
Fervent Tribute to Bal
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? ...

In Fine Print
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 ...

“Embroidery is our DNA,” says Ashdeen
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 ...

Builder’s daughter Monisha Jaising constructs ‘bling’
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 ...

80% feeling, 20% aesthetic sells a garment: Dhruv Kapoor
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 ...

Blue blooded fit by Countrymade
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 ...

“I wanted to dress like my father,” Pranav Mishra
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 ...

Luck doesn’t help, focus does: Payal
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 ...

“Armani taught me to be me,” says Ankur of Til
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 ...

A & T celebrate inconsistencies
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, ...

Greenwashing is rampant in fashion: Drishti
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 ...

Bill Clinton told us to be at MOMA: Gautam Malik
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 ...

Batik has unique monotones: Madhumita
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, ...

CDC winner’s clothes with a conscience
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 ...

Ujjawal’s 10th with homage to “self”
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 ...

Arundhati Roy, Mira Nair, Kiran Rao and me share common artistic goals: Aneeth Arora
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 ...

FSP’s brides court shine
What lights up a dull, dark rainy day? Heartthrob Vicky Kaushal, for sure, as Falguni and Shane Peacock didnt 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 ...

Hardware to Soft Wear
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’s ode to Indology
Gaurav Gupta is a man who vacillates between the ancient past and the ultra-modernfrom 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 ...

Nizams Reloaded
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 ...

Rahul Mishra’s Valley of Daffodils
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, ...

Game of Time
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 ...

Valaya’s Flying Carpets
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 ...

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

Kunal pursues Patolas
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 Kapoors hybrid dhoti, well, Kunal Rawal is the one to take risks. Even though he is young ...

Tytler’s Echoes of Roman Grandeur
Taking us back in time, to the Roman empire, replete with its imposing iconography, Siddartha Tytlers 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 ...

Suneet Varma’s ode to shine
Mirror work, to mokaish, shimmer has always been the highlight of Suneet Varma's oeuvre, even as the designer, who was trained by Yves Saint Laurent announces, there is nothing better than being in the spotlight on your D-Day at ICW 2024! By Asmita Aggarwal What I really look forward to in ...

Roses with lace for Isha Jajodia
Lace and Chikankari make a heady combo, as Isha of Rose Room woos brides with a softer, lighter full skirt, with just charming hints of shimmer for ICW 2024. By Asmita Aggarwal Black, lace and Jackie! There seems to be nothing better than this, add a top bun to this ...

Abu-Sandeep’s triumph of love
Their mission is to elevate craft to art, like they did with Chikankari, or mirror work, added white to couture; for 38 years Abu-Sandeep have been the undisputed frontrunners of luxury. They brought ASAL and MARD to Delhi for the first time at Hyundai ICW 2024. By Asmita Aggarwal It ...

Princess of style
Niloufer Khanum of Hyderabad was the OG of fashion influencers with her Westernising the sari, adding exquisite pearls and it is this regality that Anushree Reddy recreates in organzas this season for the bride who chooses subtle shine over overt bling. By Asmita Aggarwal It has been a ten-year long ...

The War Within
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 Abrols label Countrymade. By Asmita Aggarwal From writing poetry, to working with 8-10 needlework techniques, using imagery of his late Air ...

Moon Power
Paying homage to the moon landing and Indias 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 ...

Sari Stories
From jersey to satin Shweta Kapoors 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 ...

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

The last resort
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 ...

Engineered embroidery
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 ...

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

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

Bead Seeds
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 ...

Revisiting Memories
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 ...

Right Strokes
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 ...

Spinning Luxury
Handspun is Himanshu Shanis 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 ...

Social Intelligence
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 ...

Crafting a legacy
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 ...

Simple Thinking
Ka-Sha completes ten years in fashion, she infuses the line with imagery of emotions replicated through the prism of relaxed clothing, and monochromes as bead work becomes a show stealer. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Retro Revival
Think disco, bell bottoms, Manhattans Studio 54 and Ashish Sonis play with the oversized, androgynous look -strong shoulders and suiting materials as his forte tailoring, takes centerstage. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Motorcycle Diaries
Riding, and utility make a play in Abhishek Paatnis 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 ...

Sari Stories
The tuxedo blouse, wide lapels, geometric shapes, hints of metallic glitter, ode to charcoals, the boy from Mubarikpur Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango, told us the sari is as cool as a floor sweeping, Paris-returned gown. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

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Pearls of Wisdom
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 ...

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Layered Intrusions
Serenading layering, separates and fluidity the market-savvy brothers Shantnu and Nikhil, complete 24 years with almost 16 stores domestically. At ICW they managed to add dollops of deliciousness with Aditya Roy Kapur and the pint sized beauty Sara Ali Khan. But the coup was Nikhil Mehras 16-year-old son Vivhan, making his ...

Wizards of Time
From Fibonacci to Equinox, the admiration for Maths and its lasting solutions have fascinated the duo, who have been on this creative journey together for 25 years, and counting. ICW 2023 was about romancing 3D embroideries and just like their themes, the precision it echoes, is mirrored in cuts. By ...

Artist at Work
No artificial intelligence here, just plain, old techniques that still capture the essence of luxury, controlling materials which have a mind of their own is Rimzim Dadus specialty. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

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The World Within
Anamikas 25 year journey has been one of revelation and grandeur, this year too, she brings alive the magic of zardosi and pearls her two constant companions, expressions of love, with some unadulterated charm added by the lithe Athiya Shetty. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Past Is Now
The past always finds an embellished way to catch up with the present in J J Valayas offerings which came drizzling with Sufi music by a live band headed by Sahil Vasudeva and of course some embroidered swans frolicking on midnight blue lehengas. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Wooed by Nostalgia
Couture reflects changing cultural norms, Ritu Kumar, and son Amrish, believe fine craftsmanship and customisation makes this genre a powerhouse. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Royal Hues
From the Taj Mahal, Shekhawati, Qutab Minar to the banks of the river Sabarmati and the historic Port Jail in Goa, the FDCI has effortlessly paid a tribute to traditional techniques, by synchronizing them with presentations at unforgettable heritage sites. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Cultural Values
From mixing denim with silk, motif manipulation to paying homage to pure metallic yarns, eight designers changed the design vocabulary of Made in Benaras at the FDCI curated show at Surajkund Mela. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Climbing out-of-the-box
The FDCI India Mens Weekend in Goa was a homage to the new-age experimental man, ready to take on relaxed clothing, without compromising on comfort, celebrating the love for monochromes and brightness, as well as ingenious textures in denim. By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Zoom In
From migrant crisis, graphic knits, zipped jackets and the red dot emerging as a leitmotif for freedom of thought, LMIFW SS21 ended with a discerning eye on the future By Asmita Aggarwal ...

Sharp Suiters
The tagline this season for Vikram Bajaj is--- fashion needs flag bearers to spread hope and walk out there, with their masks on, as dandy as ever By Asmita Aggarwal ...