The India Story, a Neotia Arts Trust Initiative presented by Chivas Glassware, in association with The Telegraph, had a lot to offer at their fashion and lifestyle section. From winter wear and party wear for the upcoming party and festive season to getting a wardrobe makeover with a host of street wear, casual wear and semi-formal brands, shoppers were spoilt for choice at the three day extravaganza at Swabhumi Raajkutir. To get the complete look, shoppers had the opportunity to pick a variety of accessories from the brands in the accessories’ section. Here are some of The Telegraph’s favourite spots from the lifestyle and fashion section:
RANGMANCH AND RAASMANCH
Working on handwoven fabrics, PLACE THE DOT presented classic styles with a vintage appeal that spelled out minimalism. Their Indian ethnic pret wear line showcased a range of basic silhouettes made of silk, cotton, chanderi and habutai silk. “This is our sixth time at TIS and it has always been a nice experience. We are showcasing our signature basic silhouettes in an array of colours inspired from nature, featuring traditional craftsmanship,” said Tapushi Pal and Daizy Tanwar, designers, Place the DOT. THREE packed in its entire range for TIS this year by displaying their kidswear, womenswear and menswear. “We got airport looks, comfort wear and travel wear in checks, stripes and quilting designs. Our collection is mostly made of wool, cotton and silk,” said Pallavi Dhyani, designer, Three.
AMPM displayed its collection ‘Nirvaan’ that showcased a range of easy-breezy silhouettes based on light fabrics. Designed based on the idea of ‘liberation’, the pieces are versatile, trans-seasonal and apt for wearing during any time of the day. “Our collection, Nirvaan, is born from the state of liberation. All our lives, we fight for what we believe we deserve, we struggle for what we believe we need, we suffer for what we believe will eventually give us pleasure. And yet above all, we desire to be liberated.Years of ignoring our own instincts lead us to creating a world which doesn’t feel authentic. So we set forth on a journey of peeling layers towards a path of self discovery,” said Priyanka Modi, creative director, AMPM.
TERRA LUNA, a clothing line for conscious fashionistas, is all about effortless styling. They displayed a range of their signature khadi and linen pieces and their bestsellers in both menswear and womenswear including shirts, tees, sweatshirts, jackets, hoodies, jumpsuits, dresses, pants, shorts, trendy co-ords, hand block-printed khadi tees, sweats. “Our khadi fabrics are painstakingly hand-spun and handwoven by traditional craftsmen in Amreli, Gujarat. We are participating at TIS for the first time and we are super excited to be a part of it,” said Stuti Dhanuka, brand founder, Terra Luna.
ANTAR-AGNI presented their signature pieces in a wider colour palette this year in fabrics like silk and cotton silk. “We have worked on lots of pleats and tucks that have been our signature for the past two years. We got some abstract embroideries also which are very much in sync with our philosophy. The subtlety of it is the game. The pleats and pintucks have been played with a lot of geometry so that remains as a USP and that’s what we are excited about. We have evergreen pieces. We don’t work according to trends. It is not about this season. It is a culmination of many seasons, that is why the showcase has multiple colours. The energy at this edit of TIS is good,” said Ujjawal Dubey, designer, Antar-Agni.
Designer Punit Balana’s stall was captured with a host of people checking out pieces from the label’s Sangenar collection. The highlights of this new collection from the label are block-printing and dyeing along with floral and geometric motifs featuring on Indian ethnic silhouettes.
The three-year-old fashion label, MINI SONDHI, showcased their art-inspired contemporary pieces in a wide range of silhouettes like dresses, co-ords and draped outfits. “We work on structured silhouettes in bright colours. The pieces are versatile and can be worn in multiple ways and as separates. I am a big fan of applique work. So, I have designed the outfits with cutwork and leftover fabric to create various patterns. Our approach is very sustainable,” said Mini Sondhi, designer.
SIDDHARTHA BANSAL displayed the label’s festive’23 collection and luxury pret occasionwear collection at TIS this year. Featuring a wide range of silhouettes like tunics, dresses, lehngas, the stall was a glam colour-pop corner at TIS. “We have got three collections — Blooming Tales that we recently showcased at Lakme Fashion Week, our upcoming resort wear and Indian wear collection,” said Siddhartha Bansal, designer.
SON OF A NOBLE SNOB, a regular at TIS, got their streetwear range in a classic as well as vibrant colour palette. “This is our autumn-winter collection called ‘The War Within’. It is about fighting the inner battle. We have interpreted it through different prints, textures and tried to communicate it through a graphic language. Lots of co-ord sets across menswear and womenswear. We have tried to create different textures through pleats and surface detailing. It is basically streetwear but has a grunge and sportswear touch to it,” said Mani Shanker Singh and Ritu Jain, co-founders, Son of a Noble SNOB.
NITIN BAL CHAUHAN’s black-and-white party wear collection featuring Western styles in structured silhouettes and metal design detailing was an eye-catching section. He also displayed a collection of topographic lines interpreted in innovative 3D embroidery, embroidered luxury occasionwear and ready-to-wear capsule collection featuring prints inspired by the Impressionists.
