Princess of style

Niloufer Khanum of Hyderabad was the OG of fashion influencers with her Westernising the sari, adding exquisite pearls and it is this regality that Anushree Reddy recreates in organzas this season for the bride who chooses subtle shine over overt bling.

By Asmita Aggarwal

It has been a ten-year long journey she considers herself lucky that she does occasion wear, which offers both consistency and continuity and according to a CRISIL Research, the Indian wedding and celebration wear apparel market was estimated to be approximately Rs 1100 billion.

 There is no adapting to drastic changes as this sector is robust and it has the unique ability to service itself all year round with the myriad players in the fray. Being in the business you must be aware of all its time taking aspects—marketing, styling, shoots, everything matters to remain relevant to an audience with shifting tastes.

As her forte remains floral prints, Anushree Reddy, felt this USP was soon replicated by competition rather swiftly as the designer landscape has similar products, but today her distinct ethos differentiates her from a sea of also-rans. Her price points and product quality are synonymous, plus having different ventures gets you diverse wedding shoppers.

The zardozi, cut dana, threadwork, pearls, always serenades someone looking for something—whether it is the mother of the bride, the bride, the extended family or cousins. The awareness that a bride brings today on the table is unprecedented. “She may be simpler with fewer elements and bling, but she knows exactly what she wants,” admits Anushree, adding you can’t get away with what you showed last season.

 This year is a year of pastels and soft pinks, plus no one is asking for the once staple ‘red’ with its diminishing popularity, but what she does do is make each piece versatile and personalised. If the lehengas is heavy the second skirt will be much lighter so that she can dance the night away, no one wants to feel restricted. Inspired by Princess Niloufer of Hyderabad, who Anushree terms as the “OG of fashion influencers” she narrates the incredible tale of the Turkish princess, married to a Hyderabadi prince.

The dazzling beauty of Princess Begum Niloufer Khanum Sultana Farhat (1916 –1989) was one of the last princesses of the Ottoman Empire and was married to Prince Moazzam Jaah, the second son of the Nizam of Hyderabad, so it was natural that Anushree dipped into the city’s history she was born in. Many museum runs later and armed with catalogues and photographs she embarked on paying a tribute to this long lost beauty.

Known for her sarees and  jewellery, the princess was photographer Antony Beauchamp’s muse, and was credited for adding Parisian grace to the Indian sarees which were made by Madhav Das in Mumbai. She loved chiffons and crepes, and wore them often with a broad woven Banaras brocade border. “Niloufer was the woman behind the term Indo-Western as her silk saris came with lace frills, and an abundance of sequins — made by even Lanvin in Paris. Custom pieces came from Indian weavers, and till today her wardrobe is still studied by fashion students. Her collection of sarees are now treasured at the New York Institute of Fashion Technology,” explains Anushree, alumnus of the London School of Economics.

The 2024 line by Anushree pays tribute to the grand embroidery that the Princess loved, in silk, net and tissue, with pastels and exquisite embellishments. “Her sari sometimes was designed in France and then when it came to Hyderabad, she had it embroidered by Indian artisans,” adds Anushree who studied vintage photographs almost 100 years old and recreated the magic of her pearls embellished organzas with vintage flowers blooming on diaphanous saris.

Interestingly, that’s not all that Anushree is busy doing, she recently launched get wedding décor company that takes forward in inspiration and style what her occasion wear entails. So, the panthers and bright florals are replicated in her décor company that she believes is an exciting vertical to her already successful business. “The visual language is the same, and it really gives me joy to be a part of the celebration. Not just designing but also taking a leap of faith by deciding the theme and concept of each function,” she concludes.

The War Within

Bomb blasts, barren land, soldier writings on walls and stones, how war destroys the fabric of mankind and its futility has been beautifully mirrored through deft stitches by Sushant Abrol’s label Countrymade.

By Asmita Aggarwal

From writing poetry, to working with 8-10 needlework techniques, using imagery of his late Air Force pilot brother’s life-from plane fuselage to the Morse code, Sushant Abrol’s label Countrymade, launched in 2019 is an homage to ingenious thinking.

At 33, Abrol has won the Nexa Spotlight, without ever giving up hope, even after he faced several rejections, this is thanks to his upbringing, where challenge is part of daily life. He is delighted to get a solo show, a task many veterans have been unable to achieve, complete with 30 looks, after all he is just four years old in the industry. He was clear, he will launch unconventional menswear, but not slide into the comfort zone of ethnic offerings, even though this space is till evolving.

“Menswear doesn’t work like womens wear, the former like to touch and feel, desire right fits, and to get a repeat clientele, you need to understand and customise,” says Abrol. A believer in slow growth charts, building on a strong foundation, albeit consistently, is his motto. Without spending on PR and marketing, he refuses to overexpose the brand, neither has he tested the choppy waters of influencer marketing. “I haven’t evolved with the insta-creator economy, it has been a personal choice,” he smiles, adding he wants to still stay relevant even when social media craze wanes.

This is even though naysayers advise him against his decision, stating he is losing out on opportunities, but his buyers are mature—artists, musicians, and architects, who come to him for elevated basics, so you do not need a Uniqlo in your life. From a distance you can tell it’s Abrol’s clothing, and it is nothing like the designers he was trained under from Rohit Bal to Jyotika Jhalani of Janavi. Though his mentor, has always been the inimitable Shahab Durazi, whom he was curious about, often called as the ‘Armani of India’. “I travelled to Mumbai, met him and since then he has guided me, I always share my progress with him,” says Abrol. Just like he read Vanguard, a book written on the architect of Indian fashion Rohit Khosla, by his sister Rohini.

