How relevant is Chennai when it comes to the national fashion scene? Not very, if we’re being honest. Of course, things have been slowly changing, with luxury brands finding an increasing customer base here: for instance, Bulgari recently had a trunk show in the city and Masaba Gupta launched a flagship store of her eponymous label. Going beyond that, Palladium is bringing the country’s big names to the city, starting April 5.
Darshana B, the mall’s marketing head, explains that the curated schedule — featuring panel discussions, workshops, master classes and runway shows — is meant to both draw in a discerning audience, and appeal to those who might only have a passing interest. “Targeted workshops, like spring summer style by Anaita Shroff Adajania, makeup by Namrata Soni, and mixology with Sarthak Singh will cover more than just the basics,” she says about the April 5 lineup.
Anaita Shroff, designer to the stars and host of the Voot original series, Feet Up With The Stars, promises quick tips to get your wardrobe ready for summer. ‘“In Chennai, I’m excited to see the flavour of what people are talking about, and what their views on fashion are,” she says. Sustainability, and the joys and responsibility of consumers, is also on the cards, says Anaita, who is fashion director at Vogue India.
Nilakshi Singh
Namrata Soni says that she will be focussing on how to embrace your skin colour in an interactive session. “I want to break the ‘white girl complex’ that’s so prevalent in our country. I will talk about how our melanin is so desirable! I’ll also be talking about how to use the right products to stand up to Chennai’s weather,” she says.
For Nilakshi Singh, popular plus-size, body positivity blogger, this will be her first visit to the city. The fact that conversations around these topics are being given a platform, she says, is quite heartening. “It’s time to talk about diversion and inclusivity beyond an editorial spread in a magazine. Bringing it to the masses is so important,” she says.
A panel discussion on the past, present and future of fashion will feature Adajania, Kasturi Gardge, Nikita Sahay, Neelakshi Singh, Vivek Karunakaran, Osman Abdul Razak, Gabriella Demetriades, and will be moderated by Sahitya Jaganathan.
For entertainment, there will be sessions by illusionist Rahul Kharbanda, live doodling by Akshara Ashok, and a tea tasting session by San Cha boutique founder Sanjay Kapur. And if you’re inspired by all the talk of fashion, you know the shops are just an elevator ride away.
Palladium Fashion Avenue is on from April 5 to 21 at the lower ground floor of the mall. Visit palladium.com for details.
