Lakme Fashion Week - Winter/Festive 2012 - Gen Next Preview

The Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2012 is back! Scheduled from 3rd August to 7th August, the fashion extravaganza is definitely a first ranker on every fashion high flyer’s To-Do List for the year. One key aspect of this Fashion Week is the consistent focus on scouting for and promoting fresh and upcoming talent. This year too, Winter/ Festive 2012 will see 7 Gen Next, 15 Emerging and 3 Accessory designers showcasing their collections.

And the budding designers who will be exhibiting theIr collections at the much awaited extravaganza have their task cut out for them. For in the past, the Gen Next Collection has thrown up some massive talent. Quirky sensibilities have flirted with practical aesthetics in collections and designs that have made the critics sit up and take notice of the young designers who have given this opportunity their very best shot. It’s no mean guess then, that the entire lot of Gen Next Designers for this season are currently busy getting ready for their Big Day. Two of the uber-talented designers, Tanya Sharma and Prashant Chauhan took a quick, brief breather from their back-breaking schedule to give Shotcouture a quick update on their upcoming collections. Tanya’s collection for GaGa, her own fashion label, will be a unique streetwear interpretation of the classic achkan and the tuxedo. Her silhouettes are a mix of menswear, clubbed with the traditional Indian wear. Designs like the tuxedo sari, the achkan kaftan seek to redefine the conservative achkan and tuxedo look into a transcendental space more reminiscent of contemporary aesthetics. She has highlighted the Indian aspect of her designs through the use of Indian fabrics and embroideries like silk ikat, net chikankari embroidery, georgette with vintage kasab and sequins embroidery. The colors palette for this very intense and modern collection includes mustard, royal blue, peach and a generous streak of fluorescent pink. Prashant’s collection takes its inspirations from the verdant and picturesque Valley of Flowers in Uttarakhand, India. His inspiration comes from a celebration of the air of silent mystery that surrounds the valley. He seeks to capture the essence of Nature through details, prints and decorations inspired by the Valley’s stunning fauna. Upbeat, modern signature pieces celebrate a woman, who like the valley, embodies a formidable Force Of Nature. Prashant’s collection uses the vast canvas of valley’s flowers for color inspiration. He has experimented with bold, vibrant and playful combinations that enhance the glamorous appeal of the designs, and at the same time infuse them with an untouched innocence. The collection uses natural fibres like hemp, soya, ramie and flex, and seeks to turn these natural fibres into timeless pieces of art.

If these two young designers are anything to go by, this season too, the Gen Next Show promises to be an event to look forward too. It is always a treat and a delight to see a new generation of designers reinterpret the existing trends and give them new dimensions.