Last week, a bunch of young fashion designers — Alpana and Neeraj, Aneet Arora, Shani Himanshu and Smitha Singh Rathore — threw open the doors of their retail store at the Hauz Khas Village in Delhi. Since I’m always fascinated with what this new breed of designers is upto, I decided to do a walk-in well before the stipulated cocktail timing.
Ambience
Walking through the labyrinth in this place that juxtapositions modernity and the harsh real face of India, I realised what really works well here is its very ambience. Tourists leisurely moving around shopping, nice eateries, swanky boutiques, villagers doing there own thing, many cows and much more cow dung… all add up to the charm of this shopping destination. It is this place that these young designers chose to have their store in.
A word about these guys: I first noticed Cell DSGN and its designers Smita and Himanshu during the first Delhi Fashion Week. A single look at their stall was enough to know that they had talent, and that they were different. The label Azara and its designer couple Alpana and Neeraj, too, had the same qualities. They took part in the Milan Fashion Week runway a couple of seasons back and that was enough to say they are good at their work. Aneet Arora and her label Péro have been assured applauses at the Lakmé Fashion Week in the last few seasons. She is a young, bold designer who continued with her crushed look through her collection through the last few seasons and still sells them like hot cakes. So, it was good to see them joining hands and starting a store overlooking the Hauz Khas lake. The three-level store was modern not just with their creations, but with the ambience as well. Creations were displayed in an unhurried manner and they displayed the individual designer’s creativity the way it should... differently.
The future of India’s fashion, I would say, depends largely on the newcomers. The difference that they bring on the fashion runway each season is evidence enough that this brigade is here to make a difference to India’s fashion industry. Fashion Weeks every season, except for a few senior designers, are now driven by these young designers. There was a time, not so long ago, where fashion weeks were so predictable that one was sure of what will appear on the runway. Bold and beautiful The entry of younger designers, credit for it should go to Lakmé Fashion Week that first gave the platform extensively for younger talents, into the fashion week arena has changed the look of fashion industry in the country. Being young and new gives them the enthusiasm to work harder each season and come out with creations that are fresh and different. And they have been doing that without fail. I think that's what our industry badly needs. And I am confident that in the coming seasons, these young minds are sure to change the face of the industry.
{{/usCountry}}The future of India’s fashion, I would say, depends largely on the newcomers. The difference that they bring on the fashion runway each season is evidence enough that this brigade is here to make a difference to India’s fashion industry. Fashion Weeks every season, except for a few senior designers, are now driven by these young designers. There was a time, not so long ago, where fashion weeks were so predictable that one was sure of what will appear on the runway. Bold and beautiful The entry of younger designers, credit for it should go to Lakmé Fashion Week that first gave the platform extensively for younger talents, into the fashion week arena has changed the look of fashion industry in the country. Being young and new gives them the enthusiasm to work harder each season and come out with creations that are fresh and different. And they have been doing that without fail. I think that's what our industry badly needs. And I am confident that in the coming seasons, these young minds are sure to change the face of the industry.
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