AIFW A/W enthralls with traditional and contemporary designs

The most coveted Amazon India Fashion Week autumn/winter 2017 concluded at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi on Sunday packed with fashion shows and exhibitions. The opening show was by The Handloom School of Women Weave. Supported by home décor brand, Good Earth, the show presented the works of 13 key designers/labels-Akaaro, Antar-Agni, Eka, Good Earth, Neeru Kumar, Nicobar, Pero, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Raw Mango, Rohit Bal, Suket Dhir, Urvashi Kaur & 11:11 Eleven Eleven. Each of them played with textiles woven by the talented students of The Handloom School and interpreted them in a distinctly modern and minimal manner.

Black, white, yellow and grey were the dominant colour themes, with hints of pink, navy blue and cream. The runway was a green garden, interspersed with bunches of flowers and models wove their way around them barefoot. In a unique and welcoming move, the models didn't wear one entire look by a designer, but a combination of different pieces styled together to create a new look. Each designer created 3-4 ensembles that were layered as envisioned by Mumbai based stylist Kshitij Kankaria, who designed the set, choreography, hair and make-up.

Loose and boxy silhouettes added a fresh appeal to textiles, with bandhgalas for women, pleated skirts till the shins, asymmetrical blazers, collared shirts, peplum blouses and saris. Maxi skirts, trousers and dresses in white were a welcome addition to the show, appealing to the laid back trend that is increasingly gaining favour.

Sally Holkar, Founder of Women-Weave and The Handloom School, highlighted that the concept is to create not just traditional but also India-inspired global weaves that will be suitable for garments since most of ours are flat weaves that are suitable for saris. The collection has been in the making for 7 months, and the designers have all done this free of cost – they are donating the garments to the charitable trust.

With love from Jharkhand

From incredible saris designed in lustrous tussar silk to kurtas woven from Kuchai, garments created from some of the best organic fabric of Jharkhand were on glorious display as internationally acclaimed designers showcased their work at the Amazon India Fashion Week. Some of India’s top fashion designers including Reena Dhaka, Shaina NC, Shruti Sancheti, Divya and Ambika Jain showcased their latest fashion collections designed from Jharkhand’s rich fabrics and handloom at the grand fashion show put together by Jharcraft.

Jharcraft (Jharkhand Silk Textile and Handicraft Development Corporation Ltd) conceived the fashion event with an objective to put spotlight on to the exquisite and organic fabrics handcrafted by artisans of the state. Union Minister for Textile Smriti Irani also paid a visit to the Jharcraft pavilion and took a close look at the handloom collection. She also discussed the initiatives being undertaken to help artisans from the state to achieve better market access and improve their livelihood.

The artisans producing the silk are largely poor tribals from Jharkhand state. In its quest to improve sources of livelihood for these artisans, Jharcraft works to promote their work and take it to national and international platforms.

Love for ties

Designer duo Abraham and Thakore broke gendered conventions of clothing and knot in ties to women’s ethnic clothing. Primarily created with Indian textiles made by hand, the collection ‘Back To Work’ showcased presented different separates in pure cotton. The designer duo is of the belief that light separates are actually great for summers as one can easily navigate the dressing option for an air conditioned room versus a non-air conditioned setting. Madder, ivory, indigo and black dominated in terms of the colours.

Madhu Jain, craft revivalist and textile conservationist showcased her specially curated collection by taking the 'Ikat weaving craft' style to another level by showcasing a blend of several cultures that straddles geographies; from Odisha and Andhra Pradesh, to Thailand and Uzbekistan. The collection bears her inimitable stamp of exquisite craftsmanship, striking design intervention, and an outstanding colour palette. Every single textile innovated by Madhu has been woven in India.

