In its seventh year, the Pune Fashion Week has turned to indigenous artisans and, for the first time, will have a segment dedicated to Indian arts and artisans, titled the ‘Fashionable Bharat Pavillion’. The three-day event will be held at Pyramid Lawns from December 22. Nivedita Saboo, fashion designer and co-organiser of the event, said artisans from states such as Maharashtra, Rajasthan, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, among others, would showcase handicrafts and traditional textiles at the especially-curated segment. “About four to five indigenous artistes who have been recognised by the central government for their work would be present here and will address the audience,” said Saboo. Meanwhile, from a clothing collection dedicated to the girlchild to one that reflects on the ‘energies’ surrounding us, the event will have a sizeable line-up of well-known and upcoming fashion designers. Organisers said this was the first time the event has four city designers — Gulam Ali, Shikha Kothari, Kirti Agarwal and Ginni Wadhwa — scheduled to showcase their collections. The function will also witness runway shows, GenNext shows, after parties, a ‘Luxury Expo’ and the second season of Fashion Knowledge Series. Saboo, whose collection will be the finale act, said, “It’s amazing to have so many designers from Pune showcasing at the fashion week and bringing their strengths to the table.” The first half of Saboos’s collection is inspired by the real superheroes of today, while the second part is inspired by Indo-Western clothing. Designer Shikha Kothari’s collection, Pink, is inspired by the unequal sex ratio of the country and is dedicated to the girlchild. “The colour ‘pink’ is delicate, yet powerful, just like the female spirit. It upholds the feminine qualities of nurturing, dignity and freedom and strength. The collection will flow on with different shades of pink ranging from white to deep fuchsia,” she added. Ginni Wadhwa’s collection, ‘Vigor’, will revolve around energies and strengths that surround us, with use of silhouettes and drapes, projecting control and flow, and the dual nature of the spirit. Additionally, Fashion Knowledge Series (FKS) will provide a platform to students of design and fashion enthusiasts to interact with celebrated designers and bloggers. Badal Saboo, managing director, Pune Fashion Week, said, “Three sessions by Hollywood designer Danielle Pettee will be the highlight of FKS. One of her sessions, titled ‘International Networking’, will focus on making the best out of the resources available.” A series of workshops and discussions surrounding ‘different trends in fashion’ and, ‘blogging as a career’ will also be a part of the knowledge series.
