Sustainable fashion trend is becoming more prominent in Fashion Weeks in India.
A Glimpse: The first-ever digital and season fluid edition of the Lakme Fashion Week 2020
(LFW) (21-25 Oct’20)
Every season, the platform takes pride in honouring indigenous crafts and bringing artisans to the fore through strong and powerful initiatives and programmes. Sustainable Fashion Day has reserved a permanent spot on the Fashion week’s biannual schedule. This season, as Lakmé Fashion Week embraced its first-ever season-fluid, virtual edition, the platform dedicated the first two days of the event to sustainability – the need of the hour for the fashion industry. There were thought-provoking conversations, highlighting the rich heritage of Indian textiles, intriguing showcases and never seen before collaborations.
Dhatu Design Studio (Anmol Sharma), ¬MISHÉ (Bhumika &Minakshi Ahluwalia) and The Loom Art (Aarushi Kilawat) made their debut on Day 1 of Sustainable Fashion Day. All three designers have sustainability at the core of their design principles, where they work with natural fabrics, make conscious patterns to reduce waste and supports crafts, respectively. Designer Gaurang Shah’s presentation of “Taramati” a recreation for the exquisite heritage line of hand-woven sari ensembles from the Golconda era.
All About India-a curated showcase of 6 designers (Abraham & Thakore, Rajesh Pratap Singh for Satya Paul, Anavila, Suket Dhir, Payal Khandwala & Urvashi Kaur) by IMG Reliance was an attempt to revive and sustain craftsmen adept in block prints, Ikat, Katwa and linen weaving, brocade, Jamdani and Shibori.
Sanjay Garg’s Raw Mango brought the colourful craft of Rajasthan to centre stage. He included new techniques-bandhej and the region’s metallic gota. Designer Amit Wadhwa presented its first-ever women’s wear collection by introducing handspun
handwoven saris in addition to their signature well crafted & constructed silhouettes for men. Kaveri’s festive collection was inspired by the textiles that kept her warm throughout the uncertainties of the lockdown.
Lakmé Fashion Week joined hands with Fashion Open Studio to spotlight stories from the studios of designer label – 11.11/eleven. Designers Shani Himanshu & Mia Morikawa curated an equitable supply chain network of climate beneficial
indigenous plant and animal-based – nonviole
desi yarn for knitters and weavers.
Designer Hemang Agrawal showcased his Tatva collection representing the harmony between 12
elements of the universe. Inspired by the Japanese concept of Godai, the collection was created from Japanese sustainable fibre Bemberg, for which Agrawal collaborated with Japan’s Asahi
Kasei.Pankaj & Nidhi collaborated with R | ELAN ™, where the designer duo used sustainable fabrics such as Green Gold, made 100% out of recycled plastic PET bottles which have a hand-feel as luxurious as silk.
Péro’s Spring-Summer 2021 was a subtle take on Japanese street style culture of Harajuku Fashion. Aneeth Arora used a variety of striped hand- woven fabrics from different regions of India including ‘mashru’ a traditional textile from Gujarat, gabardine and taffeta silks from the south of India and transparent and lightweight stripes woven in Banaras.
