Masaba Gupta's sporty-meets-resort-y collection

Masaba Guptasent a sporty-meets-resort-y collection down the pink ramp. Prints and colours marked the cool line. Along with kaftans, shirts, cover-ups, joggers’ pants and hoodies, fun ensembles for the experimental bride also featured. Masaba chatted with The Telegraph post-show.

The boAt X Masaba showing saw boAt headphones on the runway. Masaba has designed a limited edition range for them Sourced by the correspondent

The set looked so cute...

We had about four days to put this set up. Till the very end, we didn’t know if the show would happen because of Covid. We thought it would be digital. But we knew that the venue would be this Mazgaon dock, facing the sea. It was a massive piece of land. So, we had to do something to do it up. I knew I wanted to call it Masaba Land, taking off from Candyland because I have just reached this place, you know, the amount of collections that we are doing, they are not coming from a place of one theme any more. They are coming from a place of the idea that the brand is in this phase at the moment which is print, slightly kitsch, India proud and what can we do to put that pressure off us to keep finding a single source of inspiration each time.

Every time we are going to do something like this, we will do a theme around Candyland, because I think it’s truly that. The brand is that, the colours are that. The art director gave us some options. I thought the trees were beautiful as were the lollipop and the toffee.

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It was feel-good...

We didn’t want it to be drab and ‘oh you know there is a pandemic and we are in this space of mourning’. We just wanted to come out there and pretend that everything is absolutely fine.

It is a holiday collection...

It is resortwear. I just call it House of Masaba shaken and stirred. It is very reminiscent of things we have done in the past. The motifs as well as the colours, but it’s just slightly more evolved for today’s audience.

What new prints did you develop for this collection?

All the florals were developed from scratch by us. There were two new cow prints, which were not as serious as the previous one. It was more of an evolved version of the cow. We had some foil-printed themes, stripes... a mix-and-match of what the brand has been built on.

Suneet Varma’s #50 Shades of Happiness’

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Bold and dramatic summed up Suneet Varma’s #50 Shades of Happiness’, a virtual showing at FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week. The exaggerated sleeves were the eye-catchers. Suneet chatted with t2 on how the happy bridal couture collection was celebrated over patilas of biryani and why no travelling is giving him immense joy.

Tell us about the name of the line…

The collection was called 50 Shades of Happiness because coming out of the pandemic, we all need to find any shade of happiness. I talk about finding joy in the small things in life or everything in life because I think that’s what last year has taught us. I generally use a muted colour palette, beiges and baby pinks. This time I felt joyous, buoyant, alive, grateful and somehow I was drawn more to this colour palette. And I started to research and search the Valley of Flowers (Uttarakhand), which is I think is one of the most beautiful places on the planet. It’s not organised happiness. Abundance of joy.

This is your bridal couture collection…

Yes. And it is selling, people are buying it. Can you believe it? All those incredible blouses and the massive sleeves with mirror. They want to indulge themselves. It is new and different looking and so full of joy. If we are going to have to live with the pandemic, people will celebrate life more.

What are your favourite flowers?

I like wild flowers like jasmine and daffodils. If you go to Kashmir, you will find these incredible poppies. Even my spirit is like that. I can’t be contained too much and I don’t like to be.

Have you learnt to live in the now? What makes you happy now?

I have always lived in the moment, but I have learned to live far more in the moment. My personal health (makes me happy). I am in very good health and my personal sense of peace and contentment makes me happy. I’d rather be content than successful. Also, I haven’t travelled in the last one-and-half years and I cannot tell you how happy I am. My sister asked me if I wanted to go to Europe. I told her, send me a postcard!

Ritu Kumar’s minimal chic yet statement-y collection

Signature silhouettes for the modern Indian woman. That’s what Ritu Kumar showcased virtually at FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week. Colours, prints and crafts were seen in free-flowing dresses, tunics and capes with the scarf being a major accessory. Minimal chic yet statement-y, these will take you from work to dinner effortlessly. Amrish Kumar, managing director, Ritu Kumar, took some questions from The Telegraph.

