In one-of-its-kind collaboration, the past week saw the two main powerhouses of Indian fashion and beauty– Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) and the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) – combine their forces to present a joint schedule this season as a phygital fashion week.
The first-ever season-less showcase took place from 16 to 21 March 2021, and even had a special ‘unity logo’– depicting both LFW and the FDCI –designed to mark this occasion.
Featuring some of the best and most talented names in the fashion industry, the 5 days of fashion saw unbridled creativity come to the fore as new trends and innovative concepts surrounding sustainability, ethical fashion, consumption, comfort-first clothing, inclusive sizing and versatile fashion were explored.
Apparel Resources highlights the top shows and standout designers from the Phygital FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week 2021, as we discuss the trends to consider – in terms of silhouettes, details, colours, fabrics, cuts and styles, for the time to come. Read on to discover.
MASABA
Print Princess Masaba’s breezy ‘Summer 21’ line targets women and men who are escapists by nature and long to get away in fun clothes.
Nostalgic looks that evoke days of crazy music, happy conversations and munching candy all day make up the resort wear offering that makes fashion adventurous and far from boring.
Using her characteristic, quirky touches, Masaba showered the ensembles with playful floral prints, exotic animal motifs and reworked renditions of her iconic motifs in a riot of colours.
Relaxed, leisure, comfortwear dominated the scenewith feminine but unconventional designs. Hot summer favourites, such as flowing kaftans, easy breezy shirts, fun cover-ups and a variety of fusion separates offered mix and match possibilities.
Track pants and tops, hoodies as well as joggers’ pants, appeared for both menswear and womenswear. Summer dresses, some off-shoulder versions, tie-up blouses with attached skirt combos and summer blouses with asymmetric skirts, kept the tempo of the show in high gear. Maxis made a quick appearance; robes swirled over dresses, whilst kurtas with relaxed pants in exotic colourful prints, added to the colour story.
Masaba added a stylish element with limited-edition boAt headphones designed by her. Inspired by Disco, retro and vintage themes, with Aztec and tribal prints, the headphones will be launched in retail stores and various e-commerce platforms simultaneously to the show as part of the collaboration between the two brands.
Commenting on the collab, designer Masaba Gupta said, “FDCI and Lakmé Fashion Week are like home to me. Showcasing at the joint Phygital edition is truly special for me and even more so because of our collaboration with boAt. Last season was the beginning of our journey, which will now culminate into the showcase of my latest resort wear collection. I’ve always believed that ‘music’ and ‘fashion’ are two elements that can transport you to the future and also give you the chance to reminisce the past.”
Keeping the sari buyer in focus, Masaba offered an assortment in colours, prints and patterns, with varying choli styles. She also brought in an interesting choli/cape combo for lehengas that could eliminate the dupattaal together.
Menswear remained totally casual and bordered on the athleisure vibe with some bold colour/print blocking for two-tone blousons, whilst shorts and matching shirts, as well as flowing robes over jumpsuits, added to the male wardrobe options.
Accessories were ideal for the collection, as caps, body bags, along with sling bags and fanny packs and colourful scarves created a complete look.
COCCCON
Cocccon presented a refreshing circular fashion story of peace silk at the joint phygital seasonless FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week.
Two very different and unique traditions and innovations gave rise to the truly circular fashion label Cocccon. The brand’s mantra ‘Creativity Can Care’ was formulated in 2012 by Indo-German designer Chandra Prakash Jha– a Germany-based Indian fashion designer and Georg– a remarkable graphic design fashion activist from Berlin.
Cocccon is a luxury fashion label known for its signature, peace organic silk garments and scarves splashed with striking colours, patterns and prints.
The brand’s fashion experiments were directed by Prakash in his native state Jharkhand, thus helping silk farmers, spinners and weavers to work directly from their own respective regions. Following all sustainable practices, Cocccon is one of the most respected labels globally, for its fashion aesthetics, as well as innovative design sensibilities.
Project Cocccon is GOTS, WFTO, OCS-certified and also won the German Sustainability Award Design 2021.
“As a designer I must say this was a wonderful opportunity where I could transcend the horizons following up with the design process, prints, garment construction and the outcome as a conglomeration of all efforts. I won’t say this is all I could give in, to the whole world, but I would be more than happy if my collection could inspire the socio-psychological vision towards fashion and can bring up a sustainable lifestyle,” Chandra Prakash Jha said.
