Tag: #Blog

As fashion celebrates its silver jubilee, what is clear now is ---sustainability is the only way to go forward, and designers have already taken the lead! By Asmitaa Aggarwal It was a reunion of sorts, designers came in droves, some who had not been seen for over 20 years---Anshu Arora ...

In a freewheeling chat, Rahul Mishra talks about his deep connection with spirituality, Trikaldarshi Brahma, his Paris Couture Week ‘Cityscape’ and ‘Crow’ ensembles, why Bandhani is important as we revisit the present while keeping the "rear-view" mirrors open to pay homage to the past. By Asmitaa Aggarwal He did create ...

Repair and reuse are Somya Goyal’s mantras, as she works with Bemberg to tackle global warming, intermingling with fabrics created out of waste, converted into cords, in her line “Pivot”. By Asmitaa Aggarwal Her father has been running a successful label Rich Look for the last 30 years in Delhi, ...

18 century “babu” culture of Bengal dandies gets a fashionable makeover by Abhishek Roy through his smooth velvets and zardozi. By Asmitaa Aggarwal What happens when you grow up in a fulfilling environment away from the craziness of city life in Santiniketan? Well, you have an alternate world view just ...

Anurag Gupta’s 3D, jacquard knits and intense screen prints tell us you can do a lot with menswear sans sequins.  By Asmitaa Aggarwal Imagine growing up in a village, Biskohar, (Itwa) not so far from Ayodhya, the city of Lord Ram, in a home where forget conversations about fashion, there ...

Hoping to wean away GenZ from fast fashion, Co-Ek has launched khadi resort wear-think wrap skirts and summer dresses. By Asmitaa Aggarwal It is always invigorating to observe seismic changes in the way Khadi has been perceived and elevated--- leaving its traditional starchiness, adopting a modern nomenclature. This year Co-Ek ...

From serenading poets to artists, Rina Singh’s Eka is a case study of craft upliftment. By Asmita Aggarwal If clothes could have feelings Eka would be a right fit! Rina Singh, who built a brand, brick by brick, over 13 years believes it took years of developing product knowledge and ...

Sushant Abrol, inspired by the ideology of “what is left behind” pays homage to his late brother Samir, through molten metallics, abstract kantha and silver coated denim. Asmita Aggarwal Five years ago, when Sushant Abrol’s brother Squadron Leader Samir Abrol's brother, died in a crash, he went to the crash site, and noticed ...

Arjan Dugal’s line ‘Vintage 2030’ combines modern design engineering with traditional Japanese motifs, as zardosi and florals become the hero at Chivas Luxe Collective Perfumes presents FDCI India Men’s Weekend 2025 at Diggi Palace, Jaipur. By Asmita Aggarwal He kind of worked both sides of the fashion spectrum — his ...

FDCI and Blenders Pride pay a befitting homage to Gudda, with 100 showstoppers, friends, family and in this beautiful story, an emotional Sonam Kapoor. By Asmita Aggarwal What happens when you have more than 100 showstoppers paying tribute to the man, and the myth, who left behind an unparalleled legacy? ...

From Picasso, to Banksy and Mr Brainwash, Salita Nanda reinterprets art pieces through her unique rendering of hand illustrated prints in satiny draped dresses. By Asmita Aggarwal Born and raised in London, Salita Nanda studied at the London College of Fashion, University of the Arts, and then further honed her skills at ...

Dutch artist Patrick Bergsma and his broken ceramic pottery where bonsai grows is where Ashdeen found his stimuli, though his simple shapes complement the complex needlework techniques he uses to offer modern jackets.   By Asmita Aggarwal Ashdeen Z. Lilaowala is a trained textile designer from the National Institute of ...

35 years in style business, the doyen believes, her biggest contribution has been keeping alive classic Indian ethos. By Asmita Aggarwal Her father was one of the biggest builders in Mumbai, specially the Bandra area, though he taught at the London School of Economics for many years too. Narain Bhojwani ...

Dhruv Kapoor brings his PSS (print, surface and silhouette) tastes to the Denim Edit by FDCI, at LFW as he handpaints, laminates, embroiders the versatile fabric. By Asmita Aggarwal He is a regular at Milan Fashion Week, and his 10-year-old brand, was nominated earlier for the International Woolmark Prize, but ...

 Every setback in life kind of teaches us, for Sushant it was his brother’s sudden demise, he used the pain to pay homage to his memory keeping it alive each year. At the FDCI Denim Edit he gives the resilience of denim an interesting twist with hand painted leather. By ...

Huemn may be his alter ego, but the designer behind it calls himself a storyteller, who loves the possibilities of what denim can do; this season, he takes on a new journey by recycling creating invigorating landscapes in his anti-fit everything. By Asmita Aggarwal There is a huge conundrum between ...

