When denim guru and Diesel founder Renzo Rosso says that interacting with young minds makes him happy, we can’t help but agree. In conversation with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee in a special session ‘Renzo Rosso: Decoded’, on Day One of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Summer/Resort 2016, the design maverick spoke about youth being key to creativity. And the shows preceding the talk only strengthened our belief. So, even as Anand Kabra presented a gorgeous collection of occasion and bridalwear, replete in his Hyderabadi oeuvre, and the Craft+Design+Society show was a master class in craftsmanship and indigenous techniques, it was the young’uns and their pret predilections that made us sit up and take notice. DECODING DENIM Giving denim a vigorous work-out was debutante designer Naveem Naaz Shaikh and her label Aaylixir. The everyday fabric was prodded, ombre dyed, laser cut, frayed and appliqued into various avatars for her collection “Sukomo”. Interesting layering with chanderi fabric, quilting techniques, sari hybrids, appliqued laser-cut lettering, complimentary stripes, hints of gingham and dashes of red kept the collection from becoming too one-dimensional. The self-confessed “sucker for details” added hidden surprises to the clothes, with miniature keys, trumpets and cycles as trimmings. WILD LIFE Barely five years into the business and Kolkata-based designer Sneha Arora has already built quite a reputation for her compelling story-telling and consistently fine execution. So, when her summer/resort line “Find Your Wild” walked the ramp, we weren’t surprised by her deft handling of the subject. Zebras, stags, reindeers and other wild creatures popped up on straight shirts, pleated blouses, open back dresses and summer trenches. Arora stuck to her classic shapes, added nuances of androgyny, even showed us glimpses of her reprised ink-blot print and didn’t necessarily delve into anything too “wild”, but you won’t catch us complaining. ARTY ANIMAL “This is not fashion” and “Art is the new black” proclaimed the tote bags that Rixi Bhatia and Jayesh Sachdev of Quirkbox’s models carried down the summer/resort runway. With a collection also named “This is not fashion”, the designer duo, known for their graphic prints and bright pops of colour, dialled the palette down, splashed some sepia on to the proceedings and presented a — dare we say — coming-of-age collection at LFW. The silhouettes were languid, monochromes were arresting and floral cross-stitch embroidery presented an interesting contrast. Hand-illustrations of antiquated sewing machines, perfume bottles, scissors, pin cushions and thimbles added to the vintage undertone. Even the pencil tucked into the model’s hair bun added to the relaxed and nonchalant vibe of the collection. MOOD INDIGO From the new class of GenNext designers that walked the LFW floorboards for the first time this season, the voice of Jaipur-based designer Chirag Nainani was the most strident. The name of his collection “A Fossilized Subconscious” may have been all too esoteric, but the execution was noteworthy. When Nainani, who has already acquired quite a reputation with his tie-dye skills, sent out the first garment with distinct Rorschach inkblot test inspired shapes, we knew he aimed to intrigue. For his “hazy like a memory” approach, Nainani used a distinct resist dyeing stencil technique (almost like screen-printing, he explained) and then over-dyed each piece in batik. The garments, in different gradations of indigo, displayed clamp dyeing, stencilling and batik techniques on organic cotton suiting and shirting material. A closer look at the Rorschach-inspired imagery revealed pandas, moths, Mickey Mouse faces, even the Pope’s visage. We liked the technique coupled with clever execution and a hint of humour. FREE SIZE GenNext designer Sohaya Misra and her label Chola’s collection “The Pyjama Tribe” was a relaxed line of separates in textured linen and cotton. Roomy silhouettes and asymmetric shapes of the embellishment-free separates alluded to a strong Japanese influence. Former stylist turned self-taught designer, Misra stressed on her “free size” philosophy, via cleverly constructed asymmetric frocks, oversized collars, flared tunics and draped dresses. With colours ranging from neutral whites, greys and beiges to intense blues and deep reds, Misra let the fabrics and their flow be the stars of the show.
