Insta helps boost revenue, says Nikhil Mehra
Gender fluid Shiva-Shakti has been a leitmotif for Nikhil Mehra as the younger brother in the duo Shantanu-Nikhil confirms menswear is where the real game is now! By Asmitaa Aggaarwal For 25 years now Nikhil Mehra, the younger sibling of the duo Shantnu and Nikhil has been on a trek, in the world of fashion, he calls it a journey of “self-exploration”. The focus has been on transforming men’s silhouettes, moving away from the idea that a man is simply a “caretaker’. “There is a sense of poetic femininity, where drapes are the mainstay. Women in S and N couture are portrayed as strong independent brides, rather than coy, not romantic so in some ways it has been a role reversal of sorts. “If you look at the history of couture it was considered the holy grail, unapproachable. Now for the last few years it is moving away from ostentation, display of wealth, with a lot more focus on experimentation,” says Nikhil. Maybe that’s why the obsession with red has dimmed, societal norms have been broken, brands are looking at watered down versions of couture—Anamika with AK-Ok and Tarun Tahiliani with OTT. “Less is more for us, we try to tell a story through minimalism, like our hand-crafted brooches, there may be a lack of abundance, but there is a definitive respect for crafts,” says Mehra. Though he questions, “just because it is $4000, should we say we have put 4,000-man hours making it? We don’t think like that? He works with sporty elements, as games is what keeps him going personally too, here too there is innovation—yarns are developed, mostly breathable knitted fabrics, wool blends. “Accessorizing has been a fun thing, so we channel military regalia, kamarband on shirts/sherwanis, merging two different worlds,” he adds. Nikhil admits post-colonization, we embraced colours vibrantly, as well as prints and refused to be cowed down by a Western aesthetic of black and greys. “Fantasy in fashion is before you are 22 years old, after running a business, you grow up really fast. The theme of Shiva Shakti, gender fluid has been constant in our lines, even as our brides have abandoned dupatta and decided to wear a lehenga with structured jackets, that she can wear with drainpipe pants later for a girl’s night out,” he smiles. Men have been neglected in fashion, he believes, so the brand took cognizance of it, “men are no longer a mere plus one, they have an identity of their own”. Pre-covid couture was only wedding wear, now it is about celebrating every moment, not just a D-day, anniversary, a personal milestone et al. “Paris Fashion week, celebs walked for Balenciaga, among others, so the showstopper is an important aspect, good for business. FB and insta generate revenue for us. People want to see what their icons are wearing,” he adds. His fav hues—dark navy and cherry, mix in this is deep emerald, slate greys and rubies. That’s why his line for ICW 2025 titled “Metropolis” serenades a global man, who takes his cultural identity with him. “We went to Moscow, St Petersburg, and Pitti Uomo, to Sardinia, a man now is unapologetically well dressed, he enjoys the process. That’s why menswear is more potent now than ever before,” he says. Vivan Mehra, his son, is now gearing up for Emerson college Boston, in filmmaking and acting, so like all doting fathers, Nikhil believes he gets this talent from his mom, Vidushi, a theatre actress. “I knew he was not going to study accounting or engineering, rather performing arts was calling. It was a toss up between football and acting, the latter won. In fact Karan Johar told him to watch a lot of Japanese films, watch finer nuances like lighting to understand 70 MM world,” he concludes.
