QUEEN'S ROAD: Fashion guru and choreographer Prasad Bidapa, the Smile Foundation, a non-profit organisation dedicated to the upliftment and welfare of underprivileged children, and Orion Mall have collaborated for a show on Saturday.
Part of Smile Foundation’s fortnight-long Festival of Giving, this fashion event, titled Ramp for Champs, will feature ‘achiever’ children from humble backgrounds who have excelled in school despite constraints.
“The idea is to create awareness among these kids and open their mind to the idea that the world could belong to them. This kind of an event can also inspire them to greater heights as these children will walk on a grand stage before a huge audience and it will be a great feeling of empowerment for them,” says Bidapa.
Another high point for these ‘champs’ will be the fact that they can walk into an Indigo Nation store and choose the clothes they want to walk in, and then they get to keep them.
The show will also feature models, Bollywood celebs and corporate honchos and showcase designs in khadi and handloom weaves from all over Karnataka.
Prasad’s excitement is barely contained when he talks about khadi. “Khadi is making a huge comeback and with the younger generation supporting it in a big way, this entirely indigenous fabric has now become a luxury item,” he says.
As the promotion of khadi has become one of his pet projects, Prasad describes the versatility as well as the practicality of the material. “The development of this entirely swadeshi material was badly managed under government agencies and khadi became relegated to the dusty stuff lying forgotten in the khadi bhandars, however with designers across the country taking to this fabric in a big way, there has been a resurgence in interest as well as a major improvement in quality,” says Prasad.
The finer the weave, the better the fabric and this extremely finely woven khadi is quite a premium and heritage product.
Apart from being entirely practical for our climactic conditions, khadi has become the fashion buzzword and from high couture to pret lines, the fabric is appearing everywhere.
Bengaluru-based brands like Tara Aslam’s Nature Alley specialise in khadi wear while international denim brand Levi’s have come up with a premium khadi-denim range.
We asked Prasad about the season’s trends and tips and it was no surprise that he said that everyone should have some khadi in their wardrobes this season.
Having built his fashion career in Bengaluru, Prasad is all praises for the city’s unique style quotient. “The city is the capital of the ready-to-wear market and the biggest exporters and manufacturers in the country are based here. This makes us the pret-a-port capital of the country.
“It is also interesting how completely different style sensibilities exist in the city. Thus there is the older generation with their gorgeous traditional silks, the trendy youngsters with their stylish yet laidback vibe and the individualists who have their own mix and match looks. Thus Bengaluru is a very eclectic market and neither is it the filmi-fashion and nor is it the bridal-dominated market of Delhi. In fact, the city is modern, smart and a Friday-dressing kind of place,” says Prasad.
But it is Saturday's event that he is most looking forward to.