From her backless cholis to Aishwarya Rai wearing her award-winning Anarkali, Payal Singhal in 25 years of business has been consistent leaving theatrics to greenhorns, adopting practicality for survival. By Asmita Aggarwal Payal Singhal completes 25 years in the business of fashion, and if there is one designer who truly ...

Whether it was working with Armani or Bottega Veneta, even Sabyasachi, Ankur believes good design is instinctive, that’s why his latest line for LFWX FDCI is experimental, comfortable and inclusive. By Asmita Aggarwal He lost his grandmother, whom he was closest to in the family during Covid, she would always ...

Discarded cassette tapes, toffee wrappers, bin bags are now RTW and make for new-age embellishment, as the trio Thakore, Abraham and Nigli tell us “What we buy and how we buy” is of brevity at their LFWXFDCI show. By Asmita Aggarwal Shefali Shah is a thinking actress, chooses her roles, ...

Drishti Modi and Rashmick Bose of Lafaani, CDC runner ups, bring circularity through unrestricted shapes, kala cotton and their love for repurposing. By Asmita Aggarwal She is a big movie buff, so the brand name is a result of binge-watching cinema, although alternate, thus Lafaani, was picked from the dialogue ...

Making bags out of discarded seat belts, the JNU kid, who grew up with a father who taught quantum physics is today building a sustainable community one gilet at a time with his brand Jaggery. If Apple can sell electronics, why can't jaggery sell bags? By Asmita Aggarwal Former US President ...

Working with Batik master craftsman Shakil Khatri for the last ten years in Gujarat, to revive the 1000-year-old tradition using vegetable dyes, Madhumita Nath of Ek Katha hopes to serenade a young audience with reimagined crafts.  By Asmita Aggarwal She studied textiles at NIFT Mumbai and JJ School of Art, ...

Life took a turn for the better from seeing his grandfather’s dyeing unit polluting, to now only dealing with second hand garments, reconstructing them into new shapes, Ritwik Khanna, 25, of Rkive City is a force to reckon with. By Asmita Aggarwal This generation is something else---they really know what ...

Antar-Agni as the name suggests is a journey within—thus his unisex label is a lot more than just layering, drapes and lapels, it is an exploration of the meaning of luxury, and why its connotations change to cater to an individualistic mind. By Asmita Aggarwal Some things in life are ...

From little hearts floating on smocked dresses, Hello Kitty nostalgia, to intensive embroidery details, as well as design interventions on textiles, Aneeth Arora celebrates 15 years of Pero with a FDCI show at LFW. It has been a long road from Udaipur to creating a million-dollar business for this craft ...

What lights up a dull, dark rainy day? Heartthrob Vicky Kaushal, for sure, as Falguni and Shane Peacock didn’t shy away as usual from shine, all kinds of it, as well as clashing colours, but added Banarasis to celebrate two decades of making brides sparkle, presenting "Rang Mahal" at the ...

Rimzim Dadu shifts gears and adds motifs, inspired by Baroque, Western classical music, and architecture, to give intrepid women a flavour of innovative material manipulations.    By Asmita Aggarwal Engineered gowns, signature metal saris, couture has a different meaning for Rimzim Dadu, it is more of a play of textures, ...

Gaurav Gupta is a man who vacillates between the ancient past and the ultra-modern—from “Shunya” to “Kundalini” to now “Arunodaya”, or dawn, for India Couture Week 2024, he is in awe of scriptures. He has not forgotten the power of AI in the past, when he teamed up with tech ...

Basra pearls, Banarasis, Khada duppattas with ultra-modern corsets, Jayanti Reddy, a business graduate, self-taught designer, offers brides a potent mix of traditional with “now” at the Hyundai India Couture Week 2024. The highlight has been her collaboration with Italian jewellery powerhouse-Bvlgari. By Asmita Aggarwal One thing is clear Jayanti Reddy ...

Flower power never loses its prowess, and Rahul Mishra at Hyundai ICW 2024, made sure the embroidered dupattas were unisex, the pants-suit is now out of the boardroom and frolicking at a cocktail party in a line titled, “Nargis”. By Asmita Aggarwal Nargis or daffodil is a lively yellow flower, ...

Amit Aggarwal serenades the impossibility, linearity, unpredictability of time and maybe tide, through his show as the past (cotton) meets the present (nylon), through his newly created fabric this season for Hyundai India Couture Week 2024. By Asmita Aggarwal When I watched the Amit Aggarwal show at the India Couture ...

From embroideries inspired by Mughal miniature paintings, big, broad embroidered belts cinching Sherwanis to reinventing the humble shalwar, cherry red lehengas to lighter chevron palazzos, J J Valaya redefined bridal wear. By Asmita Aggarwal It was the music directed, produced by Sahil Vasudeva, at the J J Valaya ICW 2024 ...