Silk satire

Muga silk, the Golden Silk of Assam, made a spectacular entry on the ramp at designer Samant Chauhan’s show. That the golden silk (it has a goldenish hue) could be used to make gowns and jackets forced viewers to look at the silk with a completely new lens. Muga silk is more durable than ordinary silk. It looks a little rough but that same imperfection is its beauty. There are broadly three types of indigenous wild silks from Assam —golden Muga, white Pat and warm Eri silk and each has minor aesthetic variations. All are pretty fine fabrics, might we add. Muga also got a Victorian touch with dramatic necklines. It was also interpreted in the form of gowns. Even though Muga is an expensive silk, it is quite versatile, as was evident from this show.

Accessorising fashion

Designer Anupama Dayal promoted forests of Mangar village in tropical hues using fabrics like Chanderi silk. Accessories made out of ‘gota’ made a statement of their own in silver, golden and bronze. Small elements like pom poms, self-crafted butterfly clips and hangings complimented the layers of skirts, dresses and tunics. Parakeet green, poison ivy, daffodil yellow, shades of indigo, burgundy and raisin and tones of red and pink was the colour palette infused with fuscia that dominates the ramp. Crinkling, a technique unique to Anupama Dayal, fringing and three dimensional motifs were prominent on the ensembles worn by the models.

According to Dayal, in the village no one cuts the trees which are considered sacred. The trees are really old. I like to imagine the weather of the forest. Through this collection, she highlighted that one item can be worn in more than 10 ways.

HUEMN

HUEMN presented an interesting collection that paid tribute to one's individuality, and was heavily influenced by the present socio-economic and political ambience. It also launched their very first line of denim and raincoats.

Hemant and Nandita

The collection was about the two opposite energies making a perfect fit. The stronger silhouettes of long jackets and coats were beautifully paired with dresses in pastel warm hues. The show exhibited the perfect amalgam of power and volume with its voluminous dresses wrapped up in the bold silhouettes of jackets, overcoats and metallics. Fabrics like brocade, taffeta, textured organza, velvet were played with different surface techniques that presented a contemporary take on the vintage motifs.

CODE by Vineet Bahl

The designer proposed a CODE of everyday dressing for modern Indian women through his collection. The outfits were replete with elements of boho-luxe and layering, and the entire collection was designed in organic fabrics including tussar, jute and suede.

Pankaj and Nidhi’s collection amazed everyone with its sharp monochromatic palette of black and white ensembles. Apart from playing with the surface texture, the embellishments, leather appliques and fringes created a dramatic effect.

Perfect launch pad

Indonesian designer Novita Yunus launched her sustainable collection. Her Bhumi Langit (earth and sky) Autumn/Winter 2017 collection is inspired by the idea of balancing the colour palettes of autumn leaves and cold winter sky. The collection has used eco-friendly materials and techniques. At AIFW, the designer showcased her clothing line which majorly incorporated the prints of sun and leaves. The earth and sky colours were expressed in varieties of kaftans, palazzos, traditional embroidered keabayas and other fashion items. Combining ochre, dark chocolate, light brown, olive green for earth tone with dark blue and silver for sky shade.

The designer's fashion line has integrated earth and sky colours that were expressed in varieties of kaftans, palazzos, traditional embroidered keabayas and other fashion items. Further, the collection has also combined various colours such as ochre, dark chocolate, light brown, olive green for earth tone with dark blue and silver for sky shade.

Representation from youth designers

In a first, Pearl Academy showcased the work of more than 350 budding designers from its School of fashion, Styling and Textiles. The collections stood out with their innovative and ingenious ideas and subjects. ‘6 Dots’ – a collection prepared specially for the visually impaired with braille tags, ‘Raunaq’ – a collection made entirely out of katrans collected from neighborhood tailors were some innovative collections which the young, talented designers from Delhi, Jaipur and Mumbai campuses, showcased on the ramp. The School of Fashion and Styling also put up an exhibition of their projects which drew a lot of appreciation owing to their unique themes and issues such as the ecological footprint created by the fashion industry, DIY hand knit toys to create bonding between fathers and kids etc.