INDIAN DESIGNERS MAKE A MAJOR PUSH WITH PRINTS AND READY-TO-WEAR AT LAKME FASHION WEEK

Following Diwali last week, the Indian holiday season has officially begun, and fashion is taking centre stage. 2022 is drawing to a conclusion with a shift by designers toward more innovation, both in fabric and silhouette, motivated by celebrations, events, weddings, and a post-COVID-19 bonhomie.

A cosmos of digital prints is one of the hottest trends this season, and it will be seen both in retail and during the Lakme Fashion Week, which will be held in October in collaboration with the Fashion Design Council of India.

The patterns are imaginatively made, with additional embellishments and stitching to give them a distinctively Indian charm. This is a departure from the glitter that formerly typified the festive season.

The Jio Convention Center hosted the Lakmé Fashion Week in collaboration with FDCI from October 12 to October 16, which served as a sign of the times.

The event’s opening designer, Anamika Khanna, also demonstrated the two main market trends—the emphasis on ready-to-wear and the men’s market—by introducing her first menswear brand with the show and a new focus in her rtw line, named AK OK. Print has “a very strong DNA of AK OK,” she told WWD. “I don’t want to generalise, but prints are a new method to express yourself. Indian consumers are open to new things.

She acknowledged that she has demonstrated rtw before, but said that “this time was different because of the approach and mentality.”

It is a comprehensive line, she remarked. “There is no need to conform; you can take a piece and make it your own. We don’t want to be categorised or judged any longer.

With its “Artopia” collection, which merged a feeling of legacy and fashion and was motivated by paintings from Rajasthan from the 7th to the 9th century, other labels, such Limerick by Abirr N’ Nanki, tapped into the trend. It was a “translation of the past to the present,” according to the designer.

The fact that the council was returning to Mumbai for a fully physical fashion week for the first time in 16 years made Sunil Sethi, chairman of the FDCI, happy.

He said in a statement that “we had a great season in Delhi earlier this year” and added that “strong response from designers and consumers alike was expected for an enhancement of the business of fashion.”

The last day retail sale of fashion week, currently in its ninth edition by FDCI, “bridges the gap between audiences and the design community by giving firms a platform to access a varied consumer base,” he said.

According to us, business is booming, according to Rise Fashion and Lifestyle CEO Jaspreet Chandok.

The largest independent sports, entertainment, and lifestyle firm in India is called Rise Worldwide. “The atmosphere is overwhelmingly upbeat. The photography was fantastic from an amplification standpoint, and we toned down the logo to properly compare ourselves to other international fashion weeks, Chandok added.

There were many holiday wear and couture shows, but there was consistently a lot of attention on pret, according to Chandok, as if designers showcasing more ready-to-wear was a sign of a new Indian consumer. There are several incredibly fascinating new designers who are improving their grasp of the market. Prior to a few years ago, there were largely multibrand stores instead of outlets for pret. Many companies are now speaking directly to customers. They have websites, and their capacity for customer interaction is improving.

In terms of the lifetime of designers, both senior and fresh, of various styles, “we attempted to make a good blend,” he said.

Mirror work, sequins, and sparkling, studded embroidery patterns are still popular, and there is a growing overlap between western fashion and Indian lehengas. So the bling hasn’t completely disappeared (full skirts).

The week’s shows featured a number of well-known designers, including Shantnu & Nikhil, Shyamal & Bhumika, Rina Dhaka, Gaurav Gupta, and Amit Aggarwal. Master couturier Shahab Durazi also presented a retrospective.

The monochrome patterns and 30 years of their company Abraham & Thakore were commemorated this year. Their menswear this season explored the softer side of masculinity.

A significant portion of the industry’s stakeholders think—and hope—that the increased emphasis on rtw, as well as the growing collaboration between FDCI, Lakme, and others, will assist to further engage an expanding consumer base.

According to Sumati Mattu, head of innovations at Lakmé, “Our cooperation with the FDCI and Rise Worldwide has provided us with the chance to bring all stake-holders to a shared platform of Lakmé Fashion Week as we continue to create new benchmarks in fashion and beauty.”

Designer Anamika Khanna stated it succinctly, saying, “It is something that is healthy for India,” and upholding the outlook mirrored in her brand, which is that everything is, and will be, AK-OK.