INIFD’s third edition of the Launchpad show unveiled fresh fashion and interior design talents at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020

 For Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020 the third edition of INIFD Launchpad show revealed the talents of five Fashion Design students selected from Indian INIFD branches. It was a challenging contest through five zones that resulted in the final five winners. In addition, five Interior Design students of INIFD showcased their talents during the two shows.

A plethora of highly creative concepts with a discerning eye for art and design, INIFD Launchpad at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020 was a splendid mix of local and global art, cultures and traditions.

Diksha Saini – Chandigarh

Paying an ode to the world’s most favourite beverage—tea, designer Diksha Saini worked around the beauty and textures of tea stains. She experimented with elements of the bygone eras, during which tea was as much a social ritual as it is in the present day. Titled “Yeh Daag-Acche Hain”, Diksha’s collection created a nostalgic mood on the runway. Her ensembles like black trench coat, tie-up kimono and pencil skirt with pleated hemline featured embroidered collages of stamps, letters, and envelopes. These were used locally and globally, while resist dyeing techniques using tea, created a wonderful play of textures. The rustic colour palette of the line gave the garments a very soothing feel and added a historic flavour to them.

For a show-stopping entry, Bollywood star and popular anchor, Neha Dhupia donned a black blazer that was cinched at the waist with a colour-blocked belt teamed with flared pants having side-slits, and slit peasant sleeves, complete with a white, gathered overlay.

Itishree Satpathy – Pune Koregaon Park

Itishree Satpathy’s collection “Articulate” was greatly experimental and high-octane in creativity. Bringing out the quirk in her clothes, Itishree worked around the concept of derivation and deconstruction. The designer experimented with detachable patterns making them multi-aesthetic ensembles that served multiple looks. Working on the idea of spaces, the separation of the attached patterns from the main garment embraced the beauty of negative and positive spaces. Easy-breezy options like shirt dresses were dipped in cool hues of indigo and white, while peppy red layered pieces, accentuated the monochromatic colour palette of the line. The ensembles were made from an all-natural and skin-complimenting assortment of fabrics like cottons, linens, cotton-linens, and linen-silks.

Mahima Kataria & Sakina Matkawala – Indore

Mahima Kataria and Sakina Matkawala reminisced the days of the past when summers would be spent in the villages of India, while grandparents would tell intriguing tales of the small towns, and the days would be filled with learning deep-rooted traditions and cultures of the villages. The designers brought to the runway an amalgamation of the cultural diversity they witnessed and the rural people that they crossed paths with. Billowy sleeves encrusted with pearls on the cuffs, teamed with straight pants in beige, asymmetrical shirts with abstract floral thread work, worn with black cycling shorts created memorable looks on the ramp. “Nanihal” as the name of the collection went, the designer-duo derived their muse from the “mohallas” of the villages—lanes filled with colourful walls, graffiti and the countless memories made there with friends.

Prachiti Shinde – Panvel

Driven by the need to create something that’s durable and sustainable, Prachiti Shinde brought to the ramp a line of eccentric, breezy and sustainable options. Drawing her inspiration from the quality of being resilient and tough, the designer gave up-cycled denim a prime highlight in her collection. A halter neck bralette layered with a sturdy denim jacket having edgy striped details on the sleeves, was worn with flared denim pants. Asymmetrical blouses, denim corset, sleeve variations and geometrical threadwork created a line of remarkable street style. The addition of two different kinds of traditional embroideries—Kasuti and Kantha from Karnataka and Bengal, to the rather contemporary ensembles, added a quirky spin to the line. “Recoup of Threads”, the range was a striking fusion of the art and craft of India and the trendy and modern look of the denim.

Sadia Rejwana Rupa – Kolkata Salt Lake City

Sadia Rejwana Rupa brought to life a vivid range of playful clothes, inspired by the rickshaw culture of Bangladesh. What stimulated her creativity were the offbeat paintings at the back of the vehicle. The vibrancy of the rickshaw art played muse to the designer’s Summer/Resort collection titled “Rickshaw Rongbahari”, that was all things fun. A structured blazer dress was given a quirky twist with dramatic saree-like drapes having expressive floral and peacock motifs. Knee-length skirts narrated fables of childhood, while satin shirts added an edge to the look. Sadia incorporated the styles and expressions of the local rickshaw artists and painters and presented a range of garments with no dearth of colour, exuberance or creativity.

Abhishek Sharma

Titled “Impressions” 

The designer brought a mélange of brush strokes on the ramp

 SHADE CARD

 Moved gently from the first hues of the dawn sky and then onto sharp earthy tones.