Barefoot doc of craft: Ritu Kumar
No one can tell one bridal outfit from another. No one has time and dedication in this computer age for crafts, laments Ritu Kumar. By Asmitaa Aggaarwal In the 60s she was the first to do the classic ready-to-wear bridal, as traditional woven saris were the norm, now Ritu Kumar sees a huge change, due to the number of options available in couture. “The palette is not structured anymore, Bengal they still wear red Banarasi, but D-Day hues have a new handwriting of pastels, shapes remain conventional, as Gen Z innovates. There is an introduction of beads, sequins, and pearls, we are doing Europe with a mix of India in couture renditions,” says Ritu. When she began in Serampore (Calcutta), there were no books on crafts available, no one knew about the beauty of Machilipatnam to Ajrakh, but zardozi always found glory. “Not a page was written about Indian textiles, now there is huge awareness about crafts; we are one of the few countries who have retained our luxe heritage. I have worked with some outstanding people in this field-textile art historian Jasmeen Dhamija to Laila Tyabji, enriching my journey,” she adds, saying Martand Singh and people like him were the “barefoot doctors of craft—truly academic nourishers.” In the 70s no one knew about India as for 200 years we were ruled by the British, colonised, they took the paisley and machine printed it on fabrics, sold it back to us, she explains. But true to her craft Ritu took the hand block print to the prestigious Pret-a-porter show in the 70s France, filling the vacuum which she has detailed in her book Costumes and Textiles of Royal India. She is ready for her new book, just finished editing, on contemporary India her journey from the 60s to now. “Our hand block print saris did so well that soon Surat and Banaras started abandoning polka dots and doing hand block prints,” she smiles, adding sequins never permeated into her aesthetic. Interestingly she says, everything in bridal looks the same, can’t tell from the other, made in Farrukhabad or Bengal no one knows, which needs to change. Fashion, she says, must make a social impact, as we have an ingenious handwriting, it is alive on the ramp not in museums like other countries, it is being worn from Lajpat Nagar to Dilli Haat as well as couture week catwalks. “India is an engaging phenomenon, but what I would love to do most is revive the Kani shawl which no one has been able to as it is such a complex weave, like Chintz, my perennial favourite,” she admits. It is so special that it can never be copied! In this computer world, she says no one has the patience for crafts, to understand its nuances, sit and learn. “I am a painter but I don’t know the vegetable dyes used to make paintings—I am just a catalyst, artisans are the showstoppers,” she says. Rinku aka Sharmila Tagore whom Ritu knows since her Calcutta days wore the Begum of Bhopal’s joda, for her wedding to Pataudi wanted Kareena to do the same. Ritu took on the task, 5 months, contacting Mughal emperor Wajid Ali Shah’s old karigars, from Metiabruz (Calcutta) to repair the 300-year-old gold sequins one by one, and get the gold zari woven again that had got torn off. “It was worth the time, and dedication,” she signs off.
Kadwa Banarasi to Alessandra Ambrosio
Crafts have a beautiful narrative—thus, Manish Malhotra can straddle two worlds effortlessly-the glam of Victoria’s Secret, Bebo as Poo, to the craft-soaked Phulkari. By Asmitaa Aggaarwal There is no doubt that Bollywood loves Manish Malhotra and maybe the sentiment is returned in full fervour –so after five years when he returned to India Couture Week 2025, he decided to change the format and not do a typical sit-down show with models in heavily embellished lehengas. A golden sequinned eagle stood watching us all in the corner, with a delicious spread in the middle, free seating, live music, and a studded galaxy of his A list star friends. The surprise was Victoria’s Secret Brazilian model Alessandra Ambrosio, in a pearl-embellished lehenga, as Tamanna and Fatima Sana Sheikh were in attendance, but the installations that caught everyone’s eye or should have were his experiments with Phulkari-titled “Living legend in thread”. “I love this embroidery from Punjab. It is also rooted by my culture, I’ve seen so many in my family wearing this, it is special to me, passed down to the next generation as an heirloom,” says Manish. Bollywood had become an intrinsic part of mainstream fashion with the takeover of the visual media, case in point Insta. Gen Z identifies with the DDLJ movie which is considered iconic for more reasons than one. In 1995, emerald green was not a colour that was acceptable for top actresses who were swathed in pinks and flaming red chiffons, but Manish took the leap of faith, added zari and pleats, and got Kajol, a.k.a Simran to dance, making generations fall in love with this romantic story by Aditya Chopra. He admits “Mehndi laga ke rakhana” still rings true in many weddings even now. And no one can forget Kareena Kapoor irreverence in “Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham” as “Poo”, or her moves in “Bole choodiyan” year 2000, where cropped asymmetrical blouse with sharara can still be pulled off in circa 2025. Though crafts play a huge role in the DNA of Indian fashion—the Kadwa Banarasi sari that Aishwarya Rai wore to Cannes many moons ago, woven by artisans in Varanasi took almost six months to make, truly celebrates India in its spirit. “Each motif is woven separately, intricate detailing, skilled artisans can only execute this, no loose ends at the back, these are heirloom pieces. For me Ash would be a perfect muse for this—as she embodies ageless style,” he concludes.
