SmartWater Unveils Designers ‘Inspired By Clouds’ Theme At Lakme Fashion Week

SmartWater Unveils Designers ‘Inspired By Clouds’ Theme At Lakme Fashion Week.

SmartWater Unveils Designers ‘Inspired By Clouds’ Theme At Lakme Fashion Week

The Platform by SmartWater unveils superb creations by three innovative designers at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2018

Mumbai, 24th August 2018: The three winners of SmartWater presents “The Platform’ showcased their collections based on SmartWater’s core theme ‘Inspired by Clouds’ at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2018. The winners – Kanika Goyal; Sakshi Shah and Swasti Shah of Shanti; and Ishanee Mukherjee and Anirudh Chawla of Poochki were mentored by well-known fashion experts before the show. Showstopper Soha Ali Khan looked stellar in a black sleeveless vest from Kanika Goyal, a sheer top from Poochki and a brocade pencil skirt from Shanti. Her outfit was a beautiful amalgamation of the texture, colors and shapes that resonated with the theme.

The Platform by SmartWater was a new initiative at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2018 to nurture the potential talent of aspiring designers in India, inspiring them to think differently and push the boundaries.

Anoop Manohar, General Manager Marketing, Coca-Cola India said, “We are elated to see the breadth of talent and creativity that was showcased at Lakmé Fashion Week via ‘The Platform’. In line with SmartWater’s theme of ‘Inspired by Clouds’, the young designers brought forth a unique perspective and innovation in their collections, similar to the values of smart water. We encourage the budding designers to continue creating a smarter outlook towards fashion and carve out their own norms.”

Jaspreet Chandok, Vice President and Head of Fashion – IMG Reliance, said, “The Platform is yet another step towards Lakmé Fashion Week’s continued effort to promote and nurture deserving talent in the Indian fashion industry. After the success of Gen Next which is the launch pad for new designers at Lakmé Fashion Week, we are excited to launch The Platform together with SmartWater and encourage designers who excel in design and creativity.”

Speaking about her collection, designer Kanika Goyal said, “I am delighted to be chosen as the winner of ‘The Platform’ by SmartWater. I have been associated with Lakme Fashion Week since 2015 and it has been an exciting journey so far. To amplify my creativity and the theme ‘inspired by clouds’ to life, I worked with a wide assortment of fabrics and embellishments, resulting in a crisp, clean and stylish collection.

Designers Ishanee Mukherjee and Anirudh Chawla from Poochki said,

“Our association with Lakme Fashion Week for ‘The Platform’ has been an enriching experience. This provided us with an opportunity to work with some of the veterans in the industry, who mentored us and were a big part of the way our collection has taken shape. In line with the theme ‘inspired by clouds’ we drew inspiration from the poem ‘The Black Cloud’ by W H Davis which translated into a line of unconventional silhouettes and forms with garments that offer diversely contrast textures and construction.”

Commenting on their new collection, designers Sakshi Shah and Swasti Shah, Shanti said,

“The Platform proved to be a great opportunity for us to unleash our creativity and explore our potential to make a mark in the fashion industry. We thoroughly enjoyed the process of designing and putting together our debut collection under the guidance of the industry’s finest. We have used indigo dye on handloom linen in our collection and created textures of clouds which is a reflection of SmartWater’s theme ‘inspired by clouds’.”

For an exquisitely innovative stage setting, fashionable rain clouds with crystallized rain gave the collection an over the top appeal.

Kanika Goyal – A fantasy in prints
Kanika Goyal’s label ‘Kanika Goyal’ is no stranger to Lakmé Fashion Week having made her debut at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2015 Gen Next show. Having worked with Bhibu Mohapatra, she has been featured in fashion magazines several times. Keeping the theme of the collection firmly in control, Kanika worked with intricate techniques like heat-set pleating, Holographic printing, reflective pleating and then moved onto the screen, digital, heat, transfer, rubber, printing along with hand embroidery.

