Anand Kabra
A few things haven’t changed with Anand Kabra since his debut with the Lakme Fashion Week Spring/Summer collection in October 2006. He doesn’t oversell, believes in controlled media exposure but is always a phone call/sms/email away to his loyal buyers. Now a regular at Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week and working towards expanding his business globally, Anand is the most recognised designer from the city on the national platform.
Cutting edge: Anand’s creations are a synergy of Indian craftsmanship with contemporary silhouettes. He can use hand-woven Indian textiles like silk-mul and malkha or flowy fabrics like georgettes to create smart westerns and at the same time, stunning saris. His last collection was a tribute to the legend of Taramati. Yes, Hyderabad is in Anand’s DNA.
Asmita Marwa
Think Asmita and the term free-spirited comes to mind. Easy-to-wear resort wear is her forte. Asmita swears by cottons, specialises in designing for the well-travelled urban Indian woman. A few seasons at the LFW and India Resort Fashion Week, later, Asmita is debating on being part of LFW or Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week in 2014. In addition, there’s her store in Goa taking up all the attention. “It made sense for me to expand in Goa since my clothes are primarily resort wear,” she says.
Cutting edge: Contemporary cuts, plenty of separates that can be combined to create interesting looks, Asmita’s is a conglomeration of styles. An example is her previous collection Moon Magic for which she used black and white sketches of artist Vaikuntam’s works on flowy garments one associates with resort wear.
Anushree Reddy
Anushree launched her signature label three years ago when she realised she was an intuitive designer. An MBA from Cardiff University, she returned to Hyderabad and was a fashion editor and stylist for a city magazine. Her designs found high-profile takers within the city and she realised she had the potent combination of design sensibilities and management principles. Anushree’s debut in the ‘talent box’ section of Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2013 was her first big step in the national platform. “2013 has been fantastic in every sense. In the coming year, I want to bring out two more collections and take them to a wider audience. I intend to challenge my creative side,” says Anushree.
Cutting edge: Anushree’s bold, fun winter/festive collection called Tantrum Bride showed she has the ability to bring together floral patterns and age-old zardozi techniques. It will be interesting to see what she does outside her comfort zone in 2014.
Archana Rao
Archana is another reticent, soft-spoken designer from the city with a good sense of design. Formally trained in fashion, she graduated from National Institute of Fashion Technology and a post-graduate degree from Parsons College of Design, New York. Apart from the seasons at LFW, her biggest moment of 2013 was winning the Vogue Fashion Fund Award. “That has opened the doors for a number of events. As a winner, I get to do a show at Wills next year. I am processing what to showcase at LFW and another show is coming up in January in Chennai,” she says.
Cutting edge: Easy-to-wear and yet innovate separates differentiate Archana from her ilk. She likes to play with textures and patterns and despite having a pattern master, likes to do the drapes herself.
Gaurang Shah
He grew up seeing the women in his household wearing the best hand-woven saris and as he worked with weavers in the looms owned by his family store, he understood Indian weaves better. Not swayed by fashion trends, the designer believes in workmanship. The jamdhani work on khadi done by his weavers is to be seen to be believed. He now wants to take Indian weaves global. “In addition to showcasing summer and winter collections at fashion weeks, I believe in innovation. I hope to expand my team of weavers. You will also see new twists in traditional Indian weaves and hand embroideries like Parsi, Kashmiri, Chikankari, Kutch, Kasauti on handloom saris next year,” says Gaurang.
Cutting edge: Years of working with weavers has given Gaurang a strong understanding of Indian textiles and there lies his success story. He doesn’t need the spot light of fashion weeks to set him apart.
Shilpa Reddy
Designing was a natural progression for the former Mrs. India, also armed with a degree from in fashion designing and merchandising from the Academy of Design, Toronto. Shilpa launched her signature label in 2010 and took her time to build her brand. She cheered her friends Anand Kabra, Anushree Reddy and Suhani Pittie at their fashion week outings before she took the plunge. Shilpa debuted at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter Festive 2013 with Suriyothai, a high-on-bling collection inspired by a warrior princess. She intends to follow it up with two fresh collections in 2014. “I have a rough idea about what I will be doing next two seasons, and they will be different from what I’ve done so far. There are plans to go overseas as well,” she says.
Cutting edge: An ability of have a contemporary take on Indian designs, an eye for detail and the finish of the garments.
Shravan Kumar Ramaswamy
Shravan’s been in the business for two decades and made quite a late entry into Lakme Fashion Week. The LFW helped national visibility but the buyers are here, in Hyderabad. Through his Aalayam society, he supports weavers across the country. Shravan’s become the go-to person for brides wanting specific colour schemes in traditional silks. His M.Phil thesis on colour psychology holds him in good stead here. As the next step, Shravan has international plans. “After the next season of LFW, I will be participating in the Vancouver Fashion Week. I am now working on a Nataraja theme collection with weaves from Bandarulanka and ikats from Orissa,” shares Shravan.
Cutting edge: The ability to cater to both young and mature clientele that understands Indian weaves, from popular Kanchi to unsung Peddapuram and Madhavaram silks.
Suhani Pittie
Give Suhani a piece of any metal or even a block of wood and she can transform it into a piece of wearable art. Suhani Pittie was listed among the top 10 most inventive and ingenious jewellery designers in the world by World Gold Council. From her Grunge Begum collection a few years ago to her Dances of the Earth collection last season, Suhani’s jewellery are among the top picks for celebrity wardrobes. Sonam Kapoor flaunted Suhani’s jewellery on the Cannes red carpet. Appreciation has come across different platforms she has showcased over the years — Bridal Asia, Lakme and Wills Lifestyle Fashion Weeks. So far, she’s had her international sales through agents and online portals and now plans to focus more on that area. “We’re planning to increase our production by 300 per cent and attend B2B events in the US and Italy among other countries. Strengthening retails presence within the country is also on our agenda,” she says.
Cutting edge: Like Anand, Hyderabad’s old world charm is part of Suhani’s DNA. One of the biggest achievements would be her ability to make inroads into a traditional market that earlier hesitated to invest in non-gold jewellery.
