Without a doubt, the new breed of Indian designers are individualistic. But they are also mindful, imaginative and united in their purpose of bringing efficiency and ease to the way we dress. Here are the winners and finalists of the Vogue India Fashion Fund dressing the latest It-girl, debutant actor Saiyami Kher.
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On Saiyami: Handmade net dress, Huemn. Mesh sleeve jacket, trousers; both Huemn Project. ‘Yootish’ heels, Christian Louboutin. On Pranav: Silk shirt, handmade patent leather jacket, pinstripe trousers; all Huemn. Shoes, H&M. On Shyma: T-shirt, joggers, handmade mesh jacket; all Huemn. Shoes, Zara
Image: Abhay Singh. Styled by: Ria Kamat
On Saiyami: ‘Pema’ gingham linen block-printed duster coat, silk and crochet dress; both Ekà. On Rina: Watercolour block-print tunic, trousers; both Ekà. Shoes, Dune
Image: Abhay Singh; Styled by: Ria Kamat
On Saiyami: Half-gathered oversized dress, Lovebirds. Sneakers, Adidas Originals. On Gursi: Jacket, A.P.C. Trousers, Lovebirds. Sneakers, Nike. On Amrita: Dress, hand block-printed trousers; both Lovebirds. Shoes, Vivienne Westwood
Image: Abhay Singh; Styled by: Ria Kamat
On Saiyami: Embellished mesh underlay hoodie, Kanika Goyal Label. Boots, Zara. On Kanika: T-shirt, jeans; both H&M. Metallic booties, Zara. Notched grid coat, Kanika Goyal Label
Image: Abhay Singh; Styled by: Ria Kamat
On Saiyami: Velvet tie-up dress, velvet embroidered jacket, flared trousers, leather necklaces; all Rara Avis. ‘Tina’ cage heels, Christian Louboutin. On Sonal: ‘Willow’ dress, shoes, fringed leather necklace; all Rara Avis
Image: Abhay Singh; Styled by: Ria Kamat
On Saiyami: Silk dress, Akaaro. Double layered large leather tote with punch work detail, two-tone leather cross-body bag with punch work detail; both Vitasta. On Aditi: ‘Kinji’ dress, cape; both Akaaro. Leather travel backpack with punch work detail, Vitasta
Image: Abhay Singh
On Saiyami: Handwoven tussar silk sari, Vriksh. Shoes, Steve Madden. On Gunjan: Silk dress, Vriksh.
Image: Abhay Singh; Styled by: Ria Kamat
Winner: Huemn
This coming-of-age label has grown up, according to its designers Shyma Shetty and Pranav Mishra. “We’re poles apart,” says Mishra, “But it was a craving to create that brought us together.” So while their last collection was about human evolution, they do not discount the changes in their process. While the duo never plan for any collection, they are also very conscious of not standing still. “Comfort has always been the most important aspect, but we’ve moved on to a cleaner and more controlled approach. In the last few seasons, we’ve enjoyed embellishments but in our own restrained way,” says Shetty.
They’re thrilled about the launch of Huemn Project, a more alternative, underground label that encourages collaboration with different creative forces—artists, chefs, musicians. Speaking of collaboration, how do they divide and conquer? “He’s the mad scientist, and I’m the editor. He works with big thoughts up in the air, I work on paper,” says Shetty.
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First Runner-up: Ekà
It’s common practice that as soon as a designer establishes himself in India, he or she looks Westward for greener and larger pastures. For Rina Singh of Ekà, the reverse applied. The garment designer who honed her skills in ITC’s womenswear division established herself abroad before her homecoming.
“Craft is where my heart is… it’s my calling, but not in the traditional format. My aesthetic is not Indo-Western; it has many layers. It’s casual, it has an international appeal. I don’t want to be put in the stereotypical box of exploring textiles, and the response I got for my first collection in 2011, at fashion week, validated my point of view.”
Naturally, for her, in every collection textiles are the starting point—a 100 per cent blend of all-natural linen, silk, wool and cotton; a mix of colours; and block printing. “This collection had gingham prints and florals. As you grow organically, your handwriting becomes more fluid,” she says about developing her style.
What does she consider the defining aspect of her label? “Comfort, for sure. Fashion has become more accessible. Even if it is aspirational, it should be useful,” says Singh.
Second Runner-up: Lovebirds by Amrita Khanna and Gursi Singh
Following in the footsteps of couples who successfully work and live together, Amrita Khanna and Gursi Singh have discovered that the key to an effective partnership is balance. Talk to the Delhi-based designers behind the hip Lovebirds (who admit to a love for fitness and the Chromatics in equal measure) and you will find that Khanna is more reticent in relation to Gursi’s expansiveness even though she’s the relationship builder while he tends to be more in the background. Their work continues in a similar vein.
