Patriotism to mark fashion week's grand finale

Collections inspired by India will mark the grand finale of the upcoming edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW), showcasing the designers' patriotism.

Collections inspired by India will mark the grand finale of the upcoming edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW), showcasing the designers' patriotism.

Renowned fashion designers Anamika Khanna and Ashish Soni were Wednesday chosen to display their works on the ramp for the grand finale, which has been aptly titled 'Mode in India'.

The 11th edition of the fashion extravaganza, organised by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), is scheduled for March 12-16.

"Both of us have derived our respective collections from India and it is going to be all about our nation. We are proud to be Indians and that is what we are going to showcase on the ramp via our silhouettes," Anamika told IANS.

Dipping into the country's inexhaustible treasure trove of textiles and craft Anamika's line is "edgy, clean and uncluttered". Using fabrics like satin, jacquard, silk, textured cotton, organza and georgette, she has crafted dresses, skirts, coats and jackets.

The colour palette has black, blue-blacks and charcoal, and "the collection is bordered towards dark shades". "All the literal images that we have about our country - our collections would break all of them. The idea is to bring out the essence of Indian fashion. I mean, if flanked by international labels, where we are spaced. Our products are of international standards with the Indianness intact," explained Soni.

Announcing the names Atul Chand, vice president (market), ITC's Lifestyle Retailing, said: "The grand finale at the coming event will showcase two bright young stars of Indian fashion, who have earned much global acclaim." "Both creative experts are very dynamic and vibrant. They have evolved their own signature style and contributed largely in putting Indian fashion on the world map," said Rathi Vinay Jha, director general of FDCI.