Luxury and contemporary embroidery export house, Milaaya Embroideries adds a new feather in it’s dazzling crown : GAYA- a premium fashion brand. ‘Gaia’- the Goddess of the Earth in Greek mythology and Gayatri’s name, GAYA draws inspiration from the earth and all that it nurtures – its people, cultures and the flora and fauna.
After a successful introduction of an exclusive line of embellished, printed designer masks in collaboration with the Helping Hand Foundation India, GAYA now is now launching a line of smart lounge- luxury loungewear with a dash of glamour at FDCI’s first ever phygital LMIFW SS’21!
Highlights
· Lively motifs and thoughtful designs & detailing.
· GAYA’s smart lounge line consists of two collections: Palm Leaf and Loungy Denims…The Palm Leaf collection of dresses, bomber and track sets, sweatshirts, pyjama sets, robes, kaftans, camisoles and t-shirts are designed in soft knits, luxurious silks and cottonshas the fresh tropical print in vibrant colors teamed with intricate thread and bead embroideries instantly refreshes and uplifts the mood of the wearer…The Loungy Denims collection has taken the classic denim and transformed it into a stylized mix of uber-cool modern silhouettes, innovative embellishment and interesting patch-work with a comfortable loungy vibe.
An erudite scholar, Major General Dr. Gagandeep Bakshi SM, VSM who has written more than 33 books and many research papers, is a decorated military veteran. He received Vashisht Seva Medal for commanding a battalion in the Kargil War and the Sena Medal for distinguished service in commanding a battalion during counter-insurgency drives.
Major General Bakshi holds a Doctorate in History. His recent book-The Saraswati Civilization: A New Paradigm in Ancient Indian History provides an insight into the theories surrounding the Aryan Rig Vedic Civilisation and you get the answers of a plethora of questions about Bharat’s (India’s) ancient civilisation and its continuity into modern times… with an avalanche of empirical evidence and scientific corroboration through the rediscovery and analysis of the Saraswati River referred to in the eternal Vedas.
Here is a review of his an incredible and invaluable piece of work which brings out compilation of several new facts to public discourse on some of the most contentious yet important aspects pertaining to identity of the Indian people.
Book: The Sarasvati Civilisation; Author: Maj. Gen. G.D. Bakshi (Retd); Publisher: Garuda; Pages: 240; Price: INR 399. “The quest for an ancient river that was irrevocably lost some 3,900 years ago, is quintessentially a quest for a lost sense of self in the Indian civilization. It is in essence, a quest for unraveling its true identity. It is about — who are we as Indians,” writes Maj. Gen. Bakshi, a military historian and decorated combat veteran. Then, there are questions like who were the Indo-Aryans, who laid the foundations for our present day Hindu culture in India? Were they aliens or were they indigenous? If they were aliens, where did they come from? Where is the mythical Aryan homeland? Is it in Turkey-Anatolia? Or is it the steppes of Central Asia? Where do Indians have to go in search of their roots? “A quiet revolution has taken place in our awareness of our history as a people. As more truth seeps through the dragnet of the Leftist censors, Indians are becoming acutely conscious of their past. The Landsat satellite had beamed back images of the dried out Sarasvati river in the 1970s. Slowly, as the pieces of the jigsaw were pierced together, the Indians began to uncover a past of a lost civilizationan glory; of great antiquity, sophistication and above all, an astonishing degree of cultural continuity and persistence over time and space. India has a heritage that comes unbroken from the remote past to the current era. India is beginning to discover its lost sense of self,” Bakshi writes in attempting a paradigm shift in ancient Indian history. You don’t have to agree with everything the book says, but a change in perspective is always welcome.
The 2nd edition in English and translations in Hindi and Kannada will be released on 19 October 2020 at 7 pm by Dr Subramanian Swamy,MP.
In 2018, it was the Amazon Home that set the ball rolling for the Amazon Great Indian Festival. In 2019, the Amazon Yatra with a fully furnished home set up on truck took the country by storm and created a PR blitzkrieg for Amazon’s Great Indian Festival. And now, in 2020, due to the challenges posed by COVID-19, Amazon’s annual festive event has gone virtual.
