Two empowering women, Pratima Pandey and Rahini Ahuja, who represent the need for both practicality and reviving handlooms make the perfect opening for LMIFW SS’20
By Asmita Aggarwal
It was just the kind of opening that Lotus Make-Up India Fashion Week SS’20 in association with EbixCash needed. Ragini Ahuja of the eponymous label Ikai understood that the world is slowly gravitating towards practical clothing. Timeless is the new mantra that hopes to counter excessive consumption, something we can wear season-after-season and it qualifies to get the title of a “classic”. Elements like colour, artworks, and cuts this season communicated a story as Ikai or “one” celebrates women of fire, ones who empower and liberate each other.
“I constantly get a chance to work with strong women and also the ones who aspire to be stronger. They inspire me and play a big role in the way I design. For a young woman working 8-9 hours a day, she needs to be comfortable and still her fabulous best! We always add the practical details in our clothing —- pockets, tabs on sleeve so they can be rolled up, long jackets that can be layered on shirts or kurtas or even saris,” explains Ragini.
This kind of soulful thinking not bordering on looking at fashion through the lens of glamour comes from a grounded upbringing and watching her brother, a special child struggle. That’s why like always Shaurya Centre for Learning made the cookies, as it subtly empowers young adults by teaching them skills like baking, photography, and painting. “We try and utilise their skill set and motivate them to keep going. This season again we’ve worked with them and bringing delicious coconut cookies baked by them. The mood board was to pay a tribute to defying norms and recognising women, who have made a difference,” she explains. Strong graphic artworks have become Ikai’s signature and for spring, the bindu evolves into stripes and florals. Ragini worked on leather-on-leather (faux) appliqué belts, belt bags, and practical phone cases to make a play for accessories.
When we talk of strong women, Pratima Pandey, who has completed ten years in the business of fashion, seems like a shining example and thus her collection is an ode to a decade of Prama. “Dastaan” Spring Summer’20 narrates how Prama embodies the nuances and the shades of the rich Indian handlooms. It proves how love can be enduring and everlasting — even though here we refer to the delicate and luxuriously rich Chanderi fabric, which has been a constant favourite. It’s superbly layered with opulent embroideries of flora and fauna, as the collection offers classic layered kurtas, drapes, saris and dresses. The mood of the line is easy luxury dominated with the colour Kora which Prama is known for with hints of yellow, indigo and black.
“I think the need of the hour in the style universe is clothing which is comfortable, chic and easy maintenance. Hence, with our new collection we have introduced chanderi which is hand-washable and requires no ironing. My views on gender neutral and monochromatic clothing are liberal, it’s high time we celebrate individuality in design and style,” says Pratima who had the iconic actress Sakshi Tanwar as her showstopper.
Her signature has been the cotton crinkled Anarkali layered with hand-embroidered chanderi kurtas, this year it comes with a twist as she experimented with the textile in more dressy kurta silhouettes. “Since I belong to Madhya Pradesh there has been an innate love for textiles. As I began with my journey as a designer I wanted to stick to chanderi that inspired me and wanted to work on evolving it,” she concludes.
