The month of February had loads to offer for fashion lovers, with two back-to-back major fashion events - the first being the much talked about Lakme Fashion Week, and the next being the 15th edition of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour 2020.
The Grand Finale of the latter was held at Mumbai. With every passing edition, Blenders Pride Fashion has built a stronger couture connection with people, by showcasing myriad ranges of outfits, wherein wearability is as important as the intricacy of the craft and the instant aesthetic appeal. The Fashion Tour has built a legacy, giving impetus to rich culture and diversity of the country.
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This year the edition aimed at reducing or rather obliterating the gap between the stalwarts of the fashion industry and those who have only embarked on this challenging yet fulfilling journey.
The Fashion Tour began with keeping the three themes - Craft, Blend and Identity in mind. The journey commenced with sought-after designers like Anamika Khanna, Manish Malhotra and Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla bringing to the forefront their eloquent and exquisite pieces of craft in the cities of Kolkata, Hyderabad and Delhi respectively.
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Talking of the Grand Finale, it had a few microevents lined up during the day. It kicked off with an Exhibition, then the Showcase, followed by a Style Forum and then the magnificent evening ended with 15 veterans of the fashion industry, showcasing their collections, that followed the ramp walk of the Global Icon and Brand Representative, Priyanka Chopra Jonas.
The Showcase was a talent hunt that was launched in October, 2019. On D-day, the Exhibit saw the winners of the Showcase present the most unique and outstanding outfits from their collection. The three designers who won this included Ikshit Pande of Quod, Sushant Abrol of Countrymade and Stanzin Palmo of Zilzom.
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In addition to the designers, Poojan Solanki, Preethy Karan and Ritu Chauhan, three models who participated in the competition, also emerged victorious.
While every designer put their best fashion foot forward, one winner's collection had an element of intrigue in it. Sushant Abrol's collection was based on the American series, Band of Brothers - based on the WWII. It was dedicated to his brother who was in the Armed Forces.
The collection took inspiration from the bond the people serving in the Armed Forces share and undoubtedly from their undying spirit. The silhouettes used were also inspired from the WWII era, including trench coats, and overcoats.
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In view of this Abrol says, "These days when you are inspired by the military, what happens is that people just end up wearing some badges which look like military medallions, whereas, I genuinely feel that you have to earn it. You cannot simply buy them, wear them and get into that whole zone."
Some outfits in his collection were seen with hand embroidery, morse code and the showstopper wore an outfit that was a blown-out version of the designer's brother's thumb print.
He adds that their label is still not even a year old and he is overwhelmed by the opportunity. "We complete one year in March. It is an achievement for us to crack this. There is a board here which says Pride of Indian (points at the board) and we are on that. There are hundred plus installations here and mine is near Raghavendra Rathore's which I never envisaged would happen."
Followed by the Exhibit was the Style Forum, a talk show that dabbled with various fashion-related issues and queries. The discussion threw light upon the reducing gap between the well-established and aspiring designers, the way fashion journalism on the whole has changed and how the average buyer has transformed. Anaita Shroff Adajania, the Fashion Director of Vogue Magazine in India, conducted the talk.
The culmination of the entire event was a spectacle, an amalgamation of unmatched fashion, melodious live singing and edgy dance performances. Priyanka Chopra Jonas inaugurated the last segment of the evening with her ramp walk, followed by a speech. She flaunted a strapless black outfit with a sheer dupatta tied onto the shoulders, making her look nothing short of a diva.
Her earrings, smokey eye makeup and stylish hairdo stole the show. Furthermore, she paid homage to late Wendell Rodricks, a famous Indian designer who passed away on February 12 this year. She said, "It is only apt on a night like this in the presence of so many luminaries from the Indian fashion industry that we remember Wendell Rodricks. He was a pioneer. He was a visionary of Indian fashion and he will always and forever be missed."
Thereafter, the stage was all set for the much-awaited finale, with 15 designers bringing their inspirational works on one platform, in front of the audiences who had longed for this moment, ever since the Fashion Tour began. From ruffled gowns to heavily embellished lehengas, the collections were superlative and varied.
The list of designers included Anju Modi, JJ Vallaya, Raghavendra Rathore, Suneet Varma, Gaurav Gupta, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Abraham & Thakore, Wendell Rodricks, Monisha Jaising, Namrata Joshipura, Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna, Anamika Khanna, Manish Malhotra, Abu Jani Sandeep Khosla and Ashish Soni.
Indeed, a Tour to remember!