HIGHLIGHTS

Traditional hand embroidery, some exciting patchwork along with intense silk thread work and eye-catching embellishments.

Chiffon, georgettes, linens and denims were used in innovative ways, while the necklines ranged from halter necks, plunging and backless that gave a sexy vibe.

 Playing creatively with the intricate beauty of plissé in shades of silver grey, one of the eye-catchers was a seductive high, neckline, asymmetrical, mini accentuated at the waist with embellishments.

STAR POWER

Miss India World 2019 Suman Rao closed the show wearing an exotic draped embroidered dress that looked every bit stunning in its appearance.

Kanika Jain unveiled a fashionable Mediterranean collection at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020

Titled “Life is a Flower” a look that was ideal for the climate during the coming months at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020.

SHADE CARD

Pastels, warmer hues but also added prints and embroidery.  Soft dusty pink, sunny yellow and pure white was ruched and piped with contrasting white.

HIGHLIGHTS

 Surface texturing  on a variety of fabrics, which were predominantly hand spun, ( cotton, silk, Khadi, silk organza, mul-mul and crushed cotton).

Creating a fashion fantasy with white ‘paani’ work merged with left over extra fabric straps was the highlight of the line.

Bows  teamed with ruffles, Bead and dori work were very intricately used.

Anurag Gupta

Titled“Kalanamak” collection had a sombre colour story . Inspired by Kalanamak the finest rice quality in India, which has a rich history that goes back to 600 BC since the Buddhist period.

SHADE CARD

 White, black and grey

HIGHLIGHTS

Anurag brought the motifs of the stalks and sheaves of rice on the garments as embellishments at strategic points.

Hand and machine embroidery were used together to create minimalistic embroideries. There was a marked ‘mix and match’ quality around the collection that allowed the buyers to experiment with different combos.

Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020 

  Four amazing Gen Next designers presented by INIFD opened with great collections

   The 29^th Batch of four amazing Gen Next designers presented by INIFD enthralled the audience at the opening show during Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020. The Gen Next programme since its inception in 2006 has been the most desired platform for designers to make a grand entry into the Indian fashion industry. Internationally renowned names like Rahul Mishra, Masaba Gupta, Nachiket Barve, Kallol Dutta, Swapnil Shinde, Anuj Sharma and many more have carved a niche for themselves since their Gen Next Debuts.

 AKHIL NAGPAL – CUTTING EDGE FABRICS EXPERT

The collection moved effortlessly from Indian to western as tactile evening wear vied for attention with cleverly crafted drapes giving an almost art deco like feel to the engineered materials and ensembles.

INSPIRATION

 Tensile structures from tensile architecture, art installations, industrial equipment the manmade membranous objects; the designer used them for a visually dramatic line of garments. Akhil’s hunting ground for the raw materials was the various fishing villages in Maharashtra from where he sourced the surplus fishing monofilament yarns.

HIGHLIGHTS

These in turn were treated with dyes and turned into yarns for embellishments. His experiments in using industrial glass yarns, rayon and silk as well as cutting edge fabrics like latex and metallic foils ensured that the designs had a surreal almost futuristic visual appeal.

 The silhouettes were heavily textured with excessive layering that created a dramatic impact on the ramp.

ANANYA MODI JAIN – CONVERGENCE OF PERFECT STYLE

  The men’s and women’s line featured a lot of colour, excitement and quirky construction. Creating and impact was the printed hoodie, Bermudas with biker’s jacket, as well as the Bundi/kurta and pant creation. Women’s wear made fashion statements with a drawstring waist jacket, and great pant/top and cropped jacket with an attached backpack, 2-button wrap skirt with a biker’s jacket, a funky pleated apron skirt and the long-knit jacket.   From daily wear to timeless staples the ‘All2Defy’ label from Ananya Modi Jain offered a variety of stylish options.

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Her fashion aesthetics were perfectly balanced with a convergence of stylish forms and functionality.

Merging minimalism with exaggerated proportions, Ananya’s bold and vibrant motifs were a delightful mix of classic stripes and plaids merged into a creative offering.

CHANDRIMA AGNIHOTRI – RURAL CRAFT DIVERSITY

  Titled “Warps of Mélange”, the collection had jumpsuits with side embellishments or wide collars edged with the craft, which will be sure-fire winners with the fashionistas with an aim to preserve the cross-stitch style of embroidery from Kutch, Chandrima

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 Distinct embroidery of the Jat community of Kutch was the leitmotif of the collection. Amalgamating the craft forms with techniques and fabrics, Chandrima presented them in a variety of international silhouettes.