AMBIR got their demi-fine jewellery, base metal jewellery and 22k-gold plated jewellery. They also displayed unique jewellery items made of buffalo horn, camel bone and leather. Their leather-tasseled collection featuring an array of bright colours caught our eyes. “India Story has been a great show for us. We are doing it for the last three years and we are very happy,” said Khushboo Jain and Anuj Jain, owners.
How cute are these quirky dining and decor pieces from Bangalore-based furniture brand ESCAPE! The designs are inspired by camels and elephants. “We are a futuristic brand when it comes to production technology and methods. We launch fresh collections every six months and this time our inspiration was elephants and camels. So, the designs are repeated forms arranged in different combinations. They are all made of pine wood and kasa. The wood is stained and finished with an oil base to get the colours,” said Prateek Sabharwal and Sabriya Patil, co-owners.
ELLEMENTRY, the home decor and kitchen essential store, presented its hand crafted products made of terracotta, ceramic and paper mache. “We started in 2018 and this is our key project. While designing the kitchen essentials, we take care of the food safety standards. We focus on cultural revival as we work with terracotta and ceramics and also promote sustainability through our line of paper mache products. We will soon launch our store in Kolkata, so TIS was a great opportunity for us to introduce ourselves to the people of Kolkata,” said Prerna Chokhani and Punaam Baid, partners, Ellementry.
BADALIA DIAMOND JEWELLERS showcased their exquisite Maharani collection. Made of diamonds and studded with emeralds and rubies, the jewellery pieces are apt for the bridal season ahead. “This is our first time at TIS and the response was superb. We never thought doing a show in Kolkata would be important. This wedding season people are looking for heavy bridal jewellery. Tennis bracelets are a rage with the youngsters,” said Golu Bhai Badalia.
Kolkata-based home decor brand KRISANI was a crowd-puller with their innovative wicker pieces. “Our aim is to design pieces that make you feel at home. We champion the cause of sustainability through our wicker and natural cane products,” said Kriti Dhanuka, chief creator.
KASSA that works with recycled waste and organic materials presented its range of clothes, jewellery and bags. We specially loved the olive collection of bags made of cotton and factory-waste leather. “TIS is an art fest. Our bags are made of wax canvas, cotton and leather waste. We make our bags in a variety of styles, like handbags, sling bags, penny bags and laptop bags. We chose the colour green to do this collection because of its recent popularity,” said Arpan, Aryushi (inset) and Dhruvil, co-owners.
Keeping winter in mind, BLUSH BY TSD got their much-loved capes, ponchos and jackets that are designed in a versatile manner with detachable sleeves and provides maximum comfort with its cashmere blend.
TANN-ED, the leather-specialists, showcased its wide range of bags and T-shirts. “Minimal, edgy and structured, that is our style statement. Oversized totes, broad-strap bags, nano bags and T-shirts with leather straps are our bestsellers that clicked with the TIS shoppers, too,” said Ritika Gupta, Rakshit Singh and Konpal Batra.
DE’ANMA’s brass and metal hair accessories are statement-musts in the dresser. “We got in TIS our new collection that is all about stones and hair accessories. They are made of brass, gold coating and silver. Kolkata is a market with so many different types of people and our accessories cater to all whether they love chunky pieces or prefer minimal accessorising,” said Priyanka Desai, designer, De’anma.
OUR LOVE’s ready-to-wear collection was all about smart silhouettes with pretty or quirky design detailing. “Our inspiration for this collection was nature, so we used floral and nature-based motifs and embellished them to add a glam touch to the outfits. Our silhouettes are comfortable and easy-to-wear that can take one from work to party. Our colour palette is always very vibrant and we mostly work on denim, organza and crepe,” said Arushee Chaudhari Kapoor, designer.
FRENCH COUTURE-JAIPUR was a busy stop with its display of cashmere scarves, stoles, pashmina shawls and velvet jackets. “We like to make clothing for all body types. Our aim is to modernise Indian craftsmanship and provide it on a global platform and make them more wearable. Our present collection features traditional Kashmiri crafts of sozne, jamawar, kalamkari and also modern design detailing like sequins, pearls and plumes. It is our first time at TIS and the City of Joy has shown us a lot of love,” said Sweta Saraff Kejriwal, creative entrepreneurial optimiser.
Adding to the vibrant display at the exhibition were the handmade, scented candles from SCENTUARY BY D SCENTED CANDLES — LUXURY GIFTING. The letter designs add a personal touch and make these apt for gifting .
ASTROLOGY CORNER
A new addition to TIS this year was celebrity astrologer Surbhi Gupta’s chamber. “This is my first time at TIS and I had a great experience. I met a lot of people and it is good to know that people believe in energies. Women here are doing great work. Many women entrepreneurs came to me for guidance regarding their business ventures and I guided them with the help of numerology and astrology. I was very happy to be a part of it,” said Surbhi Gupta.
Spunky, the curated pop-up by young entrepreneurs Saumya and Anushka, was a vibrant display section at TIS. Like last year, the section had a host of high street, ready-to-wear labels that emphasise on fun and experimental designing. Jute products with embellishments from Episode, a range of white organza outfits from Staplesum, Essgee and Saaksha &Kinni’s colourful prints and ostrich feather-detailed pop colour outfits from Your Sliq were eye-catchers in this section.