Meet Lambani tribe from Tanda
Emblazoned with seashells, mirrors, colorful threadwork khadi gets a cool makeover with tribal women from Sandur’s deft hand work at the FDCI Khadi showcasing. By Asmita Aggarwal The beauty of Khadi is in its enviable properties—summer cool and winter warmth, when you combine empowerment and women artisans in this mix, it becomes a movement of sorts. Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra (SKKK) has tied up with Co-Ek, (Centre of Excellence for Khadi), an initiative by the Ministry of MSME and KVIC, attempting to make Khadi young, cool and fresh. SKKK is working with tribal Lambani women from Tanda of Susheelanagar, a nomadic community, almost 500 artisans, hoping to make them self-reliant. Further the Khadi Commission equipped them with handlooms, Ambar charakas, so this year at LFW they will be showcasing their cotton khadi—hand spun spinning, weaving, and natural dyeing. Villages of Yeswantnagar, Krishnanagar, and Sandur, is using Ambar charkha, with 76 skilled women executing intricate Sandur Lambani embroidery. SKKK has worked to preserve the Lambani craft, won the UNESCO Seal of Excellence for Handicrafts in South Asia and has the Geographical Indication (GI) tag for “Sandur Lambani hand embroidery”. The inspiration has been nifty checks at Victoria and Albert Museum; here is the twist rather than uniformity they added surprises in the warp and weft. This was executed by the Devanga weaving community, artisans with 40-year experience who previously worked with the Karnataka Khadi Gramodyoga Samyukta Sangha, Hubballi, the only BIS-certified national flagmaker. “We have worked with Bijli embroidery, ‘lightning’ work, reflective, has a sparkling effect. It is space dyeing, with a chambray effect, looks complicated, but is simple,” says Nargis Zaidi, head, Apparels at the Centre of Excellence for Khadi. The Khadi unit currently employs around 98 weavers, but most clusters are set in their ways, hesitant to experiment, adds Nargis. The Lambanis use vivacious hues, red to indigos, but Co-Ek has toned them down, offering classic shapes, kedia tops, reversible jackets. “There is an increased awareness amongst youngsters about hand-made, hand embroidered, it is like a limited edition sneaker for them in some ways,” adds Nargis. Shruthi Muniyappa from Sandur Kushala Kala Kendra, says, “2023 a Guinness World Record was set at Hampi for the largest display of Lambani items. Artisans are skilled at block printing, and khadi production, our attempt is to make women breadwinners.” The patch work embroidery, mirrors and white metal jewellery along with seashells, intermingled with coloured threads makes each piece unique, as it carries 500 years of legacy, when they moved from Rajasthan to South India for trading, in Karnataka- 16th century!
Anamika to support 101 artisans
She is a tour de force in fashion, most sought after but she is wanting to give back generously, by making artisans from various clusters in Gond and Pichwai self-reliant, that’s her mission for the next three years. By Asmita Aggarwal Anamika Khanna has been a trooper of sorts ever since she won the Damania Award in 1995, her journey has been interesting in more ways than one. “I didn’t know then what was even one meter of cloth,” she laughs. Today she is Sonam and sister Rhea Kapoor’s go to! So, when she went as a newcomer to London Fashion Week, “putting yourself as a new label AK-OK was a challenge, we got an overwhelming response”, says the Kolkata-based guru of meaningful details. Though she was impressed by the working style, professionalism in London, it was simply “humbling”. At AK-OK, which she is showing at LFW X FDCI is for her “what we dream we do, hoping to offer global pret, this product has the wherewithal to become that”. Couture is hand crafted, we can’t compromise, completely hand done, nothing digital, even the jewellery perspective is Western with an Indian soul, wear it in New York or Dibrugarh. “We mix ancient temple motifs, with contemporary acrylic, 3-D printing, and two dynamic materials. I’m having a lot of fun with AK-OK (began when she was unwell, her twins would ask her AK- are you ok?), it is limitless, feel like a child in a candy store,” giggles Khanna. Though the designer now wants to give back, her new project is making women artisans 101 (she doesn’t know how she got that number in her mind) financially independent-craft clusters over the next three years. “Let’s say the Gond or Pichwai artisans, the idea is to spotlight them, as I use their craft in my bridal wear, hoping it brings awareness to the clusters and make women self-reliant. This will be a recurring initiative not a one-time passion but will continue,” says Anamika. Her fame has