Sustainable Fashion Week holds fashion show in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW), an organisation from Bristol, UK, recently organised a fashion show at Mirage in the city. This was the first time the show was hosted at Mirage and the event also included a panel discussion with designers.

The programme included a panel discussion with the SFW India co-founders and designers Mariam Khatri of Banana Labs, Mounica Chitturi of Unborn Studio, Tiya John of Latha Putanna, and Megha Saigal of C Krishniah Chetty and Sons group.

This was followed by a fashion show showcasing their sustainable fashion designs. Celebrities and stalwarts — old and new — from the fashion world were present. Five design houses who bring sustainability to the market took part.

Ahmev from Delhi have set out to create an environment that facilitates transparency, understanding and respect for the people who work with them and execute their vision. They showcased their 10 best designs from the Ivory and Ink Collection.

Unborn Studio is a socio-environmentally responsible brand where each piece is made using sustainable fabrics, that are handwoven in villages, and hand-dyed one at a time or in small batches, and is one-of-a-kind. Models displayed breezy silhouettes for every body shape.

BANANA labs is a premium affordable textile brand led by women incorporating modern hand-block prints from New Delhi. Their family has been innovating while keeping the craft alive through authenticity and innovation. The men and women models wore indigo and block printed modern and contemporary Indian designs.

To allow budding designers transcend conventional boundaries, designers Bhavana A Teli and Prerana N Angadi from JD Institute of Fashion Technology curated an artistic, intricate and marvelous collection ‘Tissage’ which not only highlighted the rich handloom heritage of India, but utilised disposed textile. The collection highlighted the craftsmanship that went into each thread and promotes sustainability.

Latha Puttanna, for 30 years, has consistently delivered hallmark creations in women’s ethnic wear. With her naturally keen eye for colors, sense of design, knowledge of fabrics and understanding of feminine couture she creates women’s wear using ethnic Indian fabrics and traditional Indian crafts.

The collection she showcased is purely made from excess fabric and handloom sarees. Exquisite jewellery by C Krishniah Chetty and Sons adorned each model.

It was refreshing to see models who were inclusive of age, size and colour. Their showstoppers included Aditi Bhatnagar, a pageant winner; Aparna