Fantastic Five - Deccan Herald

Click here to read from Deccan Herald.

Bangalore was host to the regional rounds of Wills Lifestyle, The Debut which recognises young design talent in the country.

New India is raring to go! Brimming with talent, zest for work and intelligent foresight - India’s youth has arrived. And a recent upscale nationwide contest for design students held in the City, was a true revelation. Armed with their magic needles, an army of models and ramp for their battleground, 14 design students battled it out to make it to the prestigious runway of the upcoming Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week, slated to take place between March 12 and 16 in New Delhi.

Organized for the second time by Wills Lifestyle, ‘The Debut’ recognizes young design talent in the country. The winner gets to showcase his or her collection at the fashion week besides an all expense paid trip to an international fashion fair and an opportunity to work with ITC Ltd. Last year, winner Shivan Bhatia of NIFT made it to the Paris Fashion Week. This year, 200 students from NIFT, NID, Pearl Academy of Fashion and JD Institute of Fashion and Technology submitted their illustration-based design portfolios for evaluation.

Bangalore was host to the regional rounds after Mumbai. Creativity, technicality and commercial viability were the three key elements. After a gruelling showcase-and-feedback sessions, five fantastic participants as against the initial plan of three, were selected for the final round (to be held in New Delhi on March 5). All girls - the winners were Sulakshana (Hyderabad), Nithya and Shipra (Delhi), powered up further by Bangaloreans Geetika Singh and Mayuri Sarof.

Said an elated Geetika, “Shortlisted 44 candidates were randomly divided into groups with 15 each. We were sponsored by Wills to create two or three outfits based on our own choice of theme.”

Titled ‘Cultural Amalgamation’, Geetika’s collection comprised beautiful drapes in lush chiffons and suede mixes. So, what is it to design garments? “Fashion has to be practical and saleable. No avant-garde fashion for me,” said the assured NIFT student.

The jury panel comprised designers Deepika Govind, Neetu Gupta and NIFT teacher Nien Siao. Great colour combinations, impeccable constructions, neat finishes - the clothes were definitely upto the mark.

Big Indian Designers - Article From TOI

The year 2007 was a big year for the Indian fashion industry both in the domestic and international circuits.

With local Fashion Weeks providing a platform for that much needed exposure, Indian designers spread their wings to international ramps. Ace designers like Manish Arora, Ashish Soni, Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Rocky S, Savio Jon, Tarun Tahiliani, Ritu Kumar, Leena Singh, Renu Tandon, Neeta Lulla, and Varun Bahl showcased their creations on international ramps...

Manish Arora at Paris Fashion Week
Having swayed the fashion arena in India and London, designer Manish Arora created waves in the fashion fraternity when he became the first ever Indian designer to showcase at Paris Fashion Week - the ultimate fashion hub of the world.

On his selection to participate in the coveted fashion event, Manish said, “They (Paris Fashion Week organisers) have been seeing my work for three to four seasons now and even during last Fall Winter, they were in India. In fact, I would say that this call has been taken keeping in mind the culmination of various lines and not just this one that I showed at a particular India fashion week event.”

Ashish Soni at New York Fashion Week
For designer Ashish Soni, participating in the New York Fashion Week held in September 5, 2007 was so crucial that he preferred to give the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week a miss, as the dates for his show at the international fashion week was clashing with the domestic event.

The designer took his Spring Summer 2008 collection to the New York for the third time but he was still as if it's his first time. "This is my third inning at the New York fashion week and I hope it turns out to be the best. It’s really not easy to be a part of a fashion week where you are still an alien. One has to have tremendous grit and patience to realize that it will take some time for the people to respond to your idea of style. It’s a tough world out there and I consider myself lucky even to be a part of this enthralling show", said Ashish Soni.

Manish Arora at Victoria and Albert Museum
It seems as if Manish Arora was on a global spree throughout the year. From London to Paris to Dubai and other fashion hubs, the ace designers made his presence felt everywhere.

Manish also got the opportunity to showcase at "India Now" festival at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London on September 7, 2007.

Manish Arora at London Fashion Week

Renu Tandon showcases in Singapore
The eternal combination of black and white has always remained a delight for fashionistas and with this in mind, designer Renu Tandon created her new spring-summer collection 2007-08 titled ‘Power & Peace’.

As a part of 14th International Sindhi Association organized by 'Mumbai Se' in Singapore, designer Renu Tandon had two shows in Singapore. Apart from the new collection, Renu also showcased her autumn-winter collection 'Baroque Passion', the same collection that she presented during Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in March 2007.

Kavita Bhartia and Ritu Kumar at Pret-e-Porter
If Manish Arora took his designs to the ramps at the Paris Fashion Week, designers Kavita Bhartia and Ritu Kumar were not far behind as both had a stall at the Pret-a-Porter in Paris.

Meera Mahadevian goes to New York
Indian accessories designer Meera Mahadevian was felicitated by the famous Newark Museum in New York for her 21 years of hard work and creativity. On October 3, 2007 as a part of The India Celebration Week, a preview of Meera's accessories and garments was hosted by the museum and was also displayed in the Museum Rotunda and the Education Shop in New York for exclusive shopping.


Duo magic at RAFW
Two Indian designer duos Dev r Nil and Rahul & Firdos were among the 100 designers showcasing their work at the Rosemount Australian Fashion Week (RAFW), meant for the Asia Pacific region, in Sydney that was held from April 30 to May 4, 2007.

RAFW is Australia's incubator of innovative design, to which only established designers with a consistently proven viable business are invited. It is an industry-only event, made accessible to registered buyers, agents, media and other fashion industry representatives.

Neeta and Pria at Rome's fashion street
As part of the exchange program between Lakme Fashion Week and Alta Roma (Rome Fashion Week), Lakme Fashion Week designers Neeta Lulla and Pria Kataria Puri were the lucky ones who took their collection to Rome Fashion Week that was held from July 9-13, 2007 in Rome.

Catch 'em young
Eighteen young Indian designers got an opportunity to showcase their creativity and vie for awards at the prestigious Montana World of Wearable Art (WOW) fashion extravaganza in Wellington in September. The names shortlisted by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) included, Avant Garde Section - Harsh Raman, (NIFT Hyderabad), Man Unleashed Section - Shayan Mitra Mustafi (NIFT Kolkata), Kapil Sangwan (NIFT Gandhinagar), Shivan Bhatia (NIFT Delhi), Rajskaran R.S. (NID Ahmedabad), Nandini Sundaram and Nowshath Ali (NIFT Chennai), and Morvi Kumari (NIFT Delhi).

Manish Arora at London Fashion Week
Manish Arora has added many feathers in his hat as the frequency with which this ace designer is taking his creations to global ramps is par excellence. And Manish knows exactly about the demands in these foreign fashion markets.

Click to read from Times of India