All eyes were on the recently concluded FDCIxLakmé Fashion Week as the country’s premier fashion show sets the tone for the entire season. And this edition had lots to offer suiting different sartorial moods. From hot to trot party looks, casual wear rocked with spunky capes and jackets to flirty swimwear, there was no dearth of variety in the prêt line. Speaking of holiday wear, contemporary labels like Jajaabor fronted a vacation wardrobe with its new collection Archipelago. Flaunted by showstopper Sayani Gupta, it took us to Indonesia — the land of coastal batiks, rainforests, flora, fauna, shadow puppetry, mythological tales and more.
We speak to designers Kanika and Neelanjan post their showcase, “Archipelago is an attempt to capture the diversity of the Indonesian islands through colours, textures, appliqué, prints and stories. The inspiration for the reactive prints came from the beautiful traditional coastal batiks by Dutch textile artiste Eliza Charlotte Van Zuylen and the famous Wayang Kulit shadow puppetry’s rendition of the Ramayana and the Mahabharata. The embroideries and textures are inspired by the rich natural biodiversity, brought alive in Chanderi silk.” The designers went to various islands in Indonesia such as Bali, Ubud, Surabaya, and Mount Bromo that acted as a muse, “One aspect that caught our eye was the unity in diversity, where despite being an Islamic country, Indonesia embraced Hinduism as a part of their culture and traditions. Secondly, the natural beauty of the less explored East Nusa Tenggara region dotted with forests, active volcanoes, pink beaches, and underwater caves inspired us.” Entrancing Indonesia translated into tale-telling ensembles of the labels such as printed jackets, overcoats, breezy dresses and bodycon adorned with motifs of marine life, postal stamps, botanicals and more.
The designer duo tells what inspired them to bring such postcards from travel, “We love to travel! As kids, the adventures of Tintin took us all around the world. We are blessed that we could create a platform to share the most fascinating stories from all around the world in the form of art with our audience. If our stories could reach out to a bigger audience in the form of fashion, one day, they might find the entire world gracing their wardrobes.” The designers add that as Indians, passing on clothes to the next generation has always been a tradition and so to imagine stories from all around the world, being carried forward as a legacy gives them a push to create more travelogues on apparel. “The goosebumps we get just thinking about translating travels into designs gives us more reasons to do storytelling.”
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