What was your experience of the digital medium like?

The partnership between FDCI and LFW to present the first phygital showcase is a milestone moment for the Indian fashion industry. Physical shows had a palpable excitement right from the ideation process and the final journey of the showcase. While the thrill of having people witness your creations face to face will be missing, the hybrid format signifies the strength of the industry to bounce back and adapt to the current situation. As a first for the brand, we also associated with

TRESemme to bring in their knowledge and expertise of high fashion hairstyles apt for the runway. The final showcase was a success and we had positive feedback from people as they logged in virtually for the live streaming.

From the way the collection has been styled, it looks very tribal chic. Can you tell us about the print story and the crafts in the collection?

The collection ‘Mismatched’ celebrates traditional textile crafts like bandhni, suzani, aari work, rabari embroidery and Sanganeri prints. It does so by reflecting modern minimalism and a refined bohemian vibe. The new collection draws inspiration from summer and employs lightweight fabrics that are paired with prints and techniques. The designs have become lighter and more versatile in terms of dressing up or down as per the occasion in a woman’s life. These designs work for intimate gatherings, a work meeting or just an evening out. Being summer, the collection also sees lighter colours and fabrics that are luxurious yet breathable. The tribal chic styling was a natural extension of the collection, its colour and fabrics.

This summer will belong to...

Lightweight fabrics, silhouettes and designs that are perfect for the season and allow you to dress up or dress down be it outside or at home.

Ritu Kumar can read the mind of a woman like few others. What is she thinking now?

Experimenting with new fabrics that are sustainable, infusing the creative and independent spirit of women into pieces of clothing that are not only stylish but comfortable as well and ways of breathing new life into Indian handlooms — these are the few things that are probably on Ritu Kumar’s mind!

Pankaj & Nidhi’s Kaleido

Pankaj & Nidhi’s Kaleido was a burst of colours, “shine” and patterns. From reds, oranges and pinks to blues and greens. The cheerful collection saw dresses, co-ord sets and skirts, all fun and young. Pankaj and Nidhi Ahuja tell t2 why they changed the course of the collection midway.

The collection looks dramatic and colourful. And very retro! What did you have in mind?

When we started working on the collection, we were actually doing a more subdued colour palette and as part of the evolution of the design process, one night we were thinking about the collection quite deeply and suddenly had this kind of epiphany about wanting to change it completely. Something in our soul was stirring with a desire to do something which evoked a flash of radiance and a dash of happiness and stirred excitement in our soul.

The patterns are modern, retro, inspired by wallpapers, tile patterns, graphics and geometry from the ’50s and ’60s. These have been done in a modern and new colour palette.

It’s a very young collection. Who do you have in mind?

Yes indeed it is a young collection, but young is a relative term these days. You can’t really define it in numbers (age), it’s definitely got a youthful vibe to it. We are getting fantastic responses across all age groups... some into teens or some millennials, who so far may not necessarily have bought into Pankaj & Nidhi, but the vibrant, youthful silhouettes, the retro and pop colour palette have attracted them. There is shine in terms of the holographic shine, applique, cutwork, and radiance, almost like the one you get from a kaleidoscope and prism.

It has a party and holiday vibe about it...

We were definitely feeling the holiday (mood) and made the collection and silhouettes to be worn at sundowners, beaches and resorts. People are fed up of being stuck at home and this collection evokes wanderlust. The little bits of shine evoke a bit of magic.

What are your summer party essentials?

The short mini dresses from the collection are must-haves for whoever is partying safely.

The summer of 2021 will belong to...

I think the soul’s yearning to live normally again. They need to be in a happier space and we are hoping and praying that the worst is over.

Nitin Bal Chauhan’s “futuristic” collection

Big on sci-fi, Nitin Bal Chauhan’s 4.32-minute FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week showcase Faux-Amis (False Friends), is thought-evoking and “futuristic”. The designer explained the concept..

The video looks cool and edgy...