crossed borders, European Commission President Ursula Von der Leye wore her fitted bandhgala satin silk self-on-self, handmade embroidered on Jan 26, this year. “I knew she would like something like that, seeing her crisp no nonsense suits,” says Anamika. Her more recent love has been double ikkat Patola, sometimes she uses it as a traditional sari, other times as a base to enhance different experiments, mixing it with lace and Banarasi. Patola is sourced from Swadesh (Reliance Foundation to support master artisans like Kanubhai Salvi and Hema Patel, GI-certified handwoven in Patan, Gujarat, almost 750 years old). Though her one desire remains unfulfilled– to dress the iconic actress Rekha, her beauty frozen in time, “she would look ethereal in our organza sari, wouldn’t like to alter her look, or personality,” says Anamika. Dressing Rashmika Mandanna, from Coorg, in a rust-orange silk saree with a bold red border inspired by “Deccan Temple” embroidery in antique gold for her D day with Vijay Deverakonda. “We had to tone down the brief, or it would look like a costume, not too ethnic India,” she clarifies. It took two months to create, several months for R and D, as “research couldn’t be random”. She explains how concepts varied from shikar; they indulge in down South motifs for Vijay as well as South temple structures for the veil for Rashmika. Her two boys have made a place for themselves outside the shadow of their mom—Viraj the shy twin is an artist, Vishesh, has a master’s degree in design from Central Saint Martins. “He is in touch with Gen Z, I don’t know them, this is a big advantage, so I listen. He is the one who sent me sketches for menswear and I really respect his opinion. We three are good for each other,” she says. Her LFW line is an homage to flowers she loves, like Coco Chanel, her obsession with camellias, plus she is looking at an alternative to fur, vegan and sustainable. “We have explored knits, versatility is the key here, Japanese fabric was added for the first time, denim was cut and slashed last time, this year we have taken a detour. I work with my instinct to design for women, knowing what they want,” she signs off.
Kala Cotton adds character
Sohaya Mishra is a 90s girl, she has seen the transformation from Doordarshan to AI, with Chola, she attempts to offer kala cotton with detachable Victorian collars. By Asmita Aggarwal Goa-based Sohaya Mishra is closely related to Nepalese actress Manisha Koirala, the doe eyed wonder who wowed us all in “Ek ladki ko dekha” by Vidhu Vinod Chopra in 1942-A love Story. Mishra is not new to this crazy world of fashion—she started a stylist in Channel V, after a master’s in psychology dressing VJs who were style icons. Yudhishthir VJ to Pia Rai Chowdhary, Ranveer Shorey. “The fun in all this was no internet, only using your wits and vision, trusting your judgment and instinct. It was generally my ideas, worked closely with tailors, remember this was the 90s no Pinterest or chat GPT,” she laughs. When she made VJ Anushka Manchanda wear a big, pink quilted jacket, paired with pants shouting with 100 buckles that moved up and down as she moved, she knew she had broken the template. “I’m petite, I would stand on a stool to dress Gaurav Kapoor, VJs really defined fashion, music and style are soulmates,” says Sohaya. She tried her hand at Bollywood styling but felt it was too chaotic, she attributes it to her being too young and inexperienced, and couldn’t grapple with Hindi movie world complexities. “The 90s was analogue now it’s Doordarshan to AI, completely digital, impersonal and somewhat scary, deep fakes are fearsome- what’s real and concocted, line is blurring,” she admits. Her label Chola, which goes by her pet name, in its 11th year, channels the ideology — edgy, not boring, not trendy but comfy, well made, breathable, oversized. “Initially things were simple, I have a 6-year-old son, I wanted the slow life and Goa offers that. I didn’t want him to be around an iPad, but beaches, sunshine and sports,” she laughs, adding “who knows next there may be interstellar travel?” Earlier, Sohaya was consumed by deconstruction, now it’s frilly and feminine, sharp and tailored sometimes, reflecting how she changed as a person. “This year at LFW X FDCI I wanted to pay homage to monochrome, not thinking of colour. I like waking up to fields, calmness of the ocean inspires me,” she adds. Quilting is her favourite along with fabric manipulation, along with kala cotton, Jamdanis to Chanderis offer character in clothing -backless shirts, Victorian removable collars, detachable drama, pedal pushers. “My clothes are unisex, why can’t men wear skirts?” she concludes, adding, “I make clothes I wear, no embroidery or embellishment, just pure fun.”
