 | Narendra Kumar Nari is bringing his menswear collection that was unveiled at the recently-concluded Lakme Fashion Week. A line in stark black and white, Nari says he will throw in some women’s wear too. Simple and sleek silhouettes dominate with minimal satin detailing. Some pleats and applique will be seen too. Ramp romp: April 3, 8.30pm |
Wendell Rodricks The Goan guru’s offering this season is titled The Mondrian Minimalist. After showing part of this line at Lakme Fashion Week, the designer is looking forward to bringing the line in “its entirety” to Calcutta. Inspired by artist Piet Mondrian and Yves Saint Laurent, Wendell attempts to take the Mondrian mood a step forward in stark black and white. “The lines of art, couture and prêt blur in this unique collection that is accessorised with Mondrian-inspired shoes, bags and jewels,” Wendell says. |  |
 | Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna The Delhi designers bring to Calcutta an Ode to Joy, their current collection unveiled in Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week last year. “The line is full on colour, perfect for a colourful city like Calcutta!” Rahul told t2 from the capital. Colourful graphic prints form the mainstay of the line. The designers worked with their friend artist George Martin to develop a print especially for Ode to Joy. “After Tranoi and WIFW, we were dying to take a break. But we love Calcutta too much to refuse. Business is not on our mind, just a great show,” signed off Rahul. |
BIBI RUSSELL The Bangladeshi designer makes her Indian fashion week debut as she opens the first edition of Kolkata Fashion Week. “All my fabrics are hand-woven and natural. I do not use synthetic materials,” she says. Her creations come in khadi, cotton, silk, gamchha, jute and jamdani. |  |
 | Rohit Bal The king of drama promises a rocking finale with a collection that is opulent and vintage. The palette picks are charcoal, purple and browns. The look has a hint of gothic and the line is about seduction of the night. “Calcutta is quite conservative. I am showing my Delhi Fashion Week finale collection. The city has never seen anything like this before and I am sure they will be blown away,” said the designer. |
Anjana Bhargav Anjana Bhargav will be making her mark on the Calcutta runway with an extension of her Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week collection. “The mood of the line is constructed deconstruction. Pattern-cutting meets intense pleating and draping to make sure no two garments are the same,” says Anjana. Mostly western silhouettes, the |  |
 | Manoviraj Khosla The Bangalore-based designer is showcasing both men’s and women’s wear collections at KFW. The emphasis, says the designer, is on surface texturing. “We have used a lot of layers, cutwork and applique to bring out the best of the textiles,” says Manoviraj. The colour palette is wide, all the way from beige and black to orange and red. |
Shane & Falguni Peacock The Peacock duo will be showing an extension of their Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week collection. The line has a rockstar-chic look with the primary colours being grey, purple and pink. A gothic feel is rendered through skulls, crosses and heavy zippers. Dresses dominate the line. |  |
 | Gauri-Nainika The Karan sisters from Delhi are bringing their pre-fall 2009 collection to KFW. “This line is for July, August and September. It is very clean cut, wearable and understated,” Nainika told t2 from Delhi. The designer duo has steadily emerged as the red carpet favourite in Bollywood as more and more celebrities opt for their flowing creations event after event, award ceremony after award ceremony! Their KFW line is in black, grey, beige and nude. Ramp romp: April 5, 3.30pm |
Zubair Kirmani The Kashmiri designer will showcase an extension of his Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week line for fall-winter 2009-10. The women’s collection will see many darker shades of winter while the men’s pieces will be in his signature ivories. “In a way, these garments are quite trans-seasonal because most places in India don’t see severe winters,” the designer told t2. Expect to see Indian handloom at its coolest best. As always, the designer has worked on rustic weaves to create interesting, urbane textures. “Many designers use the power loom to cut costs but that’s something I don’t do,” said Zubair. Ramp romp: April 3, 5pm |  |
 | Monapali The sister-duo of Calcutta is presenting a contemporary collection at KFW — interpreted in true Monapali style, of course. The silhouettes will be wearable — skirts, tops, tunics, slip dresses and saris — and the colour palette prefers warm shades like magentas and reds. “We have used a lot of tussar fabrics and blended in Benarasis with these neutral weaves,” explains Pali Sachdev. Ramp romp: April 4, 8.30pm |
| Dev R Nil Dev and Nil’s KFW collection is inspired by Satyajit Ray’s Charulata on one hand and M.C. Escher’s graphic illusions on the other. The result, the designers promise, “is a world of playful imagery where the lines between realism and surrealism fade”. The colours include Persian indigo and scarlet. Cutwork, appliqué and thread embroideries and Japanese glass beads and pleating are the highlights of the collection along with batik. Cotton silk, silk dupion, silk tweed and georgette lend themselves to form a silhouette story that is varied. Ramp romp: April 5, 7pm |  |
 | Sharbari Datta “My collection titled Yesterday For Tomorrow is totally in sync with Kolkata Fashion Week’s theme — Return To Roots. I am a revivalist designer and this theme goes totally with my philosophy of working,” says Sharbari Datta. The collection will boast of all of Sharbari’s signature elements. So, there is a mix of earthy colours like neutrals and rust with bursts of brighter maroons and saffrons. The couture collection borrows heavily from traditional Indian art forms like Kalighat patachitra and Madhubani paintings. There are folk elements from all over India as well as Africa and Mexico. Tie-and-dye, block printing, kantha stitch also embellish the clothes. There are sherwanis, angrakhas, achkans, bandhgalas, dhotis, jackets and shawls, along with lighter silk shirts, kurtas, sarongs and pyjamas. Ramp romp: April 2, 8.30pm |
Soumitra Mondal Soumitra Mondal will take a break from his already rooted khadi collections and look back into the rich heritage of India. “I would call the line Indian couture,” says Soumitra. So expect a barrage of bridalwear — saris, lehngas, kurtas — heavy and ornate. The colours go from red to brown, a festival and bridal palette. Ramp romp: April 4, 7pm |  |
 | Abhishek Dutta For KFW, Abhishek Dutta showcases Tree of Life, a collection that moves away from his western silhouettes to slightly Indian interpretations. “It taps the mood of people; how they want to go back to their roots,” says Abhishek. The line begins with silhouettes like draped dresses and structured jackets in blacks and then goes on to colours such as brown, grey, green and finally beige. “I am showing the modernised way of wearing Indian clothes,” adds the designer. There will be a touch of kalamkari and some woven cotton saris. Finally, the designer promises a collection without bling, “but not without leather”, he quickly adds! Ramp romp: April 4, 5pm |
Nouveau names
Kavita Banerjee’s Bon Bibi label was born in 2005. Batik in natural fabric is its signature. The KFW collection called Surprisingly Me is ruled by subdued hues with bright jewel and pastel undertones. Different shades of red flow into pinks and salmon, fresh citrus greens, mint green and yellow are blended with nudes and grey. The silhouettes and styling both are equally interesting, making this the one to watch out for!
After Cranberra Fashion Week, Rosemount Australian Fashion Week and Lakme Fashion Week, Calcutta-based Arjun Agarwal will try his luck at Kolkata Fashion Week. “I employ principles of deconstruction and asymmetry in my fusion silhouettes,” explains Arjun.
Sanchita Julkha will also present a diffusion line at KFW. Her highlights are surface ornamen-tation and textures.
Ramp romp: April 4, 3.30pm
