Annual Design Awards at Visakhapatnam-based fashion institute was all about craft, responsibility and sustainability

Here’s what went down at JD Institute Of Fashion Technology’s annual fashion show.

July 03, 2019 05:20 pm | Updated 05:27 pm IST

Over 36 students showcased 19 collections at the show

Over 36 students showcased 19 collections at the show

It was an evening dedicated to glamour at Hotel Green Park as JD Institute of Fashion Technology hosted their Annual Design Awards. Seven imposing art installations by the students of interior designing wing of the institute welcomed the visitors to the show. ‘No dream is too hard to chase”was the message a chair in the form of a crescent moon, conveyed while elsewhere another installation with huge cigarettes read, ‘Be smart, don’t start’ attempted to highlight the ill effects of smoking.

  • Tholu bommalata is shadow puppetry theatre practised in Telugu lands for centuries. In times when there was no radio or television, patrons crowded to see these shows that creatively staged stories from Ramayana and Mahabharata . This ancient folk art is also popular in parts of Karnataka. Sadly, the art form has lost its lustre and only a handful of families remain who are struggling to keep the art alive. From making puppets, the artists now create lampshades, wall hangings, paintings and bookmarks.
  • Ponduru, a village in Srikakulam district garnered fame in the 1920s for its fine quality of khadi. . Till recently, most of the weavers in the village used traditional looms but have now shifted to mechanised ones. Mahatma Gandhi is said to have expressed his fondness for the fine Ponduru Khadi. This khadi is exported to the US, Denmark, Japan and Sweden and designers like Gaurang Shah are experimenting with it.

Large LED screens and groovy music brought alivecollections designed by the students of the institute. The models on the ramp displayed fashionable clothes, with the underlying theme ‘Switch’.

Pradeep Kattamuri, Managing director of the institute said the idea was to show how fashion should be more than about just a piece of fabric. “What inspires us and how we switch (or transfer) that inspiration into our collection is the motto. ”

This year 36 students showcased over 140 garments through 19 collections

Twenty-six-year-old Alekhya Mahadas was inspired by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) and therefore crafted a collection that highlighted synthetic leather.

A glimpse at the Annual Design Award hosted by JD Institue of fashion Technology

A glimpse at the Annual Design Award hosted by JD Institue of fashion Technology

“Synthetic leather is similar to animal leather. It is also more durable; so what is the point of slaughtering animals for a handbag or a jacket?” asks Alekhya who displayed nine garments under the title ‘Ecopelle’. Her designs were dominated by hexagonal patterns inspired from honeycombs in a blend of bright and pastel hues. She procured the fabric for her collection from Bengaluru and Hyderabad. “

Sindhu Priya who is hearing and speech impaired, had ensured her collection, called ‘Vivid Optimum’ was a burst of orange, purples and greens. The 23-year-old student highlighted a free spirit through drapes and free flowing designs.

While Sindhu chose to highlight positivity, 25-year-old Pratibha Upperbawde decided to hold up a mirror to the society and show them what their plastic waste was doing to Nature. Her collection, ‘Orchis Italica’, had seven garments with embellishments made from disposed plastic bags. “The single-use plastic attitude that we have has always bothered me. Hence I tried various methods to reuse plastic through fashion. The garments in my collection are made of rayon and have embroidery made from threads cut out of plastic bags,” she explained.

Blue going green
  • In order to focus on the amount of plastic dumped into the seas, several big brands like Adidas are promoting sportswear made from plastic waste collected from the ocean. The jerseys worn by the Sri Lankan’s cricket team in this World Cup is made from plastic recovered from their beaches.

Pratiba spent over 15 days lurking around waste segregation centres not just in Visakhapatnam but even in Hyderabad. “Once I had enough plastics in purple, blue, green and white, I washed, ironed and then shredded them to make the threads,” explains Pratibha who was applauded for her innovative idea.

Supporting legacies

Despite being from Visakhapatnam, 23-year-old Aishwarya Gangurri had never seen a show of Tholu bommlata (leather puppetry), an art form that is native to Andhra Pradesh. So, her recent collection, ‘Nirmiti’ that she displayed at the event was a tribute to the artform. “I learnt about the tholu bommalata from my mother who used to love the shadow puppetry shows as a child. But today, these shows are nowhere to be found. It took me a lot of research to understand the details about it. I struggled for over a month to trace families that traditionally practise bommalata ,” says Aishwarya who travelled to Nimmalakunta Village in Anantapur district to look for them. The show also had a 10-minute shadow puppetry by traditional artisans who had travelled all the way from Nimmalakunta.

All for fashion
  • The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show held in Cannes in 2000 was watched by more than two million people across the globe who logged on to VictoriasSecret.com to watch the show.

‘Nirmiti’ had 11 garments that were made of Ponduru Khadi (handloom khadi from the village Podnuru). Her collection celebrated the unsung weavers who toil at the looms creating one-of-a kind fabrics. Keeping the genre Indo-Western, Aishwarya had off-white garments that were peppered with vibrant patchworks of leather paintings. “I wanted my designs to be more than just an eye candy. I want it to help generate more demand for these old forms.” Aishwarya’s collection won her the Best Design award.

Models walking down the ramp at Hotel Green Park

Models walking down the ramp at Hotel Green Park

“ In the past I have worked with fabrics like Uppada and Kanjeevaram. I am fascinated by handlooms and want to promote them at an international level,” she says.

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