Bangalore Fashion Week debuts in July

The first edition of the Bangalore Fashion Week (BFW) will be held from 23rd to 26th July, 2009. The event management company Dream Merchants is the organizer and promoter of BFW, the first such event in South India. The list of participating designers and the venue are yet to be disclosed.

Twelve wow designs for the Montana WOW Art

Fashion Design Council of India and The Montana WOW™ have pre selected twelve dazzling garments for judging at the Montana World of WearableArt™ Awards Show to be held in September at Wellington in New Zealand. The designs were showcased at the residence of the New Zealand’s High Commissioner, H.E Mr.Rupert Holborow . Also in attendance were New Zealand’s Trade Commissioner, Mr. Cliff Fuller, Mr. Sunil Sethi, President, FDCI, fashion designers, dignitaries and eminent guests. The event was sponsored by Thomas Cook and Tourism New Zealand and choreographed by ‘The Production House’.
The WOW season runs from Septeber 24th – October 4th with awards night held on Friday Sept 25th at TSB Bank Arena at Queens Wharf.

Two Fashion Week seasons – to be or not to be

The fashion fatigue seems to be setting into the Fashion Week events which have grown in numbers and the winds of change may be blowing again. Ignore international model, be Indian is what Wendel Rodricks says naming the two seasons as Summer and Wedding/Festive. As quoted in DNA Correspondent, he said, “what is best for most designers is to ignore the seasonal call. We show summer in March and festive in September/October..And who gives a damn about meeting international needs? This is India! We have to adapt to 'us'.” Fashion expert Meher Castellino speaks along the same line and explains it further in her feature in Financial Chronicle, “ I suggest members of the Indian fashion industry attend the annual garment expo by the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India. These expos have been held faithfully (for over four decades) every July. Here, ready-to-wear brands display their collections for the festive and summer seasons. These clothes are bought (in large numbers) by retailers. Their booking numbers are so huge it could easily put the Indian fashion industry to shame.” All outcome will be reported here-no change in that.

Swatch snags Manish Arora to design new watch line

Manish Arora’s exotic design sense seems to go down well with all brands seeking to spike up their product. Arora has successfully anchored Discovery’s Travel show, ‘The Adventures of a Ladies Tailor’, associated with Reebok, designed the packaging of MAC cosmetics and Nivea and is now adding bling to a new line of watches for Swatch, the Swiss watch maker. Swatch’s new spring/summer 2009 line has six watches designed by Manish Arora in his trade mark style, which is bright colours depicting kitchy pop culture and Bollywood imagery. The watches will be available at Swatch outlets and are priced between Rs 4,450 and Rs 16,200.

Fendi gung ho about its ‘Craft Punk’ event

The Fendi Foundation for Design, the Italian luxury fashion brand’s initiative, in collaboration with Design Miami, launched its first ‘Craft Punk’ event during the Salone del Mobile in Milan. As reported in WWD, designers from various countries including Japan, South Korea and Slovakia will take up residence temporarily to create designs from discarded materials from Fendi’s handbag factory in Florence. To assist them, Fendi is providing 10 of their expert artisans. The Fendi Foundation aims to assist young industrial designers in finding more global exposure through such high-profile initiatives rather than set up permanent museum displays. Michael Burke, CEO Fendi, reportedly said that the completed objects would travel to USA and Japan next year.

Dries Van Noten to be honored by the Couture Council

The Belgian designer Dries Van Noten will be honored by the Couture Council with their 2009 Couture Council Award for Artistry of Fashion at the organization’s fourth annual luncheon, scheduled to take place at Cipriani 42nd Street on September 9. Noten launched his label in 1986. As told to WWD, Valerie Steele, director and chief curator of The Museum at the Fashion Institute of Technology comented on his ‘incredible sensitivity to colour, to pattern and to ornamentation - and the way he has searched the world to find crafts people who can do what he wants them to do - is extraordinary.’

National Jewelry Institute holds first watch exhibition

The National Jewelry Institute (NJI) in New York, in conjunction with ‘Sparkle Week Spring 2009’ is holding its first watch exhibition, ‘Time and the Jeweler’s Art’ at The Forbes Galleries on Fifth Avenue from April 24 to June 27. NJI is non-profit organization which focuses on exquisite jewelry masterpieces of America, France and fine ancient jewelry. The exhibition will feature 40 contemporary time pieces from such participants as Dior Watches, Harry Winston, H. Stern, Piaget, Tiffany & Co., Timex, Valentino Timeless, Van Cleef & Arpels, Vincent Bérard, and Patrizzi & Co. Auctioneers. The highlights include Van Cleef & Arpels’ diamond, mother-of-pearl and platinum “Snowflake” design and Piaget’s satin, diamond and 18-karat white gold “Puzzle” watch with movable parts on the dial.