Akshay likes ruffled feathers
Bollywood superstar, avalanche of sequins, jazz crooner think Nat Cole King, crystal bustiers, Falguni-Shane Peacock made sure, everything glittered at ICW 2025. But you can wear your boyfriend’s denims with a pussy bow blouse and sequinned tunic they informed us! By Asmitaa Aggarwaal Remember a sitar maestro sitting in a lotus last year with the delicious Vicky Kaushal giving us increased heart beats? That’s Falguni and Shane Peacock, this time too for ICW 2025, the imposing set, looked straight out of a garden in Italy, with two giant white peacocks (befitting) in the middle. And of course, in this heady mix was Akshay ‘Khiladi’ Kumar, in dark glasses and all the right moves, thankfully he did not pull off a gravity defying stunt, but did bend down on his knees, giving us a taste of his usual irreverent fun! He spoke in Hindi, and admitted he is ramp walking after years, almost 12, “mini show but lots of hard work goes on behind it,” exclaimed Akshay. FSP had men with diamond danglers, capes in ink blue were larger-than-life; women flaunting faux feather boas, an avalanche of sequins, it was as if everything was crystallised. They skilfully combined their two loves– sequinned women perched on two stone peacocks, zardosi feathers languidly sprawling on lehengas, if you switch off the lights you can see an FSP outfit from afar. It makes us believe too much shine is never enough, in this invasion of an army of glitter were delicate pearl trimmed veils.The favourite undoubtedly was Archana Akhil Kumar in high waisted boyfriend jeans worn with a fully sequinned tunic and white pussy bow blouse which will soon become everyone’s go it-multiplicity of use. In FSP style, the glowing brooch clinched the tunic as models wore multiple mogra braids, the smell wafting through the Taj Palace Hall. “The way FSP presents themselves is purely international, but it’s made in India. I hope I get another chance to do this again, as I feel royal in my white sherwani,” Akshay added. Shane, with hints of blue in his beard, told us he had investigated so many minute details, but the show stopper was the most important one. Live music always has its advantages—and fashion show veteran singer Vasundhara Vee with a booming voice took charge (she has done shows with Ashish Soni, Ravi Bajaj, FDCI, Sabyasachi). Vee crooned jazz as La Vie En Rose (Edith Piaf), Dream a little dream of me (Doris Day), At Last (Etta James), A Thousand Years (Christina Perri), and L-O-V-E (Nat King Cole) made sure the hints of woven saris got a fleeting representation in an otherwise tornado of embellishments. Singing for the last 30 years the Assamese artist, studied at LSR, English (hons), grandchild of Pramathesh Chandra actor, director, and screenwriter of the 50s, who made the original “Devdas”. “Arts were a part of my family, Pratima Barua Pandey an Indian folk singer from the royal family of Gauripur, Western Assam’s Dhubri district, was my grandma. I think I inherited the love for tunes from her,” she smiles. Though when you sing love on tracks there are challenges versus when you are with a band, where you can tune and keep up the flow. “Pace of models changes, so you must make sure you are in tandem. I enjoy how fashion interacts with music, even though I have always been self-conscious, I did enjoy wearing the FSP shrug,” she concludes.
