Fashion star: Everything you need to know about Day 1 at Lakmé Fashion Week

Thursday, January 31, 2019

Everything you need to know about Day 1 at Lakmé Fashion Week

Pass by Mumbai’s Jio Garden and you will see vibrant installations and flocks of people making their way into the enclosures, with signs outside discouraging people to enter the space without an invite—it’s official, the summer/resort 2019 edition of Lakmé Fashion Week is underway. After an unforgettable opening show by Gaurav Gupta, the season kicked off with the Gen Next show on Day 1. Here’s a look at the some of the highlights from fashion week.

Lakmé Fashion Week Day 1: Gen Next

An all-female graduating class of Gen Next designers for this season saw labels Ek Katha by Madhumita Nath, Ujjwala Bhadu, Birdwalk by Amrapali Singh and Sunaina Khera. Ujjwala Bhadu’s fresh use of colour, mix of appliqué, raffia and knits stood out among the rest.

Image: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Madhumita Nath for GenNext at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019

Image: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Ujjwala Bhadu for GenNext at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019

Image: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Amrapali Singh for GenNext at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019

Image: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Sunaina Khera for GenNext at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019

Lakmé Fashion Week Day 1: Sneha Arora

Sneha Arora’s collection ‘Breathe’ offered a fresh take on everyday basics. Maintaining a clean palette of blues greens and whites, the designer played with foliage prints, colour blocking and polka dots to create a summer-ready wardrobe.

Images: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Sneha Arora at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019

Image: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Sneha Arora at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019

Lakmé Fashion Week Day 1: Inspired by art

The Art meets Fashion presentation at Lakmé Fashion Week exhibited work by four emerging talents who incorporate art into their clothing. Labels Yavï by Yadvi Agarwal, Ajay Kumar, Helena Bajaj Larsen and Bobo Calcutta displayed their work in the Studio. Instead of choosing a runway format, the live installation here allowed viewers to take a closer look at the detail on the clothing.

Image: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Bobo Calcutta for Art Meets Fashion at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019

Image: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Yavï at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019

Image: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Ajay Kumar for Art Meets Fashion at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019

Image: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Helena Bajaj Larsen for Art Meets Fashion at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019

Lakmé Fashion Week Day 1: Varun Bahl

Varun Bahl debuted his ready-to-wear label Varun Bahl Prét—inspired by the simplified motif of a flower. Using lightweight silks, crepes and organza, the lineup comprised of drop waisted dresses, kurta salwars worn with light summer jackets and printed saris. While a large part of the collection seemed apt for the broiling Indian summers, one couldn’t help but wonder if the clothes needed a little more of the designer’s signature embroidery and lavish use of colour to truly be covetable.

Image: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Varun Bahl at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019

Rohit Bal brought Day 1 to an end with a beautiful show. Ever dedicated to his homeland Kashmir, the designer recreated the scene of a floating flower market on the runway. Bal was a part of the mentorship program by Usha Silai Label, an endeavour by Usha International to train women in rural areas with employable skills, and worked with a cluster of women from Kashmir on this particular collection, which highlighted the use of machine embroidery and appliqué. Never compromising on aesthetics, the designer made clever use of digital prints and gold foil in his lineup ‘Gul-Dastah’. Bal took the bow with the women who helped craft his collection, eliciting a standing ovation.

Image: Sagar Ahuja/Vogue; Rohit Bal at Lakmé Fashion Week summer/resort 2019