Adding European hand cut work lace, Chandrima further accentuated the beauty of the garments and gave them a striking visual appeal. Creating a fashion stir on the catwalk was the intricately crafted off-white jacket.

MANNAT SETHI AND HARSHNA KANDHARI – A SWEET AGE-OLD TRADITION

 INSPIRATION

The duo’s debut collection at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020 had an Indian sweet “Kaju Katli” as its inspiration. Giving the theme a New Age appeal the pair re-used discarded rubber tyres then reworked them into embellishments by painstakingly hand cutting them into strips and shapes that were embroidered with zardosi hand work.

HIGHLIGHTS

The Indian sweets’ colours, shapes and textures were recreated on the garments when sheer shirts and relaxed shimmering trousers made an impact, while transparent fluid palazzos were topped with long-sleeved, white, thigh-length tunic sporting intricate work.

Sheer layers were favoured for maxis, while the black frilled skirt had a fun element. The intricate detailing for the silver/ grey, long, skirt, choli and sheer dupatta gave this traditional trio a more contemporary touch. High pleated necklines for the robes and the glitter on the collection ensured that this was a line that will look great after the sun sets.

Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020

Corcal Bone and Beauty to applaud real women in association with Payal Singhal at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020

Corcal Bone & Beauty calcium supplement from Lupin Life returns to Lakmé Fashion Week at the Summer/Resort 2020 edition.

Collaborating with renowned designer Payal Singhal for its #Beautifullystrong initiative Corcal Bone & Beauty aims to highlight and create awareness about the link between inner health and outer beauty in women. This year at LFW, Corcal Bone & Beauty celebrates all beautifully strong women with its #beautifullystrongatlfw contest. Every woman has that one beautifully strong woman-role model in their lives who inspires them. By sharing stories of such women in their contest entries, 5 lucky Indian women get a chance to walk the ramp for renowned designer Payal Singhal’s Spring Summer 2020 Collection at Lakmé Fashion Week.

Saluting women and their spirit, Corcal Bone & Beauty and Payal Singhal will have women walking the ramp including influencers, models, celebrities and even real women chosen through a digital contest. Winners of the contest were selected basis the best entries that reflected their story of strength and a woman who is their source of inspiration. These chosen ladies will wear Payal Singhal’s new collection ‘Parvaneh’ (Persian for ‘Butterfly’) and walk the runway.

Alongside these powerful women, some influential women known to be strong inside will also be walking the ramp.

Stepping into a new era after celebrating 20 years of her eponymous label, Payal Singhal’s new collection is a conversation on journeying to come into one’s own, an ode to the strength of a caterpillar who has metamorphosed into a beautiful butterfly. Applauding the free-spirited wanderer as she sets off on her quest through life to be #BeautifullyStrong, it marks the evolution of the quintessential PS girl – while she continues to be a world citizen with nuanced tastes, she now balances her flights of fancy with the need to ground herself firmly into reality.

Mr. Anil V Kaushal, Head, Lupin Life Consumer Healthcare said, “Last year Corcal Bone & Beauty was associated with world famous wrestling champion Geeta Phogat and in 2020 we are proud to be associated with another sports star,  continuing  the association of strong women who are epitome of inner strength and are beautiful from within. Corcal Bone & Beauty, the health and beauty partner for women, bows to these stories of inner strength. Giving priority to being healthy inside is the key to be truly beautiful outside, women from all walks of life like Gargi Shirurkar and Udita Tanvar, were given chance of a lifetime to walk the ramp along with other influencers for Corcal Bone & Beauty, each of them were chosen through online auditions. We feel inspired in their company and thank them for making ‘beautifully strong’ trendy and fashionable.”

Payal’s collection expresses modernism through the language of traditional Indian art, with a focus on the translation of ethnic crafts into contemporary ensembles.

Speaking on the collaboration, designer Payal Singhal mentioned, “The quote – ‘Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over, she became a butterfly’ often came to mind when designing this collection. After having completed 20 years in 2019, this really is a new dawn for the PS Girl. She is stepping into this new decade having assumed a more mature avatar, while still retaining her unique spark. And this collection is an ode to that. It’s about celebrating beauty at its every stage. And we are happy to have like-minded partners in Corcal Bone & Beauty—their core belief that to be beautiful outside, one has to be healthy within, is one I absolutely resonate with.”

Corcal Bone & Beauty stands out as natural calcium health supplement specially for women. Corcal Bone & Beauty contains natural Coral Calcium with goodness of over 70 trace minerals. It’s a true health and beauty partner for all adult women, Corcal Bone & Beauty helps strengthen bones as well as maintain healthy hair, skin, nails and teeth.