Little birdie told me…
Swans as headdresses, garnets, and pearl wraps instead of cholis and of course the iconic ‘mover and shaker’ Helen on Monica Oh My darling, made Suneet accentuate all his first loves at ICW 2025. By Asmitaa Aggaarwal For many years one has noticed “dancing designers” the one famous for his enviable moves, Rohit Bal dressed in Jodhpurs and a crisp bandhgala has passed onto the next world leaving behind a mammoth legacy, but Suneet Varma is carrying forward that baton at ICW 2025 with his line “Sehr”. Of course, in his inimitable style— on Jaane Jaan dhoondta phir raha with Bebo’s moustached father Randhir Kapoor and bouffant Jaya Bachchan in the 70s hit Jiwani Diwani. Somehow red is taking a backstage in couture making way for white the “it” colour for the season–sometimes no colour is the best colour. Suneet’s ramp is always reflective, of shine, he is never apologetic about it– pristine white lilies, swans and white palms with sparkling lights took a bow. When you are around as long as Suneet, with ocean like experience – legendary Yves Saint Laurent to Judith Leiber, BMW, interiors, you know what works in a market that can’t get enough embellishment. Indians by DNA are celebratory, it is an inherent part of our cultural ethos. His love for old classic Bollywood songs is apparent, little birds were flying on headdresses, complemented with sequined gowns accentuating every curve of the body—visualise black, gold, boas, faux feathers. The dupatta hangs on nimble shoulders, though by its own willpower, it has got thinner, bulk reduced—just like brides don’t want anything that restricts their movement. Remember Samantha Jones in Sex and the City, played by Kim Cattrall with her unwavering loyalty to beaded bustiers, dripping flirtatiousness and bold pink flowers? Suneet kind of had that spirit of exuberance and nonchalance. Interestingly, shararas with zardosi on the notes of Monica… oh my darling took us back to Helen’s winged eyeliner, midnight blue eyeshadow and tiered ruffled dress, Suneet gave it a modern interpretation with gotta-patti style choga kurtas. Pearl wraps instead of cholis, exaggerated sleeves, gold has always had a hold on occasion wear, everyone’s favourite polkis and jadaus were crafted into a blouse, as if you are wearing a necklace around your bosom with pearls dancing on your back. Star daughter Riddhima Kapoor Sahni seemed comfortable on the catwalk, she exclaimed, “18 years ago I made my debut with Suneet, I’m here again now.” She also twirled for us, as Suneet clarified, “I live in my dream world –set, music presentation is part of who I am, obsessed with romantic music. Tried hard to change it to English sonatas but I can’t do it. This feels natural to me. Fashion is all I know how to do. I like to excel but in a non-competitive way. Thus, there is always debate on if this embroidered rose needs more crystals or whether sequins need better placement,” confesses Suneet. This season- isn’t about reds and rani pinks but lilacs, greys, and obsidian blacks, the shararas is the queen of silhouettes now, tighter, flared, Suneet took it a notch up with semi-precious garnets!
Tara Sutaria swathed in gold
Organza-lace saris, to jewel tones, Isha Jajodia’s Roseroom, channels femininity to self-love and frees you from weighty embellishment as her 18 k gold plated corsets tell us heavy metal is in! By Asmitaa Aggarwal It was a set that kept the mood light and frothy—white, lace, dimly lit, as velvety carpets channeled luxe along with silver candle stands gracefully placed. An army of eager cameramen, pouts, sea of kitten heels, Herve Leger style bodycon dresses, off the catwalk (there in), gave competition to the dainty lehengas armed with sporty jackets, capes, gilets, and a whole lot of quiet glitter that Isha Jajodia gave us for ICW 2025. Bonus: there isn’t one way to wear a lehenga, and yes you can add a little drama with lace trails and charming pearls dancing on lehengas. Isha decided to give us doses of time travel, with 20s flapper dresses with swinging beads, flaming reds, draped skirts moved around lithe thighs of Archana Akhil Kumar (she’s a timeless beauty), and corsets sat around toned bodies. In this subtle mix was Bollywood beauty Tara Sutaria preening, looking delicious in a gold corset. “I love lace and white, corsets are very flattering, they make me feel feminine and elegant,” said the actress. This one took five months to make, and declared that a modern bride is very cool, ready to break norms. Your dreams of being swathed in 18 karat gold plating has come true! Corsets, made in Paris, designed by Isha Jajodia, known for her love affair with hand woven lace is giving intrepid women a taste of heavy metal. With changing ideology, couture is adapting—femininity, romance, drapes have become the frontrunner of expression winning over the earlier heaviness of