The ‘Purn Vritt’ collection presented by Cocccon at the FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week was an avant garde look at ensembles by the Indo-German designing duo, Prakash and Georg. The collection reflected the indigenous performing arts of Jharkhand, which spoke about the conflict between circular (Jeevan Chakra) and linear (Jeevan Rekha) lifestyles.
The process of seri-cultural was performed with strict organic methods, zero carbon measures as well as by employing the use of zero waste techniques. The plastic-free collection, worked with natural resources like bamboo or cane as its raw materials.
Unveiling a line of amazing, futuristic, space age like garments made from biodegradable materials that had no trace of negative impact on earth, the principal base featured as the organically produced Ahimsa or peace silk, where the silkworm completes its life cycle and emerges as a beautiful butterfly.
The colours of the collection could have rivalled those of the rainbow when the film opened with the dramatic dance movements of Jharkhand. A draped, printed sari with long-sleeved choli, pleated yoke blouse, summer dresses, ruffled necklines for partywear and draped lungis, brought in focus a look that was not only exaggerated but also unconventional.
One-shoulder and single sleeve shoulder styles vied for attention with pleated skirts and balloon or rectangular sleeves, whilst abstract silhouettes and futuristic forms created a visual feast.
Geometry emerged as a mainstay of the print selection, as circles, squares, rectangles and linear patterns jostled on the bright hues.
SID TYTLER
Dubbed ‘Studio 54’, Siddartha Tytler’s latest collection is totally on point with the current generation.
Directly targeting the audience of today, the collection is inspired by the iconic club of the same name, where expression, dance and fashion speak about the individual. This season, Siddartha invented six characters (as mentioned below,) to portray individual aspects of a human being, which he calls the ‘Tytler Army’:
- David – David is gender-fluid and loves his expression in fashion.
- Lucifer – Lucifer loves to turn towards the dark side of fashion and loves to experiment with goth and the emo movement in fashion.
- Mary – Mary is our plus-size girl who doesn’t give a damn about what the world thinks and we love her for it.
- Butterfly – Butterfly derived her inspiration from the Harajuku movement on the streets of Japan.
- Ming Lee – Ming Lee is very sexually expressive and takes no nonsense from anybody.
- Candy – Candy has a fabulous body and she loves to flaunt it yet is very coy in her approach.
The styles are a reflection of the ’80s with the individualism of today. Fun, flirty but yet, extremely bold, the silhouettes define an individual as he/she wants. Consisting of structural corsets, bodycon dresses, peasant tops, co-ord sets and track suits for women and track suits, structured suits, bomber jackets and printed T-shirts for men, the collection offers an all-rounded one-stop solution for today’s picky consumer.
Ranging from mustard, to blue, to black, to grey, to teal and whites, the garments deploy the use of surface experimentation with a lot of sequins, crystals and new computer embroidery making a textile in the fabric itself of faces.
ARPITA MEHTA
Arpita Mehta teamed up with Logitech for the joint season-less grand fashion and technological extravaganza by the FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week that took place from 16 to 22 March 2021.
Dubbed‘Reflections’, Arpita Mehta’s latest collection explored the unique style elements within women. Characterised by four distinct yet strong prints, the collection was specially curated for this unique association.
Starting with florals for the versatile woman, Arpita moved to abstract prints for the bold strong user, then onto whimsical leaf designs for the boho-chic woman and finally ending with the butti print for the understated dresser.
Set against the waves of the summer sea, Arpita’s beach-cum-resort collection was a fantasy of prints and silhouettes. Comprising a variety of soothing hues, which were also divided into a quartet of shades, the collection featured neutral sand tones and relaxing ocean colours that brought in variations of summer blues, yellows of the mango and flame reds inspired by the setting sun.
Easy, breezy, flowing, sheer, tiered skirts, swirling capes, comfortable kaftans, relaxed and slouchy summer pants and cute bralettes emerged as dominant silhouettes within the collection. Strappy maxis with tasselled décolleté, a bralette and slashed sheer beach skirt look, languid kaftans detailed with tantalising fringes and tassels along with Arpita’s signature draped sari and tiny blouse in soft prints, made for statement looks.
The detailing was restricted to suede fringes, tassels and cowries that added a touch of feminine glamour to the holiday, resort style ensembles. Arpita’s signature mirror work detailing was discreetly brought in to edge the beach robes.