Veshti with a tuxedo-Anyone?
The veshti has found unadulterated love—now it can be worn with silk kurtas, bandhgala et al, Vivek Karunakaran shows us at FDCI Boys Club show at LFW! By Asmita Aggarwal Veshti is in and how! This culturally rooted piece of attire has found a new life with Gen Z adopting it, Vivek Karunakaran believes he has been a catalyst of sorts. “Whether it is lungi, dhoti or veshti, it has been reimagined, North Indian wear it uniquely, down South, or Sri Lanka has its own versions in sarongs. This rectangular piece of fabric is now a red-carpet staple too,” he adds. Vivek is a designer who celebrates his heritage and the Chendamangalam sari, hand woven cotton sari from Ernakulam, Kerala with its puliyilakara (tamarind leaf border), a thin black line that runs with sari’s selvedge, extra-weft chuttikara and stripes-checks of varying width. Vivek works with many such woven wonders in fact reveals that Ram Raj, a South Indian brand has been promoting Veshtis, extremely popular, in Bollywood, Kollywood and even Mollywood. Abhishek and Amitabh Bachchan wear lungis which has again brought the spotlight on it. In Chennai Veshtis are worn in silk, Kerala in fine muslin (Mund), border is in zari (kasavu). “In Chennai it is in Kanjeevaram, tissue, silk and thin pinstripes. We have checkered ones with zari inserts. In fact, in Kolkata we did a pop up, veshti we teamed up with a tuxedo, did very well,” he smiles. This drape evokes a sense of nostalgia, there is an emotion associated with it, veshti also comes with co-ords or a silk kurta, or shirt, a bandhgala and a kamarband, sounds crazy but it’s beautiful, he chuckles. “If you notice how Rashmika Mandana and Vijay Devakonda wore their heritage–veshti, gold and temple motifs, elegant yet luxe,” he adds. The 40-50 age group has it in their wardrobe, but Gen Z maybe needs to go for the stitched ones, like the pre-stitched sari. “Hyderabad is really the Delhi of the South, less is more doesn’t work here, they have a strong visual aesthetic: love zari plus texturing. Having said that South Indian bling comes with an in-built grace, Delhi’s a bit loud,” he laughs. His latest line for Lakme Fashion Week X FDCI “Thangam”, or “gold”, channels the feeling that he is the cultural ambassador of the South. “My grandma saved something in gold for my mom, it is vintage, she told my mom to pass it on to me. Gold is not jewellery, it represents permanence, reminds you of precious moments,” he says. His love for Tamil script has only grown over the years, it is one of the oldest in the world, starting with his line “Idam”, wearing it on your sleeve, literally and metaphorically. “When you see Tamil script on the back of a bomber or jacket, it makes you curious, conversation starter, everything has a deeper meaning,” he adds. Fascinated by “Thirukurral”, by 18th century Tamil poet Thiruvalluvar, his 1339 passages on how we should live our lives spoke to Vivek. His jackets come with words of wisdom “There is a space to grow with humility” or “Choose your work carefully as it’s going to be the biggest passion of your life”. Though his ingenious innovation on Madras checks is engaging, he created hand blocks and converted them to checks, printed them, even though many American brands have used it as “exotic India” trope; traditionally they are used on cotton lungis. “This draped fabric is frankly unisex, if you notice carefully, it has the jasmine placement embroidery on the elbow reminding you of the time when you go a temple and the flower seller outside measures the garland for the Gods inside, by elongating it till his elbow, and then cutting it. It is not a logo on the chest, it is a story we are narrating,” he explains. For women his veshtis came in silk with applique and translucent borders. “We dressed a bride in Sri Lanka with a red organza veshti and jasmine embroidery,” he concludes.
