MANISH MALHOTRA AND LAKMÉ FASHION WEEK COME TOGETHER IN SUPPORT OF ARTISANS FOR THE OPENING SHOW
~The designer collaborates with Mijwan Foundation to present his latest collection ‘Ruhaaniyat’~
~Proceeds from the ticket sales will go to Mijwan foundation~
Designer extraordinaire Manish Malhotra is set to showcase his stellar collection ‘Ruhaaniyat’ at the opening show of Lakmé Fashion Week 2020 Digital First Season Fluid Edition. Manish Malhotra and Lakmé Fashion Week have partnered to support artisans through a fund-raising opening show presentation. The collection, a tribute to all the artisans and craftsmen of India, celebrates 10 years of the designer’s association with Mijwan Foundation. Support & empower the women artisans at Mijwan by donating using the link.
Talking about the collection and upcoming virtual showcase, Manish Malhotra said, “Ruhaaniyat is my tribute to all the artisans and craftsmen of our country who have left the fingerprints of their art onto our heritage culture. It’s about the eternal soul of the craft from two culturally rich regions (vibrance of Punjab and nazakat of Awadh) and how it continues to live on even today.”
About his association with LFW, he further added, “The new format of the digital fashion week which required me from creating, conceptualizing to directing a film has been enormously demanding. Working with models and making them characters, collaborating with musicians from all over the country, and managing several other things simultaneously, this has been a rather rare experience that I’ve truly loved because somewhere it satisfies two loves of my life – fashion and film.”
“My association with Lakmé Fashion Week continues to grow stronger. We continue in our journey to explore many layers of art and craft through our showcase, and there could be no better platform than to showcase our Ruhaaniyat collection with LFW.”
He further adds, “Mijwan strikes the deepest chord of my emotional bond with craftspeople. We just completed our ten years with Mijwan, and it gives me so much happiness to see the village growing bit by bit. Today, the craft of Mijwan is an integral part of our label, and we are happy that with our support, the village is growing, and we will continue to take bigger strides to empower not Mijwan but our all other craft clusters.”
Commenting on the collaboration for the opening show of Lakmé Fashion Week’s digital-first showcase, Jaspreet Chandok, Head Lifestyle Businesses IMG Reliance said, “It’s always a pleasure to have Manish at Lakmé Fashion Week. We wanted the opening show to be really special this time and towards a cause that is important to all of us, towards the artisans that are the backbone of our industry. It is our privilege to have partnered for Mijwan fundraiser which is so close to Manish. We look forward to seeing the master courtier spin his magic on the virtual runway.”
The collection is charmed by the majesty of old-world regalia and takes the liberty to re-interpret the look in a more suitable palette for modern tastes. Revisiting the medieval era’s material milieu, the collection comprises kalidar kurtas, khada dupattas, ghararas, and izar salwars for women and jama angrakha and heavy shawls for men in pure and cotton silks, mashru, velvets, and muslins.
The range will constitute Punjab’s big identity, Awadh, and Kutch with its rare, never-seen, and never-used before archival fabrics that bring forth the real fraction of the old luxury repertoire. These vintage textiles are over a century old and discern one with its unparalleled finesse. It comprises of accent borders that are zari-woven in original gold and silver. The fabrics are hand-basted and hand-quilted for the aesthetic continuity, and palettes are strictly maintained to match the hues of natural dying like teal, pistachio green, dusky pink, grey, and maroon. The voluminous silhouettes, deft embroidery, fine layering all emerge together to form a harmonious sense of style.
The collection breaks-away from the aesthetics of fast-fashion couture and aims to revive indigenous craftsmen and artisans’ slow and purist workmanship.
This showcase will also feature Manish Malhotra Jewellery that strikes the right balance with the outfits’ vibrance and opulence. The range comprises elaborate head wears consisting of passas, maangtikas and maathapattis, embellished necklines spanning chokers, haars, two and three tiered necklaces, stud, and Sahara earrings. Furthermore, the jewellery collection also includes haathphools, kada, rings, and stackable bangles for hand accessories. All the jewels are handcrafted in the excellence of pure gold, flat-cut diamonds, rubies, Russian and Zambian emeralds, and pearls. These jewels bespeak the exquisite grandeur’s journey, and finesse of art flourished in the provinces of Punjab and Awadh.
The show was telecasted on Lakmé Fashion Week’s virtual hub on 20th October