I really enjoy directing films. Going back to 2006-07, I made my first film (Lost or Found) and that got nominated for the New York Film Festival. I wanted to create some images of certain things that I have in mind, especially during this time when we had to rely so much on the virtual space. There are two things to it. One is obviously making the collection and the other is to come up with a storyboard and how you want the film to go ahead.

The emphasis is less on the clothes and more on emotions...

Very true. I didn’t want to have a show-show thing where I would rather show all the clothes, but pick up a few and go along with the storytelling. The first image that came to me was of an ice cream packed in plastic and no matter how much you are trying to eat it, the ice cream is melting away or maybe you are touching a flower wearing gloves. The tangibleness is just not there. The collection was futuristic and I made 3D structures out of small components. So, I just wanted to have a minimal, clean but a bold look. I used metallic fabrics and left a lot of space bare on the garments. A lot of negative space was important.

The theme was a virtual birthday party. Initially the girl sees everything is right in front of her, but she cannot reach them in the end. There was also a subtle message that your core friends will always remain your core friends.

What were the accessories made of?

What they were wearing on the face, a device to zoom into the virtual mode, was an accessory. Rest were part of the garment, made of beads and metal strips.... I embroidered it on the garment (to enhance) the power of the garment.

What is your all-time favourite sci-fi film?

The Man from Earth. This is a film shot in one room. I love the Blade Runner series too.

Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra showcased a smart and chic collection

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Brothers Shantanu and Nikhil Mehra showcased a smart and chic S&N by Shantanu and Nikhil line at FDCI X Lakme Fashion Week through a virtual showcase. We caught up with them to know more about the inspirations.

We absolutely love the collection! Chic, smart, sassy, cool! What’s the inspiration behind the name?

Shantanu: Having completed one year in this enriching journey, S&N with much gusto now presents #SNSafari, a collection that reinforces the celebratory and blithe spirit of the brand. An idyllic backdrop of ‘celebration on the move’, a travel-inspired undercurrent and a new-found tandem between folk and funk, #SNSafari is a celebration of oneself, of the journey and of the destination. Inspired by the notion of gaining ground amidst the humdrum of life, and exhibiting a sense of tranquillity through chaos, #SNSafari depicts a structured yet controlled madness, bringing order to disorder.

Given the global sore that still grips us to an extent, for this collection we wanted to focus on a more uplifting storytelling — one that offers a sense of aspirational escape and transcends these current breaks to a place more tranquil yet spirited — #SNSafari is an experiential narrative of travel where we invite our audience to celebrate vicariously.

We also loved the minimal aesthetics. Tell us more about it.

Nikhil: It draws inspiration from millennial musings on the move, adding an exhilarating hint to one’s luxury getaway wardrobe featuring unique design details for both men and women. Earthy tones, unconventional silhouettes and signature S&N attributes like tribal-inspired offbeat details, laser cuts and bold drapes take centre stage in a calming melange of safari-chic styles. From asymmetric kurtas and cropped jacket shirts for women, to open-cut sherwanis and structured shirts with Nehruvian details for men, #SNSafari is a fun gamut of ultra-modern styles. The collection being travel-inspired predominates in ‘comfort and nonchalance’. From funky drape trousers, easy-flowing kurtas done in asymmetric silhouettes for that extra edge, to new-age bomber jackets and crop shirts, #SNSafari’s offering a gamut of all things comfy-chic.

The monochromes are so hot! Why do monochromes rock?

Nikhil: Monochromes have long been synonymous with minimalism, a language true to the S&N aesthetic! There is just something about having a completely matching yet contrasting outfit that exudes both power and grace. We have added an extra edge to the monochrome, reinventing it with our funky trousers, functional capes and drape kurtas for both men and women. I feel monochrome is a timeless trend!

Will the brand expand on accessories?

Nikhil: We have taken our accessory game a notch higher with #SNSafari featuring trendy hand-gloves, brooches and belts, and we are most definitely looking at expanding our offering when it comes to offbeat accessories.

Finally, this summer will belong to...

Nikhil: The spirit of celebration.