“Not anti-fit, again!”: came a loud whisper from the front row. It was Day One of the Winter/Festive 2018 edition of Lakme Fashion Week. Over the last few years, designers have been trotting out models in free-flowing and sometimes sack-like garments that have challenged objectification and the tired definition of ‘sexy’. The silhouettes have worked in favour of body positivity, comfort and handloom experiments. Yet after several seasons of sameness, there is the need to go beyond just minimal designs. This often came up as designers, curators, merchandisers and fashion editors hung out over asparagus puffs, cookies and quick lunches at the St Regis hotel. Some designers, fortunately, had got the brief, with textile innovations and flattering yet relaxed garments. Also hotly debated: ‘consignment’. “The most critical issue in designer fashion today is the gulf between the product and the consumer. So many designers are unable to sustain businesses these days and with the buying largely moving to a consignment model, the risk of inventory lies completely with the designer, creating working capital issues,” says Jaspreet Chandok, Head of Fashion, IMG Reliance. While some buyers agree that it can be a dirty word for designers, they point out that as they bear marketing and other expenses, consignment on a small scale can be a win-win.
That said, LFW had much to cheer about, as sustainability in fashion saw many takers this season. Gender-blurring themes like Sohaya Mishra’s for Chola provoked discussion, and plus size fashion, as well as quicker delivery dates for designers, are all a reality now. Designers like Amit Aggarwal used vintage Phulkari to create a modern aesthetic, while Rajesh Pratap Singh experimented with Tencel, and Ujjawal Dubey’s Antar Agni had “a beautifully textured fabric featuring Elastane, zari and cotton”. Meanwhile, travel continued to be a popular theme, with Priyanka Modi of AM:PM saying her Gypset collection was inspired by her 40th birthday holiday in Spain and Rome. Her pleated dresses, capes and boyfriend jacket are so versatile for travel, and we love the horse prints.
Power of 3
The Gen Next programme has seen successes like Rahul Mishra, Aneeth Arora and Nachiket Barve, and we wish this lot luck:
Yavi by Yadvi Agarwal
At 29, Yadvi Agarwal is something of a best kept secret on the fashion circuit. Two years at Milan, Paris and London fashion trade fairs, together with trunk shows across the country and retail at stores like Ogaan in Hyderabad, have given her the license to experiment. British fashion critic Suzy Menkes has been spotted in her Impressionist-style dresses and Yavi textile jewellery and garments have a following at the Victoria and Albert Museum’s gift shop. Agarwal, who began experimenting with fabric construction at the National Institute of Fashion had a small line of chanderi silk and silk velvet dresses, hand-painted jackets and capes at LFW. But it was her unusual ‘one thread embroidery’ jacket (to be retailed at around ₹24,000) that got our vote — it has no ‘fabric’ thanks to embroidery fashioned on a soluble sheet. The feisty designer credits her finesse with ‘beaded embroidery’ to her stint at Pero, and she has learnt a few precious tricks at Eka as well.
SWGT by Shweta Gupta
Based in New Delhi, this designer impressed with her silk, chanderi and Merino shrugs and capes that borrow colour variations and texture from Himalayan terrain. She champions the ‘‘slow process” and wants to “keep it small”. Known to dash off to Chanderi often, she gets her weaving done there through self-help groups. “Everyone is doing textiles, saris, simple shifts and kurtas. I wanted something that can also work as evening wear. And India has to be more than fuschia,” says the former Tarun Tahiliani designer, 32, who considers herself an expert in pattern-making. Buyers in London and Ibiza have shown interest and our pick is a zero wastage Merino jacket engineered on the loom, where the armhole that is cut becomes inner pockets. Shrugs and capes from ₹8,000 to ₹40,000.
Jajaabor by Kanika Sachdev
That this husband-wife team loves to travel is evident from their khadi and silk chanderi line with snow hut prints from Iceland, an ivory, ice-blue and indigo palette and their name — Jajaabor is Assamese for nomad. Together they have many years of experience with designers Varun Behl, Anju Modi, Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani, even a project with John Galliano. We like their organza kimonos and predict that the khadi jackets and the bomber jackets will catch the fancy of the frequent traveller. Already stocked at Anonym in Hyderabad and Amortella in Chennai, with exhibitions in Mumbai, Kolkata and Delhi, theirs is a delicious mix of handwork, digital printing and machine embroidery. ₹7,000 to ₹30,000 for the biker jacket and saris.
Gota luxe
At Good Earth’s flagship Raghuvanshi Mills address, a tableaux vivant-style presentation had models in sumptuous ghararas and saris posing in about eight intimate settings. It was arguably the most anticipated show at LFW this season, with the 27 couture ensembles best appreciated up close (think Mughal miniature paintings). Jaipur-born designer Namrata Rathi was inspired by her great-great-grandmother’s trousseau and royal tapestries to give Gota this fitting showcase. Gota, as we know, can go from the modern ₹50 lurex variety to real zari at ₹5 lakh. Good Earth had theirs made to order, at about 2 mm, with no expense spared. “I knew I wanted to work with the colour, craft and romance that the Gota would evoke,” says the history buff who took chanderi and kota silk, velvet and organza for a spin. The pastels and midnight tones are ethereal, as are the cloud, pomegranate and moon motifs. Rathi’s favourite is “of a lady riding a horse, discovered in an old book and originally made on banarasi fabric” It is a tribute to the all-woman team at Good Earth, she concludes. Don’t miss the chinon ombre saris in shades of charcoal, apricot, blue and amethyst. The Miniaturist collection is travelling to Delhi this month and is only available on order. Priced from ₹1,00,000 to ₹7,00,000.
Consignment blues
One of the biggest problems facing the younger design fraternity is consignment, and the so-called ‘buyers and head merchandisers’. It is very misleading — they should have Head Consignment Director printed on their business cards, not Buyer. Domestic buyers expect a new or lesser known designer to advance funds on an order which they may or may not sell. Even when the store does sell, I have heard countless stories of these designers having to chase payments. If there is no ‘back up’ bridal line or private/family backing, it is extremely difficult for some of these immensely talented designers to move forward. Every season, I try to encourage these designers to be firm and resolutely refuse consignment. At least ask for a percentage up front and then the balance could be staggered over an agreed period.
— Caroline Young, design consultant, writer and a Fashion Week regular
What hasn’t changed
The Bollywood factor: You can’t talk fashion in Mumbai and leave Bollywood out, can you? While some designers bravely made do without the celebrity showstopper, others had siblings Huma Qureshi and her brother Saqib Saleem, sisters-in-law Kareena Kapoor and Soha Ali Khan, as well as Aditi Rao Hydari, Malaika Arora Khan and a pregnant Neha Dhupia on the runway.
Tributes
Alexander McQueen: Five years after referencing the owl, Armaan Randhawa turned to the late British designer for inspiration, sending his models down the runway in boxy silhouettes with embroidered flora and fauna.
Martand Singh: Rakesh Thakore had worked with textile legend, the late Martand Singh, on the Vishwakarma and other exhibitions. Dipping into those pattern directories, A&T recreated brocades in Varanasi and turned them into dull-gold shorts, capes and more.
Takeaways
Jackets, from the map-inspired bomber variety from Jajaabor to Yavi’s unusual one-thread offering
Payal Singhal’s Persian folk art-inspired botanicals with embroidery on full skirts and stoles
Naushad Ali’s shirt dresses and cover-ups in checks woven in Tamil Nadu’s Musiri village