Wizcraft curated the first-of-a-kind interactive virtual press conference to announce the dates of Amazon Great Indian Festival 2020 followed by a weeklong exclusive engagement with customers, employees and Amazon’s ecosystem partners. The main press conference offered media stakeholders an immersive visual experience that was aimed at highlighting what customers can expect from Amazon India this festive season. Close to 200 members of the media and influencers across the country attended the event.
Wizcraft took forward “Khushiyon ka Darwaza”, the campaign for Amazon’s Great Indian Festival and seamlessly stitched it throughout the event, from the invite to the virtual venue. The press conference was held at a specially designed virtual venue that bore a festive look. Three doors, inspired by the ‘Khushiyon ka Darwaaza’, were integrated in the event venue, each leading to a unique experience. The Run-up room included a word game, a thematic photo-op, and recent announcements made by Amazon for the festive season. The Ballroom hosted a fireside chat between Manish Tiwary, Vice President, Amazon India, and the host, Samir Kochhar. The chat covered Amazon’s journey in India and its focus on enabling SMBs across the country. The third door led to the Great Indian Bazaar. It was designed and curated as an immersive experience zone that brought to life the unique selection from sellers across the 28 states and 8 union territories of India. The bazaar showcased the best of India in 5 experience zones – North India, East India, Central India, West India and South India. The fireside chat was followed by an engaging live media Q&A session, where Manish addressed questions about the month-long Great Indian Festival.
Quotes
Sabbas Joseph, Co-Founder, and Director of Wizcraft International
“Wizcraft has always pushed boundaries and set new benchmarks. The virtual media meet for Amazon GIF has had an unprecedented impact and perhaps changed the course of media events in the country. It is being hailed as the future of press conferences. Our clients across the globe have logged into our virtual platform to understand how they could incorporate the thinking and experience into their efforts.”
Avneesh Gadgil, DGM, Wizcraft
“This is the 3rd year of being associated with the Amazon Great Indian Festival. Each year poses a new challenge and this time, we just had 2 weeks to plan and execute the campaign virtually. It was a tough ask but we loved every minute of putting it together. All the sleepless nights, meetings and discussions done remotely and an incredible amount of hard work put in by the team finally had the desired outcome. It was truly a collaborative effort.”
Minari Shah, Director– Public Relations, Amazon India
“We had two key points in mind – one, we were constrained by our circumstances and had to only do something virtually. And two, we were nonetheless determined to create and follow up last year’s Amazon Festive Yatra with another unique experience for our stakeholders. We also decided to convert the challenge into an opportunity to scale up our outreach with customers, employees, sellers, and other ecosystem partners this year. It helped that we have worked with Wizcraft the last couple of years for our festive campaigns as they had a good understanding of what we need as we began to look for a virtual yet immersive experience this year. Our virtual press conference and a special Great Indian Bazaar emerged as great engagement platforms for more than 20,000 Amazon stakeholders across several cities & towns. The experiences were personal, immersive, and allowed us to engage at scale.”
During the weeklong engagement, the Great Indian Bazaar and the virtual experience created a massive buzz on social media. It was among the top trends on Twitter and saw tens of thousands of customer visits over a single weekend.
My new work expresses my feelings and my frustrations about the pandemic and its many consequences such as the lock down, which I felt was like a suppression of my freedom.I have expressed death and the unknown, but also about the new face of my Indian woman as she was suffering on her endless journey to her village; I am talking about the migrants that were left deprived and on their own on the roads.
I have relied on black and white and on a lot of texture to express the unknown to deal with the pandemic resulting in the appearance in my new works of new paths and abstract windows from which to escape.
I have also relied on up-cycled home-made canvases, as suppliers were closed..
· Was there a pivotal moment when you decided to follow your path as an artist?
As a teenager, I drew and painted to escape my unhappy environment. It was a way to express my anger and my frustrations, as I felt misunderstood.
Meeting my husband and looking ahead to become a mother, after years as an entrepreneur, convinced me to sell my business. This is when I felt the urge to begin drawing and painting again as I realized I needed to express myself.
· Who motivated you to pursue your career in painting?
My husband has encouraged me a lot to pursue my career in painting as he appreciated my art. In fact, he compared me to Soulages, a famous French painter, who I had never heard about at that time! I was very flattered.
From where do you derive inspiration for your paintings?
I am inspired by the inner beauty of women. My art represents the dimensions I perceive in the life of the women. I wonder about the present and the future, about that which can be seen and also the unknown. Since I moved to New Delhi my purpose in life, my relationships and the world around me have been profoundly influenced by India.