Pondicherry, French, silk velvet printing
Craft-soaked Bandhini to experiments with Chikankari, Naushad Ali adds a European influence to Indian textiles serenading a global buyer. By Asmita Aggarwal His father is a textile merchant, based in Pondicherry, so Naushad Ali grew up surrounded by fabrics from Bengal to Orissa, he would sit on the bundle and watch TV as a young boy. His interest grew to study fine arts, and cleared NIFT Chennai, where he studied textile design. “Auroville had a huge influence on me—specially its multi-cultural approach. The predominant French influence, people from different nationalities co-existing teaches you how the world has no boundaries. When I began my brand, I knew it had to be global,” he adds. He believes there is a lot of misconception around textiles, it is only restricted to Indian wear, but you can channel French elegance with a kurta. “A lot of my friends shut down businesses in Covid, it is an interesting and challenging time, every day I see new brands on Insta, who will survive only time will tell,” says Naushad. Celebrating ten years of his brand, the NEXA spotlight winner, believes his USP is showcasing textiles in a refreshing way, just like the poster on his office wall, “Why should sustainability be boring?” He keeps researching, when he takes up a craft, admits, “when you buy from us, you know its depth, like our Chikankari, we have introduced it with a stronger identity, used in a contemporary way. Just like Bandini and indigo, two of our signatures with a distinct European influence,” he explains. The play is in the motifs rather than the conventional paisley; it is more global in its appeal and demeanour. “We live in one world due to Insta, but I maintain the dignity of the technique I work with, though the result is a cocktail with my interesting ingredients. I fear monotony, each piece must not be repetitive,” he says. His experiments with silk velvet printing, maintaining the consistency of the ink, became his bestseller. “I am a Tamilian, grew up in the South, if you observe Indian women, while shopping at Nalli, they know their saris, quality of gold, and are aware of what they are paying for. Same with Bengal, women value crafts, and culture. After all, fashion is a desirable product, it must 100 pc look good,” he explains. LFW X FDCI 2025 he is focusing on yarn dyed indigo, denims hand woven in Bengal, South Indian checks from Madurai, without abandoning his USP Jamdani. “Now I see a uniformity in dressing, everyone looks the same, but a white shirt can look different depending on the personality of the wearer, and most importantly region-South to North,” he confesses, adding people used to dress for themselves in the past, now that spirit is lost somewhere with social media onslaught. Interestingly, he talks of the rising culture of thrifting, like the jacket he made for his Pondichéry based French client Vincent. His son wore it 10 year later and sent him a picture, the key is trendless clothing, it may lie in your cupboard, but is never obsolete. “We wanted to open with contemporary freestyle dance to establish a connection with the clothing, channeling the spirit of exchange of garments act on the ramp. We all love dressing each other, there is joy in it,” he explains about his presentation. Does one need money to survive in fashion? He has an engaging hypothesis—you can be privileged to inherit dad’s burgeoning business, but have zero design sensibility. “Creativity and commerce must co-exist,” he reiterates, adding, “I like to address the feminine side in menswear, embroidered silk shirts, gender fluid, simple tailoring, spotlight on fits. The future is responsible fashion, that withstands the test of time,” he concludes.
Who needs a showstopper? asks Ankur
Converting waste into textural garments with a strong sense of identity, Ankur Verma of Til tells us, 3 months to craft one cape, several artisans create magic with just the power of discarded fabrics. By Asmita Aggarwal If experience counts for anything in life, Ankur Verma of Til would be the flagbearer. From Bottega Veneta to Armani, Sabyasachi Mukherjee to Varun Bahl, Ankur Verma has been there! Sometimes a “pause” in life helps you rethink, and re-access, thus his line “Breathe”, though he is gearing up for the Fashion Trust Arabia, representing India in Doha. “Til” the moniker for his label, or body textures— wrinkles, freckles has been his muse, though vibrancy is in his DNA, this time he channeled a softer palette—ivory, blacks, beige, combined this with patchwork, upcycling and created something new from something old. If you look closely, there are artistic traits in him that he employs to make things other than fashion—like the Doll house, completely made from waste—including cushions to sofas, furniture. It started as an idea for his six-year-old daughter, ignited the desire to take it forward by making dolls, charms, jewellery, even brooches. Intermingling organza and sheer, an easy line, with textural layering, experimental and innovative. This is despite the fact he admits “capital backing is not strong for young designers, this kind of work needs a lot of investment. It is entirely done by hand, one installation took three months to craft as it is laborious. “We used zardosi technique and the most expensive item I have in my collection is almost Rs 125000, a fully worked on jacket. Believe me when we started it was tough to sell something completely done by hand for Rs 22,000! Now there is a sea change in customer understanding,” he admits. From the pintuck kurta he wore, to creating garments entirely out of waste, it is free size, like the cape shawl. You can throw it on anything—jackets, sari, and even roomy pants. Nexa is celebrating its tenth anniversary, and they have selected three past winners Naushad Ali, Ankur Verma and SWGT. “Fashion is not just about lehenga-cholis, this doesn’t represent our culture. Look at how streetwear is burgeoning, hoodies to track suits, who would have thought this would ever happen?” he asks. People in India go after tags, “Made in Italy”, “Made in France”, what about Made in India? Isn’t there pride in this? he questions. “I’m old school, I do not browse through shows sitting on my couch. I believe in personal touch, you cannot see detailing online, even if you zoom in. I do not want to spend on photoshoots to serenade my buyers,” he says. Men, he believes are experimental, most of his women’s wear is being adopted by men, a corporate honcho inquired if Ankur could add collars on a woman’s jacket so that he could wear it! “My Afghani hoodie kurta is unisex, much loved,” he adds. One of the few who believes celeb showstoppers add nothing to the show, that’s why he convinced his 72-year-old father to walk the ramp again, both age inclusive and breaking boundaries of the “ideal face”.
