When designers put their fashionable foot forward
CHENNAI: The fashion aesthetes of the city spent their Sunday evening viewing the works of budding designers at The Madras Couture Fashion Week, organised by Satish Jupiter, at the Hilton Chennai. Conceptualised in 2014 to mould city’s fashion industry, the event provides a platform for fashion designers to showcase their creations with a focus on building relationship opportunities and grow in the field.
One for the fashionistas
The event started with models walking the ramp for FIDA - The Design School. The costumes presented were designed by the students of the school. “We put on display our learnings, thoughts and hard work. Being a student and presenting my work at MCFW is helping me learn from industry experts and show them my potential. Now, I have an individual identity and recognition as a designer in the industry,” said Chetna Darak, a designer who was inspired by the lack of boundaries evoking a lost feeling. To commemorate life in deserts, she used simple breezy fabric and a pale colour palette for her costume. Keeping up with the buzz around the movie Barbie, the directors of the school walked the ramp dressed as Barbie and Ken.
Every design and garment presented at MCFW had a story to tell. To present the story of the lifecycle of a butterfly, Titli by Nikitha Jain brought in their new collection named ‘Renee’. The range had everything from frocks and saris to skirts. “I used a lot of old saris in georgette, organza and other printed fabrics and I tried to give a lot of laces,” said Nikita Jain, fashion designer. All the fabrics used were recycled and reused and they were sourced from Rajasthan and Delhi. The collection embodies bold and modern women while still holding traditional Indian roots.
Some designers also showcased bridal wear. Taking a deviation from the usual reds, greens and oranges, the lehengas and gowns were in shades of peach, white and pink. For this collection, the models were styled by Page 3 and they flaunted their natural hair without any extensions presenting the modern bride of the 21st Century. “We were confused about the hairstyle but Page 3 salon had a great proposal of having five different hairstyles for the models,” said Debnita Kar, a model.
A platform to learn
Brands such as Lawrence and Mayo (eyewear), HF Journey (sustainable footwear) and Suresh Menon (expertise in Indian and red carpet wear) presented their collections. Over the eight seasons of MCFW, 75 designers have been launched in the industry. The organisers think of this event as a platform for upcoming designers and models as they get to showcase their creations in front of a big audience. “We make sure there are a couple of new designers every season, who want to foray into the fashion world, so they are given an opportunity to get into the market,” said Satish Jupiter, organiser.
The event was attended by several celebrities and among them was Kishen Das, who said, “I really like the whole idea and concept of this event. For a lot of people who want to learn fashion, this is a great place to start — to know the idea, themes, styles, and designs the industry is coming up with.”