“Our fundamental ethos is to bring balance between effortless and experimental, work and fun, pleasure and business, ease and structure,” says Singh. Their one-size-fits-all philosophy is not about uniformity but rather a need to extend their craft-focused, anti-fit, geometrical silhouettes’ demographic to both local and global audiences.
“Our next step is formal wear—it’s a natural progression and there’s a need in the market,” says Singh. “We want to redefine the mindset that you need a slinky, fitted silhouette for your most important occasions. It’s simplifying clothes for the active woman—she’s busy, she just wants to slip something on,” says Khanna quite emphatically, who, like every smart woman, always has the final say.
Finalist: Kanika Goyal label by Kanika Goyal
It’s easy to take Kanika Goyal’s clothes at face value—street-cool separates for the bratty, Snapchat-obsessed millennial who wears her thoughts on her sleeve (or emblazoned on her chest)—but there’s a strong ideology behind each design by this NIFT- and Parsons-educated designer.
She’s not apologetic about her youthful appeal, and why should she be? It’s that very hubris that’s gotten her this far in barely two years. “I was learning tailoring in New York, and I wanted to deconstruct the common perception—I wanted to make it younger, edgier. I tend to really get influenced by the people around me. Even with our slogans, we want to make it obnoxious, in your face. I believe that now, and five years later, it will sell.”
Paradoxes abound in her thought process as well. She talks about provocation and Frank Gehry’s architecture in the same breath; Bauhaus is her reference point as much as EDM her salvation; phulkari on wool is her current experimentation and minimalism a consistent approach.
“I’m always working,” she says when I ask her about off-duty antics with the other brat-pack designers of her tribe. “That’s why I was validated when my jacket made it to the cover of Miss Vogue in what was barely my first season. I mean, that was just insane…”
Finalist: Rara Avis
How do you break the mental straitjacket associated with a material? How do you layer product? How do you create infinite possibilities from a single material?
These are the questions that Sonal Verma challenged herself to answer as a designer. The material in question is leather, and Verma, who honed her skills with Ritu Kumar and Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna before heading to Spain for a Master’s degree, has dedicated her label to this quest.
Her collection explores dark nature and the complexity of the subconscious. “It’s how we deal with our ideas, and what’s in our mind,” she explains, a thought reflected in her contemporary lines and the texture-play achieved through combining leather with wool, mohair, felt and velvet.
“Travel has a lot to do with what I learn. My visit to the Sir John Soane’s Museum in London framed my ideology and has been instrumental in my work. It’s a lot more conceptual, and I’m always exploring the mix of materials that come about as a concoction quite accidentally.”
Next up, expect some Eastern influences, given her plans to visit that mecca of inspiration—Japan.
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Accessories Winner: Vistasta by Aditi Dhar
Everyday luxury, handmade in India, elevating the ordinary, and modernity—these were the tenets that Aditi Dhar wanted her accessories label, Vitasta, to embody. “The sensibility has evolved from a confluence of Indian colours and craftsmanship, functional shapes and a strong respect for materials,” says Dhar of her label, named after the Sanskrit term for the river Jhelum in Kashmir.
Citing influences as varied as the graphic design work of Paul Rand, the minimalism of furniture designer and architect Eero Saarinen and Zaha Hadid, and the irreverence of Comme des Garçons, Dhar’s latest collection focuses on a nomadic summer.
“There are tribal punch-work patterns in leather, simplicity in details, a palette of neutrals punctuated by bold flashes of colour and details like an indigo ikat fabric lining. The mood is colourful with a sense of nostalgia, and evokes a story of wanderers.”
Sari Winner: Vriksh by Gunjan Jain
It was Gunjan Jain’s mother, an art historian, who passed on to her a love for handmade fabrics. “Every time I admired my mother’s sari, she would tell me its entire journey.”
A fashion designer, Jain was disillusioned with her work in Delhi and Bengaluru, and decided to move to Odisha, a treasure trove of textiles. Studio Vriksh emerged quite organically.
Jain loves to experiment with textures, blending different yarns and techniques, and that’s the focus of her latest collection. “Trikon is inspired by the triangular motifs of tribal Odisha denoting the balance that tribal communities maintain with nature. They believe in giving back to nature as much as they take. All this signifies a deep understanding of ecology, which is conveyed through the patterns on their shawls and sacred wall art. In short, nature in all its glory inspires me.”
The post The graduating class of Vogue India Fashion Fund 2016 with Saiyami Kher appeared first on VOGUE India.