Then and now with Ashish Soni
From trying to market the crisp, white tailored shirt in the 90s, to working with revered stylists like Deep Kailey, to now an entire collection with just black, Ashish is going back to his roots. By Asmita Aggarwal It was the year 2000, when India Fashion Week began at the Taj Palace hotel, IMG used to manage it, Ashish Soni was one of the few who was part of that exclusive community. This was 25 years ago, today tastes have been sharply refined, understanding is better. He may not remember his first collection’s name but he does recall he used denims, felt, and was told to follow the international calendar which works a season ahead. “There were only a handful of us, we had done trade shows, that’s all. Our exposure to fashion was going to Khan Market and buying American Vogue, as there was no real time coverage or social media chaos,” he adds, saying he could never make Indian clothes. The struggle was teaching the Indian audience that a crisp white shirt for Rs 5,000 can also be luxury, you do not need to wait eight days for an embroidered sari. “Newspapers and fashion weeks were instrumental in fueling growth,” he admits. Pushing the shirt, he added button hole details, cutting armholes innovatively unlike ready-made shirts, it was more of educating customers back in early 2000. His most memorable show was “Sounds of Silence” in 2004, he credits FDCI for the success, it put him on the path to fame, got invited to London and New York fashion week post that. “It changed my life, using Indian fabrics I crafted a global language. Borrowed from Kutch, Gujarat, a tribal blouse, he developed a woman’s jacket,” he remembers, and it sold almost 1,500 pieces becoming a bestseller. Learning from the most distinguished stylists Deep Kailey, who in 2008 was directing covers for Harper’s Bazaar and Vogue was an eye opener. His sales agent was Florence Duchamp who launched Comme Des Garcon and introduced Rei Kawakubo, “she told me the Indian wooden hand made button is too polished, stitch it on the wrong side; such detailing really opened my metaphoric third eye,” he admits. Just when he was planning to settle in the US the markets crashed, but he did live in London for two years managing a South African brand Vanessa G. He then decided the focus had to be India, and till today Ashish has archived all his key pieces effectively. He has a women’s vest framed, his first foray working with fake crystals (Swarovski hadn’t come in) and mesh that sold enormously well. This year with RRelan, he showed his finest—sculpted tailoring, pattern cutting, using sustainable man-made fabrics, wool blends, polyester viscose to poly linens that do not crush. The cool-tex he has worked with is super light, loosely woven crepes, super fine shirting, textured knits creating women’s jackets and pants. “We have done Indian embroidery using belt hooks recycled that came in the wrong size, vendor refused to take it back, so we embroidered them. A sculpted bandhgala and a sheer skirt, sheer kurta with a sculpted sherwani that’s what I feel works well,” he explains, this along with his quintessential tuxedos for women a la YSL style. “The spirit is very Diane Keaton, I know as a designer I must make myself relevant, so I went back to my roots. In the 90s when everything was maximalist I decided to stick to minimalism. Less for me is always more,” he says, adding, “This year the show was entirely black but 30 variations of it, adding both texture and character.”