Endless paths emerge in my canvases where women are squatting, wandering, eluding and vanishing.I purposely paint my landscapes white and black, colors that ideally translate the contrasts in life and in the paths we take.
· Can you tell us about the process of making your work?
I always begin my work applying my feelings on a canvas. Once my feelings and thoughts are translated on to my canvas, I begin my work on the technique. I can work on 2 to 3 paintings in parallel, as I must mark some pauses for the paint to dry. Sometimes, I draw sketches to organize my thoughts and my emotions better. Time spent on a canvas is very variable. It could take from a few days up to one or two month.
· What is your daily routine when working?
Artist Stephanie Arpels
Well, the last months have changed my daily routine, as it includes supporting my son’s on-line schooling. I have become teacher to my son in addition to being a friend and a mother! As a result I have kept aside 4 hours per day to escape to my studio and work on my canvases to express myself. My day would not be full, unless I also spend time meditating.
· Your comments on the present art scene in India as well as overseas?
I feel the present art scene in India remains very focused around Indian artists. The last Fairs were displaying only 30% works from foreign artists…Whereas, overseas, Fairs exhibit a must larger variety of international artists. My perception is that art is a much larger part of daily life in the West than in India.
· What advice would you give to the young artists?
It is very difficult to find a place in the art world. So I will say, never give up but you need to be aware of the challenges you will face to be recognized, appreciated, and to have opportunities to be shown.
· Your forthcoming projects?
I am currently working on small formats for a Diwali limited series supported by Devyani Sahai from 1 AQ gallery.I also have a mixed media project with Parul Sharma, a well-known photographer, where we plan to portray and highlight issues related to women during lockdown.And I have a project with a Dubai based interior design firm that is commissioning me an installation of several of my works for one of its clients..
· About your other interests?
I like to meditate and practise yoga, and I also play golf with my son and my husband. Following a small white ball is another form of escaping!
I enjoy sharing quality and precious times with my friends.
I like to travel and be surprised by my discoveries.
Music, reading, and dancing are also an important part of my life.
· What is Success according to you?
Fulfillment…
· How do you balance…home & work?
I don’t exactly know the recipe, but I feel that I am fortunate to have found the right balance between my family and my work. Obviously, at times, I am not able to accomplish what I set out myself to do, as my son takes a lot of space but it is wonderful to be able to spend time with your family. This is how I find my balance.
About the Artist, Stephanie Arpels
From a young age, Stephanie has been attracted to painting and fine art. She began practising as a teenager. Prior to her move to India in 2015, she had set up a holistic practise dedicated to women wellbeing where she guided and supported women in their efforts to explore their confidence and femininity. As a result, she helped hundreds of women in accepting themselves physically and morally. During this time, she had also started to paint and found that these interactions had significantly influenced her creativity. Self-taught, Stephanie believes her work to be a healing process which helps her live with a life-altering disease. Her move to India also significantly impacted her work as she was moved by the vastness, diversity and contrasts embodied in the country. In 2018, she received an award by the Ministry of Women and Child Development on the occasion of International Women’s Day for excellence in the field of art.
A graceful, versatile and elegant couture line of tailored tunics and stylized saris in fine chiffons with soft hues in a multi colored palette, titled ‘The Eternal Lightness of Being-To love, to hold, to kiss’
Highlights
· A light, airy and effortlessly feminine couture line in soft hues, colorful prints, and languid silhouettes.
· Crinkled chiffon, crushed georgette and organza create light caressing textures in refreshing colors
Color Canvas
Yellows, pinks, limes and blues and harmonious pairing of ebony and ivory with a dash of aqua
The collection is an ‘Ode to the Style and Glamour of Indian Cinema of the 60s/70s’.
Presented on some of the iconic songs of that era. However, the sound tracks are specially created and sung by Ravi Bajaj himself.
Highlights
· The collection is drawn inspired from stars such as Shammi Kapoor, Rajesh Khanna, Helen, Sharmila Tagore, Vyjayanthimala and many more…They were some of the most fashionable and stylish stars of the Indian Film Industry.
· A more modern twist is given though, keeping with the times.
· Ultra luxe fabrics, high tailoring, and all the aesthetic sensibilities from the House of Ravi Bajaj.
