Moon Power

Paying homage to the moon landing and India’s homegrown space programme Pearl Academy students delve into the future to showcase how it could be the next vacation destination through metallics, anti-gravity hair and hybrid ensembles.

By Asmita Aggarwal

The Chandrayaan-3 mission, was a homegrown one, as the country reached the lunar south polar region, “India is on the moon,” Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, the chair of the Indian Space Research Organisation exclaimed. Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft’s Vikram lander touched down, putting us in the league of extraordinary space power biggies. This is a victory cry of a new India,” said the prime minister, Narendra Modi, as Chandrayaan-3 was launched from Sriharikota, in southern India.

It is this moon odyssey that turned into a heady leitmotif for Pearl Academy fashion design and image styling students with their show titled “The Moon’s Echo”. The twist here is, it is a journey which began with exploration in the 70s, now has Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, in full Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, which offers commercial space flight, based in California. With Falcon 1 rocket, it can send small satellites into orbit and with these innovations, turning it into a place where explorations and maybe in the future turn into a “holiday destination”.

This historic win has been the theme for the graduating batch at Pearl, celebrating moon landing through puffer jackets, and grey “lunar luxe”. There are hints of comedy too—where the dark side of the moon is depicted in the form of a crater. Here what is envisioned is finding water and making it a beach vacation, as guests carry their fishing rods, inflatable parachutes, backpacks, and foldable chairs.

Of course, drones serve as butlers, carrying bags and hovering above.  The final sequence is a celebration of sorts, vibrant characters, carrying rare earth objects, dressed like they are part of a “secret society’ ball, a display of an avant-garde aesthetic–  hoping to mimic all that the earth’s grandeur has to offer.

“The theme is inspired by the recent Indian moon landing, and depicts the seamless blending of the realms of fashion and futuristic exploration. What truly stood out were the imaginative designs that seemed to capture the essence of the concept. The show served as a reminder of one very important milestone in the history of the country, and we wanted to celebrate how India is leading the world,” said Antonio Maurizio Grioli Dean School of Fashion, Pearl Academy.

There are many interesting aspects of the show—from the “vacuum hair” resembling zero gravity and glittered up eyes. “The Moon’s Echo” presented 38 looks, and each section has been carefully divided. The moon landing is displayed through stark, grey, colourless outfits, interspersed with metallics, it was a challenge in creating the future, while building each character, with new-age construction. “Sleeping bag inspired gear, texturing, layering to leather and printing, playing with volume, each element is carefully processed,” says Megha Khanna, creative director of the show.

Along with this there has been a deft focus on corsetry, the artistic expressions have been conveyed through 3 D printing, structures emerging are experimental, laser cutting and material manipulation. “The accessories play with form and materials, add depth to the clothing, from metal to punk, dresses get converted into jackets becoming shape shifters, sometimes two garments are amalgamated to make one,” she explains. Interestingly, the headgears have been crafted out of household equipment—oxygen pipes, neck pillows, to give circular patterns and harnesses have been added for strength.

The creativity and passion of Pearl Academy students was visible as the show ended with an overwhelming celebration of vivacity through colour and picture-perfect moments.