Life comes a ‘Crcle’
From Veganwool to banana leather, CDC finalist Varshne B is crafting a unique trek to not “save the planet” but give cool alternatives and watch out for her stainless steel bags. By Asmita Aggarwal Varshne B founded Crcle in 2024, born and raised in Chennai, after studying fashion design from NIFT, Chennai, she works with . She admits she loved two things—drawing and dressing up. Though growing up with no internet, only newspapers and few fashion magazines, she knew one day, she will close the proverbial “loop”, thus the moniker Crcle. “In college, I was alarmed at the waste fashion produces, I knew I wanted to do something in this field. Paulo Coelho quote rang in my ears— ‘Planet doesn’t need saving, we do’. It resonated with me and I decided to study design. For me ‘save the planet’ is a sign of human arrogance, we need to look within,” she explains. She began with weganool, 100 p c sustainable, zero-waste woven satin fabric, plant-based and a chemical-free, cruelty-free wool alternative from the Calotropis plant. She also works with banana leather. “Both are innovative and environmentally friendly materials, the latter is extracted from the banana plant, made from the stems and pseudo stems of the banana,” she adds. Way better than traditional animal and synthetic leather, though she also works with indigenous crafts like khadi, hand woven denims, and kala cotton. “We collect discarded materials from factories,” she adds. Like Balenciaga, she also has her version of the stainless-steel bag, refashioned from scraps and leather offcuts, sourced from metal units and leather factories in Chennai. She combines this with crochet, natural dyeing, and embroidery, “I like working with material innovations, converting leather belts into coasters, making a new version of lifestyle products,” she explains, adding, “we create unisex products, using natural dyes.” Mats are hand woven in Tamil Nadu, crochet from women’s groups, plus recycling waste through India Waste Group, where they collect studio waste, discarded pieces, and make something new with it. “Circular Design Challenge has given me this opportunity and I hope I can spread the message that we need to consume consciously,” she concludes.
From Fatehpur to Europe: Radhesh
Imagine a shawl as soft as silk, but made from butchery waste, creating both livelihood for tribal women and circularity. From winning patents for his technology, to making wood free paper, Radhesh is a maverick hoping to create a new landscape of style, as a CDC finalist. By Asmita Aggarwal He has won a patent for his revolutionary technology where waste fowl feathers are sanitised and recycled into fibre, using natural ingredients. Radhesh Agrahari started Golden Feathers, his company with 20 women in 2019, today he has 1200 tribal women earning and running their homes. The chicken feathers are light, feels like silk. Growing up in Fatehpur, with zero exposure to fashion, dad was a government officer, he decided to go to NIFT Mohali, then won a gold medal at the Indian Institute of Craft and Design. “I realised there are many more professions than just doctors and engineers,” he laughs. “I come from a small town known for Bawani Nimli, 52 people were hanged by Britishers in 1858. On one side we have Ganga on the other Yamuna, nothing amazing. We lived a simple life, back then, like a tier 2/3 city,” says Radhesh. His work with Tribes India, as a purchase officer, for nine years exposed him to various craft villages, travelling to Baran, Asnawar, no roads, brick lanes where he discovered the most stunning hand work. “We had to buy artisanal products for 160 showrooms all over India, the exposure was enormous. I worked with the Bheel and Garasia tribe, who were traditionally tendu leaf pluckers, exploited by middlemen, earning Rs 80 per day. They started working with us and at home earned much more, creating a value chain system. The idea is not to make money but offer something sustainable to them,” he adds. Today Google and Morgan-Chase are his clients with 70 per cent exports and 30 per cent sales in India (Rs 6,000 for a stole), creating the best alternative to synthetic fibres. He has seen the power in looms, they can weave only 56 metres, but in handlooms women can go up to 60 metres. “I got my break on Shark Tank, we were offered Rs 700 crore for our patent, we never took it. We followed the Lajjat papad model, where raw material is given, and you can make things at home; at G 20 we won the top 8 startups award,” he says, adding machines must be semi-automatic, but tribal women must be involved. His tagline is “where style meets sustainability.” His next big project is wood free paper, and goal is to provide education, livelihood, and circularity to the marginalised. “Food waste like fowl feathers is the third most dangerous thing in the world, feathers create toxicity, and especially when it gets mixed in water. We process it in 27 steps laboriously and craft ultra fine stoles, shawls, mufflers, and can last up to minus 20 degrees. Only his company has a patent for fowl feathers. We have revived Indian crafts, wet spinning, and of course butchery waste which no one was using, lowering carbon emissions. We set up units in Pune, Rajasthan, and Jhalawar,” he adds. The feather-silk is crafted into fabric, keeps you warm in winters and cool in summers, and does not need to be dyed, as it is naturally off white in colour. “My target is not just India, it is the cold countries where winter is almost 8 months long, and they long for natural fibres. We are exporting to almost 11 countries in the world as well as Europe,” he admits. His journey started with showcasing in Dilli Haat and Dastakar, he made almost 386 products including hand made paper, but still faces several challenges like not allowing pickup of waste feathers, even though it emanates sulphur and methane gases which are extremely harmful for the environment and human beings, he concludes.