zardozi. “Whispers of love” is Isha’s ode to self-love, the woman she was, to the woman she is becoming, kind of notes to herself. “It is a line born out of love and longing, as I am at a time in my life when I am at ease with everything,” she smiles. For ICW 2025, she confirms things happen, as they are willed, a divine timing unfolds, thus you can see the softness yet strength in the line, as some pieces have no embroidery. With her travels to Paris, Hong Kong, Dubai, she only fell deeper in love with timeless pieces that can be worn as heirlooms. “It has taken us six months to create corsets, gold with ivory pearl embellishments, almost elevating them to a piece of art, speaking intricately,” she explains. Corsets enhance a woman’s curves, you can wear them with almost anything-dhoti pants, palazzos, draped skirts, lehengas to traditional saris. A vacation picture taken ten years ago, of an intricate door carving found its way on to the corset, in Paris that she revisited; even though she fails to recall the decadent palace, the memory of it stays alive. Organza silks and chiffons, can express the story of pastels and jewel tones, but Isha says clothing needs to be ageless. She has an advantage—her son is 19, to her husband’s children in their late 30s, her friends in their 40s give her enough exposure to varied tastes. “Comfort even in occasion wear is primary, you can wear a skirt not a lehenga later with a tuxedo jacket. Now there is multiplicity of use,” she explains. Her gowns with bustles, extensive use of boning on skirts, head veils complete the look for a chic modern bride. “I design for a bride who is self-assured, doesn’t shy away from expressing what she feels,” she adds. With the influx of Instagram, its far and wide reach, brings with it the definitive celeb angle, even though she believes a showstopper is overhyped. She chose someone who is from South Mumbai, not so much in the news, has quiet elegance so it worked well. “Anything an actress wears works, like the ivory and ice blue gown on Jacqueline Fernandes still does well, or the minty hued pre-draped, organza-lace sari with an embroidered bralet, as well as the introduction of red-hot pink this year,” she affirms. The digital invasion gets at least 30 to 40% business, especially from social media, even if there are 20 orders a month, it makes good business sense. Though couture needs a more hands-on approach. “Insta has really upped our game, we have orders from different parts of the world, recently one from Bermuda, most unexpected,” she concludes.
I have a child-like curiosity: Rahul Mishra
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 a buzz with Gen Z favourite Jahnvi Kapoor getting out of a Nexa, with paparazzi following her, a group of photographers, an event she handles almost every day bravely, they follow her. The set was rear view mirrors, almost 50 of them lined in the show area, as the yesteryear beauty Parveen Bobbi iconic Raat Baki from Namal Halal played in the background. Cutwork jackets, patchwork denims were interesting, some Issey Miyake style, space suit sleeves, and in this mix was Mithun Chakravarthy iconic moves on “Jimmy Jimmy aa ja” and Sanjay Dutt’s rehearsed steps on “Tamma tamma Loke” as the background score. Rahul Mishra and his quiet but impactful wife Divya, presented their line AFEW, at the LFW X FDCI showcasing for the silver jubilee of India Fashion Week, with exaggerated shoulders, big bold flowers, in sequins of course, pants came covered with net. The eye grabbers were exaggerated waists a bit like Comme des Garçons but his interpretation of Bandhani was engaging, in above the knee dresses with exaggerated shoulders, sleeves and bows. The check coats, his continued love affair with flowers, padding and bulges, appliqued hens on jackets, with golden paws, as well as Matrix style black floor length coats explained his love for the unpredictable. “We discovered Henri Rousseau (French post-impressionist painter) work which is on display in this collection as well as the art of Pichwai, but my belief is when you want to create something new you have things which are old like Bandhani. It is like you are driving a fast car, but you have to keep looking at the rear-view mirror to see what you are leaving behind. Crafts become the idea and you create a new version of it,” he says. He took many cultural references from the Silk Route, the products are deeply rooted in traditional craftsmanship. AFEW used painterly old motifs which were found when the Silk Route started, then thrived. “Silk route was an exchange of art, culture and motifs; it was not just about trade. This collection looks at various ideas whether it is from Japan or the Kutch region,” says Rahul. So you have Tanchoi or what Rousseau has done, but in the collection, there is a simplification of all those ideas, few find their own relevance. “Something