhose from Nagaland, debutants at the Delhi week.
Fashionistas loved the ensembles that Chauhan put up at the London Fashion Week last season. For the Delhi week, he has worked with Himachali tribal folk traditions, giving them an international Gothic twist with crisp cuts and toned silhouettes. “I’ve used a lot of wool, particularly the...
