LFW Winter/Festive 2016 presented a series of brilliant shows

The just concluded Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2016, one of India’s premier fashion show organized by IMG and Reliance gave a glimpse of trending fashion themes and designer repertoire. As many as 92 designers, including Ritu Kumar, Rajesh Pratap Singh ,Wendell Rodricks, participated and showcased their latest collections. LFW in its 17th year had Tarun Tahiliani opening the gala with his signature style bespoke collections.

Master designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee put forth the grand finale with Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan stealing the show as the show stopper. On the concluding day he showcased a gala a line-up of red carpet clothing, bridal wear as well eastern and western separates which are apt as glamorous evening wear.

Sustainable fashion and Indian Textile Day the highlight

Sustainable fashion and Indian heritage textiles remained the major highlights of the show. ‘Sustainable Fashion and Indian Textile Day’ brought together designers from varied parts of the country presenting traditional weaves with a modern twist for the ‘glocal’ audience.

For the show ‘Made in Assam’, three diverse protagonists of Assamese heritage weaves had come together to showcase myriad appeal of this textile. National award-winning Assamese designer Anuradha Pegu debuted on the ramp at this edition. Collections were presented by Aagor by Ants Craft, an NGO that since 2002 has nurtured about 150 marginalised tribal women weavers of strife torn areas by teaching and providing weaving work, health care so as to afford them the freedom to stay with their families. The Indian Textiles Day initiative also helped create success stories for emerging brands such as Anavila, Paromita Banerjee, Divya Sheth and P.E.L.L.A. These labels address different markets through their artistic interpretations of handloom fashion. The designers were selected on the basis of their core philosophy, processes and techniques s/he adopts towards fabric development. Kolkata-based designer Kallol Datta too showcased a collection at the Sustainable Fashion and Indian Textiles Day.

Master designers put their best foot forward

Keeping it close to reality, for the first time a plus-size show was curated by designer Shilpa Chavan of Little Shilpa in association with plus-size brand, aLL,. Chavan, along with show director Lubna Adams, ran a social media campaign #allplusLFW inviting entries from plus-size people to walk the ramp. Ten people in the age group of 18 to 40 were shortlisted for the show. Chavan styled them along with two models from aLL and a few plus-size social media influencers for the show.

As the LFW gradually unfolded designers like Gaurang, Suhani Pitte, Rajesh Pratap Singh ,Malhotra, Shantanu & Nikhil, Ashish N Soni, Atsu Sekhose and Shivan & Narresh graced presented their shows. Celebrating the tales of Lord Krishna, Radha and the Gopis, Gaurang Shah unveiled ‘Vrindavan’ a fashion collection, inspired by the enchanted garden. Designer duo Shivan & Narresh, known for their swimwear and saris, introduced their men's resort wear range. The duo presented their collection ‘Henri's Affair’. Ace designer Sanjay Garg's label ‘Raw Mango’ showcased his latest look in textiles for the festive season. A riot of colours appeared on the ramp for the saris and ensembles, which glittered with motifs and weaves that thrilled fashion lovers in the audience.

This edition of LFW also was special as Wendell Rodricks said goodbye to the runway and handed over his label to his prodigy Schulen Fernandes. The Guru of Minimalism and the pioneer of resort wear and eco-friendly garments in Indian fashion Rodricks handed his hat to Schulen after two long decades of amazing creative excellence. The shows were interspersed with brilliant, informative discussions on trends, concepts and analysis.