It’s about loving your camouflage

Dan Johnson is the co-founder of the New York based Love Fatigues clothing company, which specializes in designer camouflage. The primary mission of the designers of the Love Fatigues collection is to promote peace in this world and create an army of love – preferably wearing their sexy and colourful camouflage tops. And also to convince people that the camouflage print can be associated with love and not just war etc. Reportedly Johnson said, “"Our philosophy is to show another way for people to view camouflage. Traditionally, people think of the military and the killing of our enemies, but we have the opposite vision and are eager to change these perceptions." Log into www.lovefatigues.com for these very pretty, form fitted V necks.

Christie’s auctions exotic jewelry

Christie’s, the world renowned auction house is having a jewelry sale comprising exotic diamond baubles, one weighing as much as 32.72 carats, a Burmese ruby set weighing 6.76 carat and sapphires in exotic settings. A gem encrusted elephant dates back 1900 and is the center piece of the show.



The designer and his muse

The designer is constantly seeking inspiration to create his next masterpiece, something that will dazzle on the runway. The fashion runways for Spring-Summer 2009 showed designs that clearly had the animal kingdom playing the muse. Did the Montreal based designer Reneta Morales have jelly fish on her mind for this lovely dress? Or the genius of Lucian Matis poach on the colours of the gold fish for the L’Oreal Toronto Fahsion Week. Other inspirations were - the Korean designer Jo Myung Rye by sharks at the Seoul Fahion Week S/S-09; Chongfu’s unraveled cassette tapes at the China Fashion Week S/S-09; the Cherry Project’s rat fixation at Mexico Fashion Week S/S-09; Edgardo Luenga’s sea slug gown at the Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week Mexico - S/S-09.

Interfilière’s Colour projections for s/s 2010

The colours for the next spring/summer season of 2010 were worked out by Eurovet and introduced at Interfilière's expo in Paris early this year. The experts were unanimous that grim economic times demand hope, inspiration and colour – lots of it. Twenty five shades in all are played out in 4 themes. The colours which will rule, as marked out at Interfilière’s site, are the greens (Stars of the season), guests of honour are nuances of red and soft and refined pinks, mauves and neutrals are in full evolution. Also that bright and neon accents will work for beachwear and white and indigo blue will continue to remain in focus.

Source - INTERFILIERE-Trends-Summer-2010

U Discs – the new fashion statement

Considering that it has become a must-have item for all tech savvy student, worker, designer, shopper et al to possess a U-disc (USB flash disc), why not acquire one that is well embelished with Swarovski crystals or enamel detail. Catering to the style conscious are many a companies out there with FASN from China leading the pack. The FASN Art U-discs are becoming a luxury and style statemnt in themselves. While ‘aoni’ has erleased its anti-virus encrypted U-disc series and the Moscow company Man Works has designed submarine USB flash discs to make it water-proof, it is the very fashionable and pretty Art U-discs which are sought after.

In the age of rapid mechanization and high tech advancements it is the artisan who holds the thread of a tradition of ancient skills. Cut away from the mainstream these artisan groups struggle to hold on to what they have inherited and many social groups have come forward to support them. Newsvision introduces its readers to various artisan groups and their crafts from across the globe in this column.

Nomadic Tuareg at the edge of the Sahara

The vast continent of Africa is home to many a diverse ethnic groups and the Turareg (as the explorers chose to call them) are one large group of nomads of the Sahara and Sahel region whose caravans have crisscrossed the Sahara for thousands of years. In their own language they call themselves ‘Tamasheq’ or ‘the free people’. Being a matrilineal culture, the women hold autonomous positions in their society which is contrary to the cultural norms of this region including Niger, Mali, Algeria, Burkina Faso, and Lybia. These nomads travel light, carrying with them their wealth of self crafted exquisite jewelry and leather items. Many social initiatives have supported the ancient skill of these artisans.

It's raining fashion weeks

The absurdity of proliferating Fashion Weeks in India has reached almost hilarious if not tragic proportions. First there was the FDCI Week which continues to be what Fashion Weeks are meant to be – a platform for designers to showcase their work to the media and buyers. Then there was the Lakme breakaway timed a week apart in Mumbai and built on the commercial and promotion desires of a single brand. Next came Delhi Fashion Week riding on the FDCI dates and built on the ego’s of one person and the ambitions of a small coterie. With the Kolkata and Bangalore Fashion Weeks in tow, though mercifully with different dates, it is certainly raining Fashion Weeks. The plethora no doubt is a salute to Indian commercial profligacy even if it borders on the reckless. At Rs450cr, the Indian fashion design industry does not even add up to one per cent of Indian apparel and does not even match up to turnover of the bigger apparel brands. There has also been valid criticism that the Western prescribed fashion seasons imposed do not reflect Indian realities. Further, Indian commercial dynamics does not work a season ahead in most cases. Perhaps what is really required is a single Fashion Week and some specialised platforms and market weeks later in the year. Unfortunately, this is one area that does not come under Government statutes but only on one’s personal and commercial sensibilities.