which is easy, but beautiful,” he explains, adding, “My mind I feel kind of works way too much in multiple directions. Stargazing late at night using my amazing telescope which is the most scientific portable telescope available. I keep wondering about life and cosmos, I also read the Gita, try to connect wit myself. I observe insects–amazing creatures. My mind is never quiet, I am always thinking, maybe I need meditation. I feel I have more ideas but less time,” he smiles. He admits he is sensitive about his surroundings, especially of news. “It lives rent free in my mind. Divya tells me sometimes thoughtlessness is needed, I am sometimes absent minded also. I’m dreaming and thinking. Thoughts entangle me. Maybe it’s not the best thing, but it is a big fuel for finding new ideas and perspective,” he explains. Fashion is quite personal for Rahul, it is about his fears, experiences, tales, dreams, and it comes as an inspiration, out of an observation. “I share my ideas with the team. The way the human mind works is amazing. I can see the person, who is creating an artwork, how it comes from collective thought and dream into an entire garment. I think trends are the most overused ideas. Humans try to discover patterns in almost everything. If it is constellation and trends are based on human emotions, trends are powerful things, but I don’t care about them. I feel like there can be micro trends. The globe is one–generation on Insta and is savvy with technology. People get influenced very easily with choices,” he confesses. He believes the addiction to social media is so deep, that we are making free choices we feel, but we aren’t. “When you look at today’s world nobody can escape –we are victims to ideas and losing cultural identity as trends are strong,” he adds. The magnificence of his creations for Paris Couture Week, can be seen in the way he has constructed a “Cityscape” ensemble, because how cities are now it’s not about how much time it took, but how big skyscrapers made him feel. “No one can escape trends, it’s impossible. The Crow ensemble is a thought I was living with for a long period of time. It was a trigger point for me. Cityscape, when I look around to see how we have made concrete jungles,” he explains. Crows are scavengers, it became his leitmotif after his father passed away, “you look at everything. You render the bird–it looks realistic and fits into my story telling. These hits and trials take lots of re- improvement–it is not linear, and takes a lot of time. It is an attempt to showcase artistry at its best,” he says. If you look at his Insta page, he tries to add a series of celebrities— from Priyanka Chopra and her daughter’s beautiful moments to singer Shreya Ghoshal whom he “finds amazing. We pay respect to all regions of the world; we fulfil all requests. Whether it is Liza from Thailand for her first performance, Queen Latifa for Grammy, Mindy Kaling, Fan Bing Bing or Poorna Jagannathan. This is not our focus. We are very humbled. All celebs are global — Indian or Chinese,” he adds. Rahul is also a man of collaborations–Tod’s was happening for a long time — it was a right fit. Italian and Indian handmade craftsmanship; it was sold out even after the pricing has gone three times
Luck by Design
Somaiya Kala Vidya, is creating a space for artisans from Gujarat working with Bandhani, Ajrakh, block printing to applique, equipping them with skills that combine—marketability with design prowess-craft is just not art. By Asmita Aggarwal You would never expect a chemical engineer from the acclaimed NIT, Trichy to be working in the development sector, but there is a lot more to Nishit Sangomla than just his degree. He won the SBI Youth for India fellowship which took him to the Barefoot College, Rajasthan, established by visionary Bunker Roy in 1972, hoping to empower rural communities. In “Solar Mama”, how to fabricate solar panels, lights and photovoltaic circuits is taught 110 km from Jaipur, Tilonia village. Nishit began working with them, and it changed his life forever. He had found his true calling many years ago. Though he did notice it was dominated by women, as the men had gone to bigger cities to work in mines, never sent money home, forcing them to fend for themselves. Agriculture was not an option—but the region was loaded with crafts—they worked with leather, made durries, everything was laboriously hand-crafted—a gem waiting to be showcased to the world. “They are skilled, but did not know the technical aspects—marketing to supply chain management. After all, erstwhile kings wore crafts that are now museum pieces, all they needed was design direction,” says Nishit. This gave birth to the design lab they set up, to dig deeper into concepts, educate artisans, the seed of the idea came when Nishit met the legendary Judy Frater, an anthropologist from US, who came to Kutch, Gujarat in the 