IFM @ AIFW DAY 4

IKAI BY RAGINI AHUJA. This spring/summer 2016, designer Ragini Ahuja presented a tribe of Romantic Rebels. Elaborating on the concept, she explains, “The inspiration is all of us. Every woman is an Ikai woman. This is just the Ikai tribe trying to run away. We have gathered a pack of smokes and a shredded denim jacket.”

The shapes consisted of oversized loungewear, bomber jackets, maxi jackets, pleated pants with paper-back waists and tasselled brogues. Street-wear is elevated with leather appliqued laces in softer hues. Denim has been bleached, washed and appliquéd with vintage patches on jackets, skirts and denim shirts.

The designer believes that anti-fit is not a trend but a lifestyle. “The delicate woman shifts to androgynous shapes because we all have that bad-ass androgynous side and the collection just reflects that,” says the designer. The designer has used a lot of leather, soft denims, and patched applique patterns. The artwork involved geometric chintz florals, cotton stripes, moving to smokes and cigarettes, and text like ‘QUIT’ written across the garments.

An anti-fit, androgynous lifestyle advocated by designer Ragini Ahuja. Designers Shani Himanshu and Mia Morikawa played with the deconstruction theme.

The designer’s love affair with leather is evident through her designs. But how did she use the fabric for spring-summer? Says Ragini, “Leather is an edgy material and, when used as an applique, shows so much strength. I feel like I could use leather in all my garments.”

11.11/CELL BY DSGN. Designers Shani Himanshu and Mia Morikawa’s presentation for Spring/Summer 2016 did not fail to surprise us. The first surprise was the live band—Stefan of Ska avengers and Jazz Bastards—at the helm to form a percussion, making foot-tapping music with everyday objects like spoons, drums, funnels, etc. The color palette was divided into three phases—undyed off-whites moving to natural indigos, reds and a hint of yellow. This season, too, the designers showcased the love for their clothes by walking the runway in their own creations. The fabrics were signature yarns from the designers—khadi cotton, kala cotton, khadi denim and chambrays.

Deconstruction was the major theme of the show with half-jackets tied around the waist with strings, frayed denim patches on jackets, and structured drapes.

The piece that caught our attention was a textured red cropped jacket. Designer Shani elaborates, “This was an attempt with reclaimed materials. The texture was created using waste fabrics that were left in the workshop, dyed and stitched together.”

Noteworthy were the shoes on the runway made out of corrugated cardboard. “I thought they would last longer. I used to run in them,” the designer laughs.