Lakmé Fashion Week opens with Karisma, Saba, Kalki walking for Sanjay Garg

Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI opened its doors on October 10 with a dazzling display of creativity, as renowned fashion designer Sanjay Garg made a triumphant return to the limelight. After an eight-year hiatus, this trailblazer, known for his brand Raw Mango, took center stage as the opening designer for the event.

Garg unveiled his collection, ‘Children of the Night,’ a sartorial homage to the Lakmé Glitterati range. The designer’s inspiration was a fusion of powerful dance performances and surreal sculpture forms, seamlessly woven into this stunning collection. Sanjay’s signature gold and green shades were interwoven with playful pinks and sunny yellows, creating a vivid tapestry of metallics. From voluminous silhouettes to unconventional patterns, this collection showcased a new facet of Garg’s design genius.

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An intriguing blend of disco and handloom wove its way through Garg’s creations, setting his show apart from the rest. What truly distinguished this fashion event, however, was the runway choreography. Unlike the traditional approach of celebrity showstoppers, Sanjay had the accomplished actors Karisma Kapoor, Kalki Koechlin, and Saba Azad walking the runway alongside professional models, seamlessly integrated into the show’s flow.

“In the show, they were not showstoppers, nor did they open the show, they were part of the flow,” Sanjay explained in an interaction with indianexpress.com. “I have never had celebrities in a show before because it used to only become about entertainment. I am not here to entertain; this is a fashion show. So, I asked whether I could do this differently. Will you support me to do that? I grew up watching them and adore them to bits. But I did not need to show my love in public. Today, celebrities walk as models as it happens all across the world. Celebrities are welcome to walk for me as long as they are part of the flow and don’t stop the show,” he emphasised.

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During the show, Karisma graced the runway in a captivating gold and black pantsuit made from gota and silk, enhancing her look with smokey eyes and a half-up, half-down hairdo. The voluminous silhouettes of the pants added to the ensemble’s allure.

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Karisma, excited about this unique concept, expressed her admiration for Garg’s saris, stating, “I am an avid wearer of Sanjay’s saris. So, when he asked me to walk, his entire concept left me floored because at the end of the day, this is fashion, and we are here to support that.”

Kalki, appreciating Garg’s fashion aesthetics, said, “I think what Sanjay does really well is take something simple and make it really elegant. And it is always easy to wear and comfortable like I can dance in this. It is stretchy, Lycra, but it is also sexy, and very classy. And the fact that it is all made from raw materials, you feel that in the fabric, and that’s amazing.”

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Kalki, on the other hand, donned a black sari with a silver hand-embroidered one-shoulder blouse, accentuating her look with a round-shaped clutch. Her hair was styled in a backcombed bob-shaped bouffant.

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Saba elegantly walked the runway in an all-gold and silk co-ord set, elevating her look with shimmery eye makeup and minimal accessories. She chose a sleek low bun with a middle parting, completing her glamorous appearance on the Lakmé Fashion Week stage.

Saba also showed her appreciation for Garg’s work. “I am a collector of handlooms. And a collector of Sanjay’s saris. So, I am a fan. Since I was a child, my mother would take me to Dastkar every year, and we would buy handlooms,” she shared. “And for this, he has used gota with silk…it is done on the loom…textile weavers from Banaras have been involved in making this. I think that’s just stunning. This was an opportunity for karigars to revive an old craft, so I was in already. I am a fan. And when he said ‘disco’ with handloom, I resonated deeply as I am a musician and make ‘disco’ one of the genres.”