Her fabrics were a mélange of various options as polyester cotton, viscose, 100 per cent viscose, cotton silk, linen, poplin, rayon, bonded, acrylic, wool, cotton knit, silk organza, glass nylon, Dutch satin, and PVC – all came seamlessly together with faux fur and leather. Making an impact on the runway was the printed navy and white floral cotton satin as well as Dutch satin mini with white silk organza over shirt.

A mix of pop colours caused a fashion fantasy, while the distressed jeans gave the collection an edgy appeal. Suede coats with embroidered lapels, gave the silhouettes a very artistic look, while the belts that were styled in an innovative manner, made each outfit visually stunning. Velvet and shimmer were the basis of this unconventional line. The holographic and digital printing added that touch of pizzazz. The shades of blue came alive for a printed sheer jacket over deep blue dress all created in glass nylon, cotton viscose, faux leather and polyester with hand embroidery. The black faux fur swing coat over blue dress had hand embroidery and was created with cotton viscose, polyester, knit, PVC and bonded polyester. With an abstract holographic rubber heat transfer the shift in polyester and cotton viscose was a great look.

With an edgy and intriguing collection, the designer made sure that her body art was deliciously unconventional and functionally fashionable. Creative, stylish on trend with a wide assortment of fabrics and embellishments, Kanika Goyal’s look was all about adventure in fashion.

Ishanee Mukherjee and Anirudh Chawla – Contrast textures
When designers Ishanee Mukherjee and Anirudh Chawla made their first appearance at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2017 with their label ‘Poochki’, it was evident that they will score on the fashion charts.

Keeping the theme ‘Inspired by Clouds’ as the base the duo took further ideas from the poem The Black Cloud by W. H. Davis. The result was a line of unconventional silhouettes and forms. With the cloud print as the constant, the fabrics that gave life to the garments moved from diaphanous organza to create the lightness of clouds and then moved to densely, crinkled textures in indigo tones. There was further movement towards more aggressive fabrics to complete the line. Using tie and dye along with hand block prints and crinkling, the organza, felt and cottons, were turned into sheer feminine dresses, flirty shirts, which were hand block, printed along with tie and dye and crinkled silk organza. The exposed seams on the striped panelled jacket were in felt; while the hand-block, printed, skirt in white had a fragile appeal.

Focusing on the style and cuts all the silhouettes were hand painted and block printed, to create a perfect combination of style, elegance and glamour. With a visually stunning story black and electric blue were fused together with the signature binding, to cause a sensation on the ramp. To further work the magic, crushed garments were used to depict volume. Belts were extensively used and tied into bows to give a very feminine appeal to each silhouette. With comfort being of primary preference, all the outfits were fluid and at the same time made a statement. When it comes to garments that offer diversely contrast textures and construction then the ‘Poochki’ label by Ishanee Mukherjee and Anirudh Chawla hits the high notes.

Sakshi Shah and Swasti Shah – A silk and linen tale
The designing pair Sakshi Shah and Swasti Shah’s label ‘Shanti’ was a fashionable blend of hand woven pure silk and linen. The latter was beautifully indigo-dyed for a line of wearable creations. The stark line of the belted jackets was a perfect complement to the cropped pants. The angular single-button jacket with round-notched lapels gave the ankle length trousers a stylish twist. Giving the sari a 21st century appeal, the designing duo teamed it with calf length pants, a bustier and bolero. To match the theme ‘Inspired by Clouds’ the pair ensured that the handloom linen was indigo-dyed to create the textures of clouds.

A total of 4 saris were presented, with each having its own distinct identity. The sari was designed with utmost perfection that made the duo’s collection mesmerizing. Special weaving techniques brought out the indomitable spirit of the environmentally friendly inspiration. With linens and silks as the favored fabric choice, round motifs made the collection effortlessly striking. For the fusion, Indo-western offering with an emphasis on linen, the Shanti label by Sakshi Shah and Swasti Shah gave the right fashion directions.