70s, the rest is history.. Judy, lived 30 years here, with artisans, particularly women embroiderers, studied their traditional crafts, Kala Raksha Trust she set up in 1993, to empower artisans. After the 2001 earthquake, she founded the Kala Raksha Vidhyalaya School in Meghpar, Anjar, Gujarat, the first design school for traditional skilled artisans. Bonus: they are setting up a natural dyeing research lab, which anyone can use. When he met Judy in 2016, she mentored Nishit, in 2019 she wanted to go back home, Nishit took over as the vision was clear. Bandhini, Shibori, Batik, weaving, block printing, patchwork to applique—artisans are taught how to modernise and sell. There were many hurdles he faced —in the one-year program, women artisans’ families were not comfortable to send them to a residency (12 women, 12 men trained every year, number varies). Interestingly, the age is dropping for students, earlier it was above 30, now younger artisans are joining, who had given up this generational skill. There are six modules— they can learn from street markets, retail stores, and exhibitions—colour development to trend forecast, experimenting with motifs, each skilled artisan is taught various verticals to enable him to be market ready. “When we take interesting calls like increasing dips in indigo the results are spectacular—innovation is the game,” he smiles, adding they also added violet to Ajrakh giving it a new spin. At LFW X FDCI Somaiya Kala Vidya showcased Ajrakh by Ziad Khatri, Alaicha (Mashru) by Amruta Vankar, ‘Anatomy’ by Mubbasirah Khatri, ‘Mystery’ by Muskan Khatri, ‘Tradition to modern’ by Shakil Ahmed, the school has now been taken over by Somaiya Trust, which is a prestigious educational institution based out of Maharashtra since 1942. Amrita Somaiya, who owns the school, has a Bachelor’s degree in Economics from Simmons College, Boston, and her husband did Chemical Engineering from Cornell University, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Harvard University. Their family originally belongs to Kutch, Karamshi Jethabhai Somaiya, was an Indian educationist, who founded educational institutes in Maharashtra, was awarded the Padma Bhushan, Samir his son is carrying forward his legacy. “My father-in-law worked relentlessly after the earthquake to build Kutch, then my husband met Judy, as she was looking for opportunities to continue the craft work,” says Amrita. Amrita’s father is an architect, mother an interior designer, she inherited the love for aesthetics from them, crafts has been her mainstay, thus subsidised education for artisans at Somaiya Kala Vidya. “Real craft is handmade, each artisan who showcased had a personal story in the collection, like Shakeel bhai and the beautiful Batiks, it was contemporary, but soaked in craft,” she adds. An avid lover of textiles, from Ajrakh to Bandhini, hand woven is her go to, she spends time in clusters, and from grassroots understands how to bring awareness to the processes. Juhi Lakhwani, business development officer at Somaiya Kala Vidya, joined this year, but her experience is vast—she won the Naropa Fellowship, which took her to Ladakh. She worked with traditional artisans in carpet weaving, realised handicrafts are losing their identity, and wanted to teach them social entrepreneurship. “The products worked well, but Covid hit, we had to pause. The key was teaching them e-commerce, digital merchandising, it worked in their favour,” Juhi says. At Somaiya she helps them market their products, with design intervention—Soof, Rabari embroideries are much loved along with Batik. Somaiya Kal Vidya has opened another school in Karnataka, Bagalkot; they have a store in Prag Mahal in Bhuj. “The reason why Gen Z does not buy craft is the lack of awareness, they have been brainwashed by Westernisation. Artisans have saris and stoles, and silhouettes need to be taught to serenade a younger clientele,” Juhi adds. When you see artisans like Mubbasirah combine traditional Ajrakh blocks with hand painting, or Amruta’s new developments for Mashru, you know they are set to succeed. Alaicha translates to Mashru in Kutchi, it is associated with the Ahir community, each pattern reflects legacy —they have a new palette, in some ways redefined it. Mubassirah is the first female artisan to step into the male dominated Khatri Ajrakh artisans rejigging it with freehand painting! Craft is business now, not just art. “I began learning from my father six years ago after he returned from SKV, I’m the only woman in three generations from Ajrakhpur to take this up,” says Mubbasirah. Ajrakh means “leave it for a while” in Kutchi, it takes
Nikki’s Khadi Resort wear