Speaking about the collaboration Arpita Mehta said, “It has been an absolute pleasure to associate with FDCI x Lakmé Fashion Week and Logitech this season. The process has been very enriching as it was my first digital show, and the format was new for me. I absolutely enjoyed working on it as it allowed me to give an experience of my collection and inspiration outside of the traditional runway. With Lakmé Fashion Week & the Fashion Design Council of India coming together, the experience has been even more thrilling. This season collaborating with Logitech is exciting and very special to me as we both share the same ethos. I’ve kept the collection easy breezy with our signature detailing, making it perfect for a getaway to your favourite holiday destination or a brunch date.”
BODICE
This season, the spotlight shone on Bodice by Ruchika Sachdeva as the label closed the 5 days of fashion showcase at FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week, with the Lakmé Absolute Grand Finale.
Dubbed ‘Ready Set Play’, her collection spoke about the play of patterns and shapes, with cues taken from Lakmé‘s inspiration this season, that good things come in small packages. This season, BODICE emphasised on the fact that, at a difficult time, the world came together to find joy and peace in the smallest of things around them.
Inspired by the summer season, pastel colorways dominated the collection– we are talking about pale pinks, ice blues, pistachios, whites and fresh yellows that followed a contrasting theme with the use of bright colour blocking, much like the vibrancy of the lip colours offered by Lakmé.
Speaking about her first finale collection, Ruchika Sachdeva said, “This moment is truly special. It marks the 10th year of Bodice and it’s apt that I get to present this collection on such a prestigious stage. I could not have asked for a better partner than Lakmé and a better muse than Ananya for this show. The collection was inspired by the thought of how the smallest details come together to create silhouettes and that ties into the brand’s inspiration for the season as well.”
Held at the Bayview, Princess Dock, Mumbai Port Trust, Mazgaon, the show followed a special ‘drive -in’ fashion week concept with Lakmé Brand Ambassador, Ananya Panday as the showstopper.
The runway was turned into a life-sized Scrabble Board, wherein the concept of the set, the makeup and the garments all seemed to go hand-in-hand to enhance the playful nature of the collection.
Commenting on the same, Ananya said, “This year has definitely turned exciting! My first ever Lakmé Absolute Grand Finale and I couldn’t have asked for a better designer partner. I loved my outfit made by Ruchika for my finale debut. The outfit was co-ord that included a fun pleated skirt with geometric prints and was really reflecting my love for colours and my inner creative personality!”
MANISH MALHOTRA
Known for always pushing creative limits, Manish Malhotra’s latest collection at FDCI X Lakmé Fashion Week, offered a marked fashion forward appeal, wherein we saw influences from the West, amalgamate flawlessly with Indian tradition. Think oversized jackets and colour blocked lehengas.
Balancing out the frame were timeless heritage offerings, in the form of signature Manish kalidar kurtas, diaphanous lehengas, dramatic gowns, swirling shararas, kurtas, palazzos, vivid jackets and of course, traditional dupattas.
Pure two-toned silks and Dupion silks, vied for attention with gold silks, sheer organzas, lush crepes and elegant tissue fabrics.
A luxurious symphony of colours played out their medley of hues gently through the ensembles. A combination of sumptuous sorbet and blush shades, vibrant pinks moving gracefully alongside serene lilac, blossoming into grey-blue and royal beige-gold colorways, introduced the collection. Powder blue dominated the collection, whilst metallic gold-silver added the much needed glamour and monochrome black and white concluded the colour card.
The womenswear bridal category featured luxuriously opulent silver and gold gowns, backless and button-less cholis, and magnificent lehenga, choli and dupatta trios. The sensational gowns were adorned with mini capes, whilst floor-grazing ornate robes, swirling kurtas and kurtis with cropped, flowing pants added to the character to the collection.
Manish Malhotra jewellery added the final touch of perfect sartorial elegance to the garments – hand-crafted completely in pure gold, the jewellery dazzled with flat cut diamonds, gorgeous rubies, majestic pearls and magnificent Russian and Zambian emeralds.
Manish’s menswear offering presented a wide variety of jackets accentuated with beaded lapels or silver shawl collars. Conventional or Jodhpuri jackets were teamed up with kurtas, whilst the sherwanis featured discreet, animal motif embroidery.
