Source: Vogue
All the collections and collaborations that have us excited
BY PRAACHI RANIWALA
Just as international fashion month comes to a close, India begins its winter-festive season with FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week, that opens tonight. The phygital event — a joint endeavour by Lakmé, FDCI and RISE Worldwide — has an exciting roster of designers and collaborations lined up for the F-Row crew. Vogue brings you a closer look at what to expect.
All the designers to watch out for
From industry veterans to new labels, the schedule is brimming with some of the most exciting names in Indian fashion. Stalwart Tarun Tahiliani will open the week with a digital showcase of his AW’21 line ‘The Reunion’ tonight, followed by a physical show on the Thursday. Gaurav Gupta, on the other hand, will bring down the curtain on the event with a drive-in show. JJ Valaya will return to the LFW runway after a decade, Anamika Khanna will present the latest from her Ak-Ok line, and Satya Paul by Rajesh Pratap Singh will launch a collection made with carbon zero Tencel™ fibres.
The ‘NEXA presents The Spotlight’ show will see a collection by SWGT, inspired by its founder Shweta Gupta’s childhood in the mountains. The FDCI X Pearl Academy ‘Emerging Talent’ show puts the spotlight on The Pot Plant, whose digital showcase will highlight bandhani and shibori in forward-thinking patterns and gender fluid silhouettes. Lifestyle social commerce platform, Trell, that is the event’s official lifestyle partner, will stream Samant Chauhan’s show exclusively on their platform.
The return of physical shows
As the world slowly gets back to its feet, so does fashion week with the return of select physical shows; thus bringing back the buzz to the event. Slated to be held at a new venue — Jio World Convention Centre (JWCC) in Mumbai’s commercial hub Bandra-Kurla Complex — designers whose collections are set to hit the runway include Tarun Tahiliani, AK-OK by Anamika Khanna, Abraham & Thakore, MXS by Monisha Jaising and Shweta Bachchan Nanda, Satya Paul by Rajesh Pratap Singh, Pankaj & Nidhi, Troy Costa and Gaurang.
Jump on the NFT bandwagon
Think fashion is an investment? So does this WazirX NFT Marketplace at FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week. The ‘Indian fashion NFT (Non-Fungible Tokens) revolution’ as they dub it, will include a panel discussion as well as a marketplace for designers. These digital assets which integrate tech innovations with fashion via blockchain technology have already found many takers among international brands. In India, we will see designer Manish Malhotra make this debut with five NFTs exclusively for this platform.
Fashion week’s slam dunk
National Basketball Association (NBA) is turning fashion week into its playing field to celebrate its 75th Anniversary. The league will choose a designer who will be mentored by industry experts to create a capsule collection of athleisure staples called ‘NBA 75’ to be unveiled at the event’s March 2022 edition.
‘See now, buy’ on Ajio Luxe
Did someone say catwalk to closet? FDCI X LFW partners with e-commerce portal Ajio Luxe to ensure that your favourite runway looks from this season are only a click away. Shop Ak-Ok by Anamika Khanna, Abraham & Thakore, Arpita Mehta, JADE by Monica & Karishma, Pankaj & Nidhi, Rina Dhaka, Ranna Gill, Chola and Shruti Sancheti among others in real-time on the luxury online shop.
Sustainability is always on-trend
Encouraging sustainable brands, ethical practices and conscious design has always paramount at Lakmé Fashion Week, for which they made ‘Sustainable Fashion Day’ a permanent fixture on the calendar nine years ago. This season is no different, and this dedicated day will see collections by Eka, Bandit, Gaurang, Abraham & Thakore and Satya Paul by Rajesh Pratap Singh.
Model behaviour
Walking the talk when it comes to the inclusivity conversation, FDCI X LFW has worked with a diverse pool of models, to showcase fashion that is accessible for every shape, size and colour. Watch out for runway regulars like Lakshmi Rana, Sony Kaur, Hemangi Parte and Sanea Sheikh Grewal alongside newer talent.