After 42 years in fashion, perfecting block printing, Nikki Mahajan pays tribute to khadi not through predictable kurtas, but dresses with baroque elements and French prints. By Asmitaa Aggarwal She began almost 42 years ago, in the 80s when she was newly married, at 20, studying in Lady Shri Ram college of Commerce, English literature, had no clue even about the word fashion, she would call herself a “tailor”. But Nikki Mahajan knew when she was taught needle work and smocking in Loreto Convent school, Delhi, she started making clothes and embroidered it herself for her friends’ moms — this would be her calling! Ten years ago, the business dynamic altered, she moved to working with Japan, Middle East and US markets, special collections, about after 42 years in the business. Self-taught, the 62-year-old knows the challenges of running a brand, “In the late 80s, there wasn’t any fashion school, only polytechnics, which were not considered great, but I found my way around,” she says. She used to take her two kids to play tennis in DLTA, Delhi where she saw the exodus of Kashmiri women, in the early 90s, sitting opposite, looking for work, she decided to help, hired them as embroiderers utilizing their skill and providing employment. “Bindiya Judge’s store Signature in Hauz Khas Village, was the first one that sold luxury designer wear, but unlike today’s generation, we had to find our own niche,” she explains. For the FDCI khadi show at the LFW, Nikki has done what she does best-block printing, which even her Japanese clients love (she made a 3000-piece line for Anthropologie too). She found a way to make the uneven blocks as they are hand done into some form of evenness by digitizing it for her buyers abroad who wanted “sameness”. “I digitize the fragments I get while visiting various museums all over the word-Egypt to Uzbekistan, Amsterdam to France, and this line is an amalgamation of all those shared experiences,” she confirms. She takes pics and then makes a collage and starts work on the storyboard. To this she added Baroque elements and French prints, dexterously executed on Khadi, even though she works with mostly cotton and silk, she loved the textiles and unevenness khadi offered. “When you wear linen it crushes easily, khadi doesn’t and that’s its beauty–I discovered and admire its slubbiness,” says Nikki. Fashion is now easier. It has Pinterest, Instagram, the new breed of designers are intrepid, they aren’t insecure, it’s the same masala box, but they are cooking up a storm with it. She is back on the runway after 10 years, but decided not to make the usual kurta with khadi rather went opposite-resort wear, carefree and fluid!
No white collar, it’s silver for Anamika
After almost 25 years, Anamika Khanna is hoping women in lucrative careers want something that is not just suits and blazers –maybe a silver tie, suspenders, daddy briefcase and some pearl encrusted denims from AK-OK! By Asmita Aggarwal India is all over the world, and it isn’t just “in India”, anymore maybe that’s why Anamika Khanna’s AK-OK for working women, is timed right, the market is ready for this, especially as professions are now unconventional. One could see nostalgia—daddy suitcases cleverly revived, splashes of colour, even though monochromes are her thing, denim is now slowly moving to her favourite list. Above all, no one can beat her in texturing—how she combines various techniques—patchwork, applique to mirror work at her show for LFW X FDCI. The ignition of the idea came from Rabari tribe who are movers never static—Gujarat, Rajasthan and have some Afghan influences too, she began researching, and found their silver stacking jewellery was phenomenal. She took those—and modernized it with suspenders, ties, chain loop belts, “you don’t need to wear silver only as a jhumka, if it can be a silver collar too”. She had that too—literally, workwear equals—”silver collar”, also the name of her line—like you have blue collar and white collar. “Let me tell you what I think is my biggest strength—I don’t think of the garment but the woman,” says Anamika, understanding the changing needs of modern women, their intimate relationship with clothing, and how it changes their mood. After 25 years in business, every time she does a line, she wants to incorporate something “forgotten or lost”, last season she also paid tribute to the Bonda tribe from Odisha. “Women bring not just power to the boardroom but also emotions and compassion onto work, I wanted each of the 50 pieces to reflect that,” she adds. If you look closely, the styling, it has a churidar, with a dhoti and collared skirt, each reference was out of India, but how to make it fashion Anamika knows. The show was about 9 to 5, and how workwear rules are being broken, in between this mix she revived her dhoti pants of the year 2000, churidars which she loves, as well as tattered holes and cut outs. “Designing as a profession is challenging, lot of people tell me take it easy, take a break, and while I am talking you, I’m sticking applique on a dress, this is my life, I live for fashion,” she smiles,