Homegrown designs, Featured on the Ramp

Dressed in casual attire, the models walked down the white runway while music blared through the Royal Ballroom at the Hilton Hotel. 
Homegrown designs, Featured on the Ramp

CHENNAI: Dressed in casual attire, the models walked down the white runway while music blared through the Royal Ballroom at the Hilton Hotel. Harin Kumar observed them closely, occasionally speaking to the director. His fashion label, Miss Madness, launched at the Madras Couture Fashion Week held over the weekend. The Tirupur native opened the brand three months ago.

“My family has been in the garment exporting business for the last 20 years. This has helped me a lot because I know exactly where to get a fabric and where to get it done properly. There is an old factory back home, and the tailors there are experienced. They help a lot,” shared the 24-year-old. His line sells western fast fashion, focusing primarily on maxi dresses and the like. Harin set aside some of his earnings while working at the garment exporter Sree Santosh International, to launch his fashion line.

Miss Madness is but one of the many local brands that was featured at the Madras Couture Fashion Week. Hosted by Jupiter Events, the show featured local upcoming designers by giving them a professional platform. “In 2014, the city had fashion weeks frequently but there was no exclusive platform for rising, upcoming designers and students who don’t have an outlet to showcase their talent. So we started this event, and have been going on for the last five years,” said Satish Jupiter, CEO of Jupiter Events.

Praveena Naidu, a Chennai-based designer, displayed her works on the ramp. Her label, Avantika Designer Studio, creates custom clothing at its physical store in Anna Nagar. The architect-turned-designer uses geometric patterns and embossed designs paired with vibrant colours to create clothing that appeals to many people. This was her first fashion show and Praveena chose to display various kinds of clothing to showcase her versatility as a designer.

“Retail has no space for custom clothes, it’s merely buy and sell. I didn’t want to go that route, because it completely sucked away my creativity. I make custom clothes and make sure each is unique and special so that every customer has a different garment,” said Praveena. Her brand is also dedicated to provide affordable fashion, by offering two price points for every garment.

Students from the Academy of Fashion and Textile Technology also had the opportunity to display their garments. “We need to focus on lighting, theme and colour. In school, we could give a simple garment with a bright section but here, we need to give many bright parts,” said Suharita K, one of the six students who will graduate this year.

The show, directed by Karun Raman and styled by Prajanya Anand, was an opportunity for local students, designers and models to not only display their talent but also connect with established brands such as Spring Field, Satya Paul and Raymonds.

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