HYDERABAD: Season 3 of India Fashion Week Dubai (IFWD) is all set to bring Indian and Pakistani fashion designers and trendsetters on one platform. To be hosted on December 1 and 2 in Dubai, India Fashion Week Dubai’s fashion equity will be enhanced further with ace Indian designer and couturier Archana Kochhar and leading Pakistani designer Deepak Perwani coming together for the grand finale. Hyderabad Express spoke to them about the idea behind bringing Indian and Pakistani designers on one platform
Ahimsa route
Ace designer and couturier Archana Kochhar, who will be presenting her collection ‘himsa Resama created with Ahmisa Silk to promote the Make in India, says, “I think fashion both in India and Pakistan has come a long way.”
Inspiration for upcoming line
My collection for India Fashion Week Dubai is inspired from the principles of Ahimsa, which means non-violence. 90 per cent of the collection is made of Ahimsa Silk and is part of the Make in India campaign initiated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. This silk is extracted and woven without killing the silkworm.
What to expect at Dubai Fashion Week
The collection is a fuse of Indian-contemporary silhouettes, where the east meets the west. I am thinking of the woman of today who is a global citizen and would wear this collection and promote this unique silk. The new line includes gowns, dresses and a range of ethereal bridal wear. The embroidery is inspired by the process of metamorphosis. The transformation of the saved moths during the process of developing non-violence silk has inspired me to incorporate hundreds of tiny butterfly’s wings which I have created and binded together in a form of an intricate textural embroidery. The color palette is beige, which is the natural color of the fabric, and it is offset with ivory and rose gold embellishments. Another interesting aspect of the fabric is that it has different shades of beige going to brown depending upon the colours of leaves color caterpillar has eaten.
Online availability
archanakochhar.com is the place to look out my creations
Support designers need
For designers to be successful it is important for them to have faith in their own work. Good design supported with right publicity and loyal customers go a long way in making the designer successful. It’s also important that designers showcase their work on platforms like Fashion Weeks.
Is plagiarism a big issue?
Plagiarism is an issue across industries and not just fashion. In India we don’t have stringent laws to protect one’s creative work. But it is difficult for a plagiarist to survive for long. Fashion is an industry of design, art and creativity and original always sells.
Lessons from fashion capitals like Paris, New York, Milan, and London
I think fashion in both India and Pakistan has come a long way. We boast of a rich culture, heritage that has been the origin of many art forms and embroidery. I feel we definitely need to learn how to showcase our work more creatively and work towards making the fashion industry in our country more organized.
Key trends
I closely follow fashion globally. I always keep an eye out for the latest trends in fabric, silhouette, colour palette amongst other.
Dress for the occasion
I haven’t decided yet, but I will create something with Ahimsa Silk.
Coming up roses
Deepak Perwani, a Pakistani fashion designer and actor who has styled veteran actor Shabana Azmi and lyricist-writer Javed Akhtar in the past, feels India is already on its way to become viable and reputable, Indian Designers have already been part of the international arena.
Inspiration for upcoming line
The collection is inspired by the grandeur of old Baroque Winter Roses and Chantilly Lace.The new skirt gives the entire collection a very modern twist keeping the traditional and wedding season in mind.
What to expect at Dubai fashion week
We are very excited to be showing at India Fashion Week Dubai. It’s an International collection catering not just to the Asian market but also to the international clients in Dubai.
Online availability
Our work is available online on our website www.deepakperwani.com. From where you can get a look of our work and can easily shop. We are also active on social media such as Facebook, Instagram (@deepakperwanibrand), Twitter(@DPerwani) and Blog Spot (deepakperwanionlinestore).
Support designers need
Designers need to get an ample exposure in foreign markets and the market that they want to cater too. The most important things are the right journalist, right PR companies and the right wide exposure on social media to project your image.
Is plagiarism a big issue?
Plagiarism is always a big issue; sometimes you can take it as a compliment and consider it a flattery. But at times it’s morally, ethically and professionally wrong.
Lessons from fashion capitals like Paris, New York, Milan, and London
Indian designers have already been part of the international arena and designers like Ritu Beri, Manish Arora and Sunit Vermahave already worked with International design houses. Pakistan is an emerging market right now, there is lot of curiosity in the international market for Pakistani design. In future we are looking at many Pakistani brands going international.
Key trends
Generally I keep my eye on trends like colours, cuts and lengths. We like to follow international trends.