Meet next supermodels –Sky and Ava
Nainika and Gauri’s daughters, give the catwalk some serious twirls, while Satya Paul announces Bollywood dreamboat Aditi Rao Hydari as their creative collaborator. By Asmita Aggarwal What happens when you have a live DJ, some moon, stars, and sun, mingling with the philosophy of “Papa don’t preach”. Well Shubhika knows young women, like quirky pink lehengas, she also believes dressing need not be about zardozi or kantha, but irreverent bags that come with pearl handles and sun shaped minaudieres. LFW X FDCI shows saw an influx of small dreamboats-including Nayanika’s daughter, as their tie up with Mothercare was surprising. Associated with red carpet, extravagant dressing, Priyanka Chopra in their backless neoprene number, it was a sea change from black gowns paraded with veils, and five-year-olds, in their floral full skirts beginning the show. Balloon and classic Balenciaga style envelope dresses, their signature big bows, polka dots, bunched up skirts channelled the spirit of the swinging 70s. Volume was their thing with tiered dresses in pleasing monochromes, European corsetry, a bit like what Scarlett O’hara wore in “Gone with the Wind”. Exaggerated and pixelated flowers on charcoal gowns, ruffled, and tiered, they decided to get Ava (Gauri) and Sky (Nainika) their daughters’ debut on runway. “We wanted to make clothes that sell—be glam, and introduce Princess dresses for girls (range for 3 to 6 years, some velvet suits for boys as well as bow ties). There is a book we used to read to our daughters–Kate and the Spanish Princess by James Mayhew, the whole show was inspired by this,” says Nainika. If you saw the Panniers or side hoops that they included it takes you back to the 17th and 18th centuries, a technique used to extend the width of the skirts. “Sky my daughter used to love the book, how the main character becomes part of a painting and gets to dress like a princess. We never made clothes for our daughters, though they saw us work all these 20 years. This was one opportunity to do so with Mothercare, it is a year-long collaboration, we have done 30 styles,” she adds. They used Mikado silk, tulle, printed luxe Duchess satin, using boning, bustle, and crinolines, very Marie Antionette styles. The empire cuts and tulip shapes were exaggerated, high lows used, in pure silk and chiffons, they abandoned polyester. “The prints were dark and moody, like an Albert Fernand-Renault painting or a Caravaggio, like an oil on canvas, with big roses,” she adds, admitting they didn’t name the collection, feeling it should be interpreted by the viewer in his own way. Satya Paul is undoubtedly a legacy brand, which understood that an Indian woman no matter how many gowns she wears, or aspires to buy will always wear saris. Almost 70 percent of our population thrives on it. Puneet Nanda and his father Satya Paul started this amazing journey in the 90s, with Genesis Luxury and till today their prints have been their showstoppers. David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore, creative directors of the brand, began with parrot green shoes, draped cowl saris, with bold flowers. And, of course hints of shimmer as their contrasts were engaging —deep blues worn with black and white stripes. From graphic to abstract prints saris worn as neck scarves, not pallas, one shoulder gowns in baby pinks, accompanied by long coats, sometimes knotted at the waist, they got circles, and dots printed as waists were cinched with leather belts. What is new is Bollywood beauty from Hyderabad, Aditi Rao Hydari, as their creative collaborator. “I am so excited, in fact thrilled to be a part of this. It is great to think creatively, play with fabrics, constantly come up with ideas, it is part of my DNA, part of who I am. Satya Paul is for women who own their femininity, it celebrates authenticity. It is a brand that is evolving like women do. I’m dreaming many, many dreams,” says Hydari.