Pratishtha Rana
In March 2020, FDCI’s Lotus Makeup India Fashion Week (Autumn-Winter’20) was cancelled due to the COVID pandemic. Now, seven months into the new normal of everything digital, FDCI realigned its strategies and brought the fashion drama back to the consumers with phygital runway shows.
With a great end to last month’s India Couture Week, yesterday the all-new Spring-Summer 2021 edition of Lotus Makeup India Fashion Week (LMIFW) commenced (to go on until October 18).
Here’s a look at all the six collections presented by six brilliant Indian designers on LMIFW DAY 1.
Rajesh Pratap Singh, Fall.ing. 2020
Rajesh Pratap Singh, whose eponymous label has been around since 1997, opened the first day of LMIFW with an immersive film. Through his collection ‘Fall.ing. 2020’, he introduced fresh, bright pastel colours such as yellow, pink, orange and lavender, alongside his signature whites. Handloom, glass cotton proprietary weaves and silk satin married the crafty technique of hand block prints.
Oxygen cylinder dolls christened ‘O2 Baby’ appeared throughout the video, symbolising Pratap’s team of karigar, as the lifeline of the fashion industry.
Vaishali S, Rebirth
Known for crafting wearable art out of India’s handwoven textiles, Vaishali’s latest collection ‘Rebirth’ was shot outdoors in North Italy. The biological beauty of corals is the inspiration behind the designs, enhanced with vivid yet soothing colours like green, white, autumn-esque beige, red and black.
Vaishali’s signature art of cording (twisting strands of yarns together to make a pattern) and accordion pleats on the outfits manifested a very surreal, nature-inspired feel.
Dhi, Mirror Me
Dhi by Anjana Bhargav and Ankita Bhargava Meattle works around the idea of seasonless, slow fashion. The new edit showcased at LMIFW, called ‘Mirror Me’ presented a collection of ready-to-wear separates that can be worn to work and for work from home – think maxis, boxy shirts, jackets, pants and shorts. Summery colours of mint green, powder pink, navy blue were used on fabrics such as soft-organic cotton and handspun Khadi.
Nitin Bal Chauhan, Naevus
Deeply inspired by the heart-rending Jallianwala Bagh massacre (April 13, 1919), under the British Raj, Nitin Bal Chauhan for the 2020 LMIFW presented a theatrical fashion film. Victorian collars and cuffs, artsy sleeves and 3D embroidery defined the primary designs, while colours like red, nude pink, metallic silvers combined with grunge artworks and military styling set the mood of the entire collection ‘Naevus’.
Payal Jain, Holy Script
Holy Script by Payal Jain is a detour of the famous, historically-significant corners of India, including the ghats of Varanasi, Mc Leodganj and Buddhist monasteries, which give colourful yet calm references into the aesthetics of the country. Jain’s designs lend an easygoing, resort-like mood to the outfits, mostly light-textured, flowy maxi dresses paired with bohemian, chunky jewellery.
Namrata Joshipura, Circle Back
For the closing show of day one of LMIFW SS’21, Namrata Joshipura brought alive fun-punk energy with her latest collection of dressy, casual wear. Every number is inspired by her travels and time spent in New York and New Delhi; playful patterns, risqué cuts, feathers and ruffles and lots of embellishments summed up her presentation.
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