What to look forward to at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2020

The upcoming season of Lakmé Fashion Week marks its 20th anniversary in the industry. For the milestone showcase, the organisers are putting together a nostalgic runway of 30 designers who have showcased their debut collections on their Gen Next platform over the last two decades. Not only that, designers like Manish Arora, Anand Kabra and Swapnil Shinde are also returning to the runway after many seasons.

Kicking off with the Gen Next retrospective on Tuesday, February 11, 2020, Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2020 will host prominent names like Ritu Kumar, Gauri & Nainika, Payal Singhal, Samant Chauhan and Pankaj Nidhi, among others, with a concluding grand finale by Amit Aggarwal. Pushing eco-conscious fashion, the annual Sustainable Fashion Day at Lakmé Fashion Week will host a session on rethinking multi-layer packaging, a handloom-focussed show by Eka and a finale by Ritu Kumar. Scroll ahead for everything you need to keep an eye out for this season.

What to expect from Day 2 at Lakmé Fashion Week

Ashdeen

New Delhi-based textile designer Ashdeen Lilaowala’s upcoming collection is “a collage of childhood memories on cloth”. Using his expertise in Parsi gara embroidery, the designer will present a line of modern-day cocktail dresses, kaftans, kimonos and pants—fit for resort wear. The showcase, which features intricate, artistic patterns that took 150 craftspersons over two months, will be presented on Sustainable Fashion Day.

Ritu Kumar

For the first time, textile revivalist Ritu Kumar will present an entire line in collaboration with Austrian eco-friendly fibre brand, Lenzing's Ecovero. Titled Nature’s Origami, the collection uses sustainable viscose yarn, and will be the closing show on Sustainable Fashion Day. “There was a major attempt to incorporate vintage prints into very modern silhouettes and a feel of an organic look in the RK line,” Kumar tells Vogue. Expect modern Jodhpurs, straight silhouettes and lungis.

Ekà

“It is stirred by the modern spirit of Jo March from Louisa May Alcott’s 19th century classic,” Rina Dhaka says about her newest collection, titled, The Little Women. The line explores different paths to female self-actualisation with a gender-bending aesthetic. This time around, the brand has tried experimenting with Telangana’s traditional fabrics. “Block print textiles, woollen plaids and stripes, along with velvets and hand-painted embroideries, have been presented in the brand’s signature loosely-shaped diaphanous dresses, pleated skirts, boxy jackets, oversized pea coats and tiered layers,” the designer adds.

What to expect from Day 3 at Lakmé Fashion Week

House Of Kotwara

Known for their poetic, regal ensembles, House of Kotwara is bringing a new range of Western silhouettes such as jackets, dresses and jumpsuits, detailed with peplum sleeves, gathers and pleats. “The pieces we have created work well as a capsule that can be mixed and matched with various pieces to create different looks,” says creative director, Sama Ali. “The collection is made in summer-ready fabrics like organdie, mulmul, lawn and linen. Colours ranging from shades of blue, pink, olive, ivory, black and white are textured with bursts of floral chikankari in contrasting hues, highlighted with kamdani and appliqué.”

Anand Kabra

For his summer/resort 2020 collection, Kabra revisits the past and reinvents his signature embroidery techniques, like pitta (beaten metallic thread and wire embroidery), resham (threadwork), sequins, zardozi (layered to form 3D surfaces) and nag (crystals used to create surface ornamentation). The craft patron returns to the runway with versatile, linear silhouettes that transcend seasonal fashion.

Gaurang Shah

Textile expert Gaurang Shah has championed slow fashion from the very start. His designs include intricately woven weaves, embroideries and surface techniques that take over six months to create. “Sustainability is fundamental to our core philosophy in textile design and fashion sensibilities. The significant and holistic contribution that we have made is to address and empower more than 800+ weavers,” he says. This season, Shah will bring saris, anarkalis, kurtas and flowy lehengas to the runway in a striking colour palette that includes reds, yellows, greens and browns, as well as monochromes.