Body positivity, 3D motifs and inventing a new fabric, which rustles like paper but is organza, made Dolly J’s ICW 2024 show, feel like a bouquet of roses. By Asmita Aggarwal Actor-turned-politician Shatrughan Sinha’s wife Poonam, came to support her newly married daughter Sonakshi, in a woven sari. The set was ...

Kunal Rawal introduces Patola-inspired weave for grooms, turning tables on  traditionality; he serenades us with denim dhotis, and comfort, to make sure reusability, and functionality co-exist at ICW 2024. By Asmita Aggarwal Remember Ranbir Kapoor’s hybrid dhoti, well, Kunal Rawal is the one to take risks. Even though he is young ...

Taking us back in time, to the Roman empire, replete with its imposing iconography, Siddartha Tytler’s dark, grand line played with asymmetry, sheer and glimmering rhinestones at the ICW 2024.   By Asmita Aggarwal He is the quintessential Mr Handsome Rahul Khanna, it has a lot to do with his ...

Bomb blasts, barren land, soldier writings on walls and stones, how war destroys the fabric of mankind and its futility has been beautifully mirrored through deft stitches by Sushant Abrol’s label Countrymade. By Asmita Aggarwal From writing poetry, to working with 8-10 needlework techniques, using imagery of his late Air ...

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 ...

From jersey to satin Shweta Kapoor’s saris tell us you can walk the talk with this slithering drape, as she adds an 80s touch to it, this season. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Giving leather longevity through contemporary design, Sonal Varma of Rara Avis, offers versatile shapes for a global traveller. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Offering sustainable fabrics, swimwear with reversible styles and interesting prints, Reby Kumar of Guapa is embarking on, making dressing for your next holiday under the palms, super comfortable. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

From embroidery created out of scrap, to making even the motifs move along as you wear the ensemble Anurag Gupta woos the unusual. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Tribal imagery comes alive in Aseem Kapoor’s free size, super comfy offerings for women who choose practicality over transient shine. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Anju Modi is paying homage to “white weddings”, with signature crafts and a wish to move away from conventional palettes. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

From launching various verticals to the mothership brand Geisha Designs, Paras and Shalini this year elevate embellishment with corsetry and serenade the extended family with their love for Victorian needle work and beads. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

15 years and making a mark with classics from the stable, Pankaj and Nidhi combine their strengths from dori work to quilting, creating affable tuxedo jackets and trumpet skirts. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Swimwear mavericks, and now ski wear experts, Shivan and Narresh offer us a glimpse of Finland through their specially crafted prints combined with hand painting. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

“Handspun” is Himanshu Shani’s leitmotif this LFW, as he celebrates innately Indian techniques and processes from Bandhej to Ajrak and natural indigo dyeing making a play for incorporating kala cotton in Gen Z style lexicon   By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Anjali Mehta Patel, a first timer in Delhi is hoping to wow buyers with her au naturale offerings constructed with Bemberg, replete with India stories done in heady prints. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Working with renowned weaver Prasanta Basak to offer a new language of Indian clothing, Swatti Kapoor is hoping to elevate the humble salwar-kameez, with innovative substitutes in natural fabrics. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Think disco, bell bottoms, Manhattan’s Studio 54 and Ashish Soni’s play with the oversized, androgynous look —-strong shoulders and suiting materials as his forte tailoring, takes centerstage. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Riding, and utility make a play in Abhishek Paatni’s line that takes us back to the simple joys of life, finding peace through biking and urging us to slow down, choosing the wild road less travelled up the mountains. By Asmita Aggarwal You would imagine an MBA and engineer to ...

Dolly J uses the radiance of pearls to add glow to her army of gowns, as couture transcends from glitter to subtle. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Alpana and Neeraj along with the maverick JJ Valaya create a night full of glimmering stars as architectural shapes find a soulmate in velvet lehengas at the AIFW SS '17 grand finale. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

London School of Economics major Abhishek Kankaria teams up with college buddy Shrruti Tapuria to design a range of bags and jewellery. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Romance, memories, shine and geometry meet this spring as Amit Aggarwal redefines the cool quotient, Pankaj and Nidhi let the ‘light’ in and Hemant and Nandita give you 50 rules of love!  By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Mogachea creates new textures in the print-obsessed fashion world, as Goa-based Tania Fadte keeps it simple By Asmita Aggarwal ...

A wave of realism sweeps the catwalk as a garden of blooms welcome the advent of SS ’17. Ilk’s paper-like blouses were to die for and Kavita Bhartia’s lace was prolific despite conventional silhouettes, while Tytler’s gold rush kept it sparkling! By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Reby Kumar of Guapa hopes to make resort wear a necessity in India By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Inspired by iconic 70’s film Grey Gardens, Mumbai’s Aniket Satam pays homage to human emotion through his retro ensembles. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Using her experience at DKNY, Medha Khosla of Anomaly is crafting a bright future for designer pret By Asmita Aggarwal ...