Gauri & Nainika’s Spring-Summer 2021 collectionincludes a range of wartime inspired demure pencil dresses, wrap dresses and shirt dresses
Highlights
· From Victorian inspired florals to a soft Dutch inspired delft print in leaf-green, a variety of prints used in this fresh, free-spirited and, utterly feminine.collection
· Use of Soft sculpted flowers in classic full skirted tea length dresses
· The line dotted with highlights of small black velvet roses to lend a vintage feel
· Diaphanous floral printed tulle used in floor length gowns with sweeping cape sleeves
Color Canvas
Vintage colour palette of scarlet red, bottle green and classic black
Focal Point
A particular story that stands out in the collection is a trio of dresses in a berry colored hand painted polka dot and striped print.Some easy to wear, flowy crepe stand out because of the stark colours that have been used.
Designers’ Take
“The collection is also an ode to our clients, the Gauri & Nainika woman, who have identified with our brand over the years and keeping what they have loved in mind, we have tried to create and reimagine styles that been their favorites.”
Sensual, draped western wear to traditional wear with a contemporary spin. From summer styles in light, comfortable fabrics like cotton, malmal, linens and crepes to winter collections using wool, leather, silks and suede in interesting structures, bold colors and sharp cuts,
Highlights
· Crystal application and fine thread work along with exquisite surface ornamentation, unique motifs, contrasting and appliqué work.
· The range has structured cuts, vibrant colors, and an effortless fusion of the classic with the quirky
Designer’s Take
“The ideal Siddartha Tytler patron is one who is very confident, independent and doesn’t allow others to dictate his or her fashion choices. It is someone who is comfortable in their own skin and can make a mark with their personality every single time.”
Titled ‘Floral Opulance’,the collection has signature Ranna Gill Dhoti Pants, pleated skirts, tunics, maxis, and belted, in Ranna’s signature prints in fabrics like gerrgette, satin. The collection is about now, the present day and moment, with the theme being #BuyNowWearNow
Highlights
Bright colours, botanical patterns, add to the beauty of the ensembles
Hand embroidered, breathable masks (keeping comfort & safety in mind ) paired to match the beautiful prints
Color Canvas
Ivory, black, marigold, and hues of ruby, greens and florals
Focal Point
There is a Bohemian vibe in the collection and dreamy garden prints and playful poet sleeves with craft detailing.
The Wildflower collection of ruffle skirts, trench coats and boiler suits actually focuses on introspection and spiritual growth!
Highlights
· Subtle yet strong details like pearl collar and hand-embroidered leather cut outs
· ‘A new detailing ‘broken china’ mosaic print on leather interspersed with pearl detailing explored
· Scallop detailing , ruffles, embroidered pressed flowers ( created using scraps of
Focal Point
This collection is designed using the principles of re-cycle and up-cycle. All the tulle pieces are designed using left over fabrics and embroidered pressed flowers are created using scraps of fabrics in different colours.
About the Fashion Film
A layer of melancholy reverberates in the details of delicately pressed flowers slowly blooming, symbolizing that you are unsure of yourself and people’s opinions about you matter. As the film progresses, the veil slowly starts unravelling; symbolism of confidence, and the clothes showcase that growth. (The softer palette becomes darker, and silhouettes become stronger and bolder. The flirty and fun tulle ruffle skirts shift to Khaki trench coats with scallop detailing and boiler suits with a scatter of pressed flowers in their full bloom.
A variety of silhouettes and embroideries explored to showcase each phase of growth.. The opposing dichotomy in silhouettes and palettes merge seamlessly in conveying an honest feeling – one of acceptance. In the end, it’s about knowing who you are and being content with yourself. It’s not about reaching the finish line or ticking everything from a checklist; if you’re happy with yourself midway, then that’s your finish line.
GUAPA
Titled ‘Enchanted Forest’ -GUAPA’s Comfort clothing line in easy breezy silhouettes is perfect for the season. Newer categories like Swimwear and Accessories – scarves, hats, bags and earrings introduced in this collection.
Highlights
· Motifs like Mystical Doe, Magical Bunny, Cherry Bird, Tree of Life and the Indian Marigold Flower used
· Various techniques of blanket stitch, cutwork embroidery and smocked pleating experimented
Focal Point
From extensively using biodegradable fabrics to reducing waste and upcycling – the aims is to design functional eco- conscious clothing and accessories.