The core of this brand rests on stark neutrals, hand done embroidery, he mastered neatness, modernised khankas, refused to do animals or flowers motifs, the inspiration is intangible, like poetry which turns into art forms. Using off white threads for his embroideries, chanderis and pure silks, matkas, katyas, as well as linen, prints over embellishments is his lexicon. “Men want to repeat clothing, but I see some reluctance when it comes to embroideries even though we do a lot. They are only now exposed to the beauty of woven and knitted offerings, earlier it was only checks and stripes,” he says. The feeling is if it is ‘worked on’, it is feminine.

Everything Abrol indulges in, comes from a personal space, even if you look at the name Countrymade, it conjures up images of hooch, liquor, or arms, but that is not what he believes. It refers to things made slowly, by hand, a labour of love, a small cottage industry, where there are no industrialised processes.

In 2015, he applied for a scholarship to study at London College of fashion, but didn’t bag it, little did he know that it would be a blessing in disguise as his label today is for a discerning few who value his craft. His brother remains the central character in all his collections, even the latest, titled “No Man’s Land”. This is based on the letters he received which have been preserved till today by his mom, and when he sat down to read them again, he felt a profound sense of loss—-revisiting the pain. The letters would come with a tagline ‘Confidential” meant to be opened only by Sushant, this was today playing in the background when he saw the Russia-Ukraine war on TV.

The questions that emerged were –“What are we fighting for?” capturing the odyssey of a soldier reflecting a personal battle ensuing within. “I believe in dialogue, as humans we must find a common ground, how soldiers feel after war, when he views the destruction, is my inspiration,” he confirms. The line presents this dichotomy and internal confusion through clothing specially Gond art, where the stitches reflect the tyranny of barbed wires and train tracks. The extensive R and D was done viewing thousands of war imagery, from barren land, scribbles on stones and walls by soldiers wanting to vent seeing the inhospitable surroundings, that saw kantha stitches coming into play.

On stamps that come on inland letters were used to show the communication, Abrol embroidered them, the detailing of thought by Countrymade is quite engaging. He created artistic impressions of trees, rivers, and mountains in no man’s land, indulged in line drawing, gave a bird’s eye view of farmland through embroidery, the line is replete with symbolism. “Bomb blasts are also shown through stitches, even capturing how stones fly with impact, I think the idea was to depict the futility of war, I hope I have conveyed that effectively,” he concludes.

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Moon Power

Paying homage to the moon landing and India’s homegrown space programme Pearl Academy students delve into the future to showcase how it could be the next vacation destination through metallics, anti-gravity hair and hybrid ensembles.

By Asmita Aggarwal

The Chandrayaan-3 mission, was a homegrown one, as the country reached the lunar south polar region, “India is on the moon,” Sreedhara Panicker Somanath, the chair of the Indian Space Research Organisation exclaimed. Chandrayaan-3 spacecraft’s Vikram lander touched down, putting us in the league of extraordinary space power biggies. This is a victory cry of a new India,” said the prime minister, Narendra Modi, as Chandrayaan-3 was launched from Sriharikota, in southern India.

It is this moon odyssey that turned into a heady leitmotif for Pearl Academy fashion design and image styling students with their show titled “The Moon’s Echo”. The twist here is, it is a journey which began with exploration in the 70s, now has Elon Musk’s company SpaceX, in full Space Exploration Technologies Corporation, which offers commercial space flight, based in California. With Falcon 1 rocket, it can send small satellites into orbit and with these innovations, turning it into a place where explorations and maybe in the future turn into a “holiday destination”.

This historic win has been the theme for the graduating batch at Pearl, celebrating moon landing through puffer jackets, and grey “lunar luxe”. There are hints of comedy too—where the dark side of the moon is depicted in the form of a crater. Here what is envisioned is finding water and making it a beach vacation, as guests carry their fishing rods, inflatable parachutes, backpacks, and foldable chairs.

Of course, drones serve as butlers, carrying bags and hovering above.  The final sequence is a celebration of sorts, vibrant characters, carrying rare earth objects, dressed like they are part of a “secret society’ ball, a display of an avant-garde aesthetic–  hoping to mimic all that the earth’s grandeur has to offer.

“The theme is inspired by the recent Indian moon landing, and depicts the seamless blending of the realms of fashion and futuristic exploration. What truly stood out were the imaginative designs that seemed to capture the essence of the concept. The show served as a reminder of one very important milestone in the history of the country, and we wanted to celebrate how India is leading the world,” said Antonio Maurizio Grioli Dean School of Fashion, Pearl Academy.

There are many interesting aspects of the show—from the “vacuum hair” resembling zero gravity and glittered up eyes. “The Moon’s Echo” presented 38 looks, and each section has been carefully divided. The moon landing is displayed through stark, grey, colourless outfits, interspersed with metallics, it was a challenge in creating the future, while building each character, with new-age construction. “Sleeping bag inspired gear, texturing, layering to leather and printing, playing with volume, each element is carefully processed,” says Megha Khanna, creative director of the show.

Along with this there has been a deft focus on corsetry, the artistic expressions have been conveyed through 3 D printing, structures emerging are experimental, laser cutting and material manipulation. “The accessories play with form and materials, add depth to the clothing, from metal to punk, dresses get converted into jackets becoming shape shifters, sometimes two garments are amalgamated to make one,” she explains. Interestingly, the headgears have been crafted out of household equipment—oxygen pipes, neck pillows, to give circular patterns and harnesses have been added for strength.

The creativity and passion of Pearl Academy students was visible as the show ended with an overwhelming celebration of vivacity through colour and picture-perfect moments.

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Fashion Design Council of India