Reliance Trends presented the Gen Next Alumni at the Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020 extravaganza with a spectacular show

The opening show presented by Trends to celebrate 20 Years of Lakmé Fashion Week kick started the Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020 fashion extravaganza with 30 Gen Next alumni who have carved a niche for themselves on the Indian and international fashion arena. The grand show celebrated two decades in India, of the biggest premier fashion platform Lakmé Fashion Week, at JioWorld Garden, BKC, Mumbai in the new fashion space called “The Atelier” with the serpentine, circular seating the venue was the grand setting for the sensational 30 creations.

The Gen Next programme has been a unique initiative of Lakmé Fashion Week since 2006 that has encouraged premier design talent, mentored and groomed nearly 200 participants into world-class brands. Being part of the Gen Next programme has been the dream of every young designer and a lifetime opportunity to make a debut in the world of fashion.

The 30 designers reinvented their popular iconic looks from their debut collections and presented them in a contemporary style. To the beat of the live trio of drummers, the most sought-after alumni of the programme, created a fabulous, fashion, explosion during the opening show on the runway with their amazing creativity were:

Rahul Mishra, Swapnil Shinde and Nida Mahmood (2006) Nachiket Barve, Kunal Rawal, Nitin Bal Chauhan, Rimzim Dadu, Anuj Sharma and Aneeth Arora, (2007) Anand Bhushan, (2008) Paromita Banerjee (S/R 2009), Masaba Gupta and Amalraj Sengupta (W/F 2009), Ruchika Sachdeva (W/F 2010), Nikhil Thampi (W/F 2011), Archana Rao, Yogesh Chaudhary, Shikha Grover & Vinita Adhikari, (S/R  2012), Farah Sanjana and Sneha Arora (W/F 2012), Ragini Ahuja (S/R 2013), Sreejith Jeevan and Ujjawal Dubey (S/R 2014), Anuj Bhutani and Dhruv Kapoor (W/F 2014), Alan Alexander and Kanika Goyal (S/R 2015), Kriti Tula, Ajay Kumar and Siddhartha Bansal (W/F 2015), Sohaya Misra (S/R 2016).

It was a mind-boggling parade of extreme creativity as gowns, heavily embellished midis, creatively constructed minis, pant suits and dresses appeared in quick succession to the beat of the drums. Men’s wear was designed keeping the 21^st century male in mind, so layering was constant with construction and sharp tailoring as the focal points of attention on the runway.

Making a grand showstopping entry, were Bollywood’s hot stars, Vicky Kaushal and Janhvi Kapoor who took the ramp in their stylish strides. Vicky looked dashing and dapper in a Kunal Rawal creation that comprised an asymmetric hemline, black, heavily textured, button less, sherwani, over a black and white colour blocked chevron inset kurta and fitted pants.  Janhvi looked gorgeous in a fully embroidered tulle gown dreamt up by Rahul Mishra as she gracefully glided around the serpentine catwalk.

The showcase will also lead an exclusive Lakme Fashion Week 20-year celebration collection available in Trends stores across the country and online on AJIO.com

Vipin Tyagi, COO, Reliance Trends said, “Lakmé Fashion Week with the Gen Next designers was an extremely exciting concept. I would like to thank all the “Gen Next” Designers for being a part of this show and help brand TRENDS, stand true to its gene of bringing alive everyday fashion statements. We were witness to some of India’s ace designers and how they brought alive the latest in global fashion trends. I’d like to thank IMG Reliance in giving fashion brands like us an amazing new opportunity to associate with the fashionistas, industry tastemakers and fashion trend-setters, get to experience path breaking fashion trends at Lakmé Fashion Week,”

Ashwath Swaminathan, Head of Innovations at Lakmé said, “The Gen Next programmer is one of the key pillars of Lakmé Fashion Week. So, it’s great that we have designers discovered from this platform coming together at the opening show to make the celebration of 20 years of LFW even more special.”

 Jaspreet Chandok, Head – Lifestyle Businesses, IMG Reliance Ltd said, “Perhaps the biggest contribution of Lakme Fashion Week for the Indian fashion industry has been to develop and nurture new talent. As we begin the next 20 years of our journey, we look back at and share the joy with the designers that have made a mark in the industry through our discovery platform.

The Gen Next Programmer presented by INIFD has been responsible for discovering and nurturing potential talent with the right mentoring and grooming for the exceptional designers that the fashion industry knows of today. Since the programmer’s inception in 2006, nearly 200 designers have had the once in a lifetime opportunity to make their prestigious debut in the world of fashion.