Shivan & Narresh

Known for their use of quirky prints and patterns, Shivan & Narresh will showcase an extension of their Seoul Series, which draws inspiration from the food, art, architecture, culture and history of Seoul. “The collection is extracted from the unparalleled artworks from the Korean Peninsula that encapsulate two signature prints called Hututi Rose and Hututi Sky,” says Shivan Bhatiya. Through their collection, the duo has tried drifting away from the Indian tribal realm through a fresh Korean palette, and has made use of contemporary fabrics like taffeta, organza, foil, Italian jersey and leatherite.

Chola the Label

For her newest collection, the Mumbai-based label collaborated with artist Renuka Jalan, who has hand-painted the pieces. “The line-up draws inspiration from the Ninja Warrior—the humans who fight life battles everyday and come out on the other side stronger as true survivors,” says Sohaya Misra, founder, Chola the Label. Given the minimal aesthetic of the brand, you can expect a variety of dresses, co-ord sets, skirts, blouses and jackets in this collection.

What to expect from Day 4 at Lakmé Fashion Week

Mohammed Mazhar

A 2018 Gen Next graduate, Mazhar was inspired by the marginal artisan community who craft horses saddles for his latest showcase. The design influence is evident in the collection—think leather breastplates, harnesses, gathered skirts, cowboy boots and all things equestrian fashion. “Bringing all the marginal communities together and making a chain that they are connected to each other—it is a move for sustainability,” Mazhar told Vogue about his collection.

Payal Singhal

Celebrating a 20-year milestone in the industry, Payal Singhal will be presenting a collection that is inspired by chrysalis, the transitional state a caterpillar enters before blossoming into a butterfly. The line-up features modern silhouettes punctuated with the the language of traditional Indian art. “Bandhani, abla, ikat, kantha, kashida and gota patti have been revisited with a cool present-day approach to create an overall aesthetic that is very India modern,” Singhal told us about her new collection. Think modern trousers, layered shararas, dhoti salwars teamed with short kurtas and anarkalis.

Jade by Monica and Karishma

Staying true to their feminine design aesthetic, Jade by Monica and Karishma will highlight a blend of edgy silhouettes and relaxed fabrics at Lakmé Fashion Week. “We have used handcrafted techniques like cavandoli macramé to design free forms, and have created textures with silk yarns to depict a dreamy summer, poetic yet effortless,” explains Monica Shah. Expect feminine silhouettes like skirts, tailored trousers, gowns, jumpsuits blouses and saris.

What to expect from Day 5 at Lakmé Fashion Week

Amit Aggarwal

One of the most important and biggest shows of the upcoming season will be Amit Aggarwal’s grand finale presentation, which will take place at Bandra Sea Link Promenade, with Kareena Kapoor Khan walking down the runway. An experimentalist by nature, Aggarwal will be presenting his new collection, Axil, this year, which features a line-up of ensembles inspired by the futuristic biomimicry, and encourages the consumer to think beyond the present. “The inspiration for this collection stems from a world we envision, where the natural and man-made exist in harmony, almost supporting one another while adding to their beauty,” Aggarwal tells us.

Kunal Rawal

For his summer/resort 2020 collection, menswear designer Kunal Rawal, whose eponymous label is known for its modern silhouettes, was inspired by the heritage archives of Mumbai, which can be seen in the form of the Indian handlooms used to create the kurta over-shirts. Plus, the designer will also be combining digital prints with embroidery for the very first time in this line-up. “In our latest collection, we will be introducing new silhouettes in 70 strong looks that have a hint androgyny to it. Since customisation is a big trend, we will be launching a number of pieces that can be customised according to one’s needs and preferences,” Rawal reveals.

Also read:

Meet the new crop of Gen Next designers debuting at Lakmé Fashion Week 2020