The trailblazing, exciting show brought to the fore the concept of ‘Canvas to Runway’ when the Fashion Design Council of India unveiled the innovative, display called “Fashion Wears Art” at Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI. The unique first-of-its-kind presentation of seven leading artists and designers was curated by well-known art aficionado, Shalini Passi and mentored by Mr. Sunil Sethi, Chairman, FDCI. In the world of fashion, the collaboration between designers and artists has been one of the most looked forward to globally as well as in India.
The “Fashion Wears Art” Project combined the creative visions of top Indian artists and the country’s ace couturiers that ended in a heady amalgamation of artistic concepts and sparkling styles. The designers and artists merger included top names in the business such as JJ Valaya x Waswo X. Waswo, Namrata Joshipura x Sudarshan Shetty, Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna x Vibha Galhotra, Varun Bahl x A Ramachandran, HUEMN x Hanif Kureshi, Gautam Kalra x Siddharth Singh Bokolia and Rajesh Pratap Singh x Mithu Sen.
Designer JJ Valaya, known for his stunning traditional creations touched with modern sensibilities and intriguing printed crafts, made an exciting merger with Waswo X. Waswo, a photographer, author, artist of miniatures and hand-colored photographs. J J Valaya worked with muted tones of beige, black and jade silk and translated the artist’s miniature paintings perfectly for the saris, Anarkali kurtas, kurtis, gowns and flowing shararas. A dash of sparkle was observed on the sleeve edges, sari borders, necklines and garments’ hemlines that added a festive flavour.
Namrata Joshipura is renowned for her cocktail and evening wear collections that have thrilled the fashion forward women globally. Therefore, her amalgamation with Sudarshan Shetty who is famous for his paintings, sculptures installations and mechanized sculptures was the right pairing. Namrata Joshipura’s cocktail hour offering had a shimmering, lapelled, overlay worn with a long, gloved, sleeved inner, while the deep “V” neckline, sheer, dazzling, long-sleeved hoodie looked sexy over a sleek, black body suit. The metallic mesh was used to create shifts and sheer trousers to match the artistry of Sudarshan Shetty.
Designers Rohit Gandhi and Rahul Khanna are names that are associated with clothes that speak an unconventional language so their teaming up with the creative Vibha Galhotra, a visual artist for installations, sculptures, and drawings, was a winning combination. Interpreting the work of Vibha Galhotra through their designs, the pair worked with intense shimmer for hooded creations, tasseled evening wear with abstract embellishments, long coats with shoulder accents that were all dreamt up in black to enhance the glitter.
Varun Bahl’s designs for casual, formal, and bridal wear have distinct touches of fusion elements so when he combined his designing talents with A Ramachandran a famous Indian painter, well known for his artistic visuals, the result was a mesmerizing look at fashion with art.
The artist’s vision was interpreted by Varun as a garden of flora that appeared in a medley of layered flowers and leaves on stunning dresses and gowns and with printed sheer silk, that created a fantasy of foliage fashion, all ideal for evening glamour.
The Huemn label by designers Pranav Misra and Shyma Shetty has created a great brand with their funky unisex creations that have a sporty vibe around them. It was but natural that Huemn label should tie up with Hanif Kureshi famous for his street art typography and work as an art director. The Huemn look revolved around white, relaxed, oversized, long or short sleeved shirts, inners, cropped tops with prominent patch pockets that were teamed with comfy pants, some with the distressed treatment. The addition of quilted mittens gave a trendy treatment that matched the artist’s street artwork.
From well-known stylist and designer, Gautam Kalra who has styled several fashion shows and celebrities, the combination with Siddharth Singh Bokolia, a creative photographer and video journalist was a great blend of arts and styles. Gautam’s styling for the elegant almost surreal film shot in a picturesque locale with dramatic ensembles and directed by Siddharth Singh Bokolia, brought the work of the celebrated photographer to the forefront in a graceful and innovative manner.
Rajesh Pratap Singh is the designer whose discreet styling, detailing and construction have many followers and when he teamed up with Mithu Sen, artist, poet and performer, the synergy was just perfect. Creating simple silhouettes with an emphasis on human anatomy that was lit up to highlight the beauty of the body, the skirts, pinafore, maxi, white shirt, and gown formed the perfect backdrop for Mithu Sen’s work and Rajesh Pratap Singh’s designs.
“This is a wonderful meeting of genius minds, and the result has always been paradigm-shifting. Even if you look at history, it began with Elsa Schiaparelli x Salvador Dalí and continued with LV and Yayoi Kusama. These powerful palette pleasers are conversation starters, and not defined by conventional rhythms of the fashion world. We are glad to see these legendary artists join hands with us on this remarkable project to shape our perspective in the design world.” said Sunil Sethi, Chairman, FDCI.
“This coalescence between art and fashion is symbolic of a dynamic and transformative space, offering a platform for artists and designers to push the envelope of creativity, challenge conventions, and create unique and culturally significant works.” said Shalini Passi, Founder Mash India.
Every season Lakmé Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI has brought innovative fashion concepts on the runway. This season the “Fashion Wears Art” extravaganza presented by the Fashion Design Council of India proved to be a great ‘Canvas to Runway’ showcase for both fashion and art lovers.
