Young Guns, an initiative to empower the young designers, enabled them to showcase their diverse collection at IFW day 4
They are young yet old in the experiences that they shoulder. They are technologically savvy yet emotionally distant. Their gadgets often last longer than their relationships. Whatever you say about the millennials, the opposite is also equally true. And it is this band of people and their spirit of achieving a sense of balance in their lives that formed the inspiration for FDCI’s India Fashion Week 2019 day 4. ‘Young Guns’ an initiative to encourage young designers gave them a free run of the ramp.
Designer Niharika Gupta often raided her brother’s wardrobe as a child, drawn to the comfortable fabrics and functionality of menswear silhouettes. Her label, Notebook, gave contemporary update by re-engineering shirting fabrics and tailoring techniques into a line of polished urban uniforms. Her workwear and casuals were inspired by Indian and Middle-East. The collection was a balance of sophisticated formal cuts and utilitarian details with pops of colour and comfort.
Whereas fashion designer Sameer Madan’s collection encapsulated or rather entraped a periodic transition. He said, “This spring/summer, we make the old meet the new, concocting a melange of renaissance with the cosmopolitan. An emotion as timeless as each individual design. The renegade of fusion folklore as we embark upon this reminiscent journey and contribute our a little token to the time capsule.” His collection aimed to metamorphosise basic into boisterous, simple into sophisticated. Madan’s agenda was to transform beauty into simplicity by engulfing complexity in a way which looks subtle.
From using handwoven fabrics to natural dyes, right down to circular textiles derived from recycled PET bottles, designer Aman Singh fused Indian craft techniques with sustainable materials to create modern wardrobe mainstays. Singh’s Bareek amalgamated two distinct craft elements, namely Jamdhani from West Bengal and Ikat from Telangana. The zany yet sharp collection propelled itself straight out of a self-written graphic sci-fi novel titled Intergalactic Luum. Inspired by the motifs reminiscent of oldschool arcade games, the collection featured distant star clusters, exacting aerial battles, mysterious nebulas and a certain lone ranger named LUUM, all of which find place in this space saga. He said, “Intergalactic Luum will be a prêt-à-porter line that is a distinct sub-label and will be placed in a segment above the label’s ‘Bareek Essentials’ line that focusses on menswear quality basics, made of natural fabrics ranging from Khadi to GOTSTM certified organic cotton.”
His team works with underutilised craft clusters, value-adding to their dead stock and also joins hands with societies/groups that are known for mastering a particular craft.
Another collection, Beyond the Clouds by Countrymade drew inspiration from nature in the designs and motifs.
Photo: Pankaj Kumar
