Lakmé Fashion Week is set to deliver on the promise of Bollywood glamour and elaborate designs that is expected of one of the biggest events on the Indian fashion calendar.
Bollywood’s Ranbir Kapoor and Kareena Kapoor Khan are among the big names lined up to walk the ramp when many of the prominent names in Indian fashion gather in Mumbai from Tuesday, August 25, until Sunday, August 30.
With the event celebrating its 15th year, Lakmé Fashion Week winter/festive 2015 kicks off on Tuesday, August 25, with an opening show by the designer duo Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla.
Known for their regal and extravagant bridal wear, they have been dubbed the “masters of revival and reinvention”. Bollywood star Amitabh Bachchan and veteran British actress Judi Dench are among the celebrities known to wear the designers’ clothes.
Jani and Khosla have said they plan to “reinvent the traditional” to present a take on fashion “fit for the youthful, modern-day diva”.
One of the most eagerly anticipated highlights of the week is sure to be Manish Malhotra’s show on Wednesday. The Indian designer is a favourite among Bollywood stars and international celebrities, including Kylie Minogue and Kate Moss.
Sure to steal the show that evening is actor Ranbir Kapoor, who will hit the catwalk for Malhotra.
Renowned for his designs of flowing women’s clothing in vibrant colours, Malhotra has changed tack this season by deciding to present his first menswear show, a collection titled The Gentlemen’s Club.
The designer says his collection is “for the debonair man” and is “stylish, cool and contemporary”.
“In keeping with the season, The Gentlemen’s Club collection is a festive fusion of Indian and western couture, focusing on shades of emerald green and adorned with botanical motifs,” he says.
Gaurav Gupta will close Lakmé Fashion Week, showcasing his grand finale collection on Sunday, with Kareena Kapoor Khan walking the catwalk as the showstopper for the New Delhi-based designer.
Gupta is widely associated with unconventional sari designs featuring elaborate embroideries and with gothic and art nouveau influences.
American singer Skylar Grey wore one of his designs when she performed at the Grammy Awards last year, and Indian actress Deepika Padukone also regularly wears his outfits, including when she attended the premiere in Dubai last year of the Bollywood film Happy New Year in which she starred with Shah Rukh Khan and Abhishek Bachchan.
More than 100 other designers will also unveil their work during Lakmé Fashion Week at Palladium Hotel, including Ritu Kumar, Tarun Tahiliani, Kristy De Cunha, Namrata Joshipura, Anita Dongre, Narendra Kumar, Neeta Lulla, Divya Reddy and Kallol Datta.
The event always attracts a distinguished crowd of Bollywood stars, socialites and industry experts eager to see the latest creations from their favourite designers.
"LFW is really a highlight on our calendar, being in Bombay," says Che Kurrien, editor of GQ India. "Every year it seems to be growing and there's lots of innovation. There's always buzz and excitement. It's just a good environment to be around."
He said he was particularly looking forward to this season.
“There seems to be an emphasis on menswear, slightly more than in the past,” he says. “With Manish doing a dedicated show to menswear, I think that’s a huge story. For a designer of Manish’s calibre to get into a festive season where he’s doing menswear looks signals the growing importance of the menswear market in India, and that men are taking an active interest in the way they look.”
There are other trends to look forward to, he says.
“Being winter and festive, the styles do tend to be heavier – a little bit more embossed, more embroidered,” he says. “But you will see even within that context, people are slimming down the silhouettes. You will see things that are little bit more clean, more minimal, a little less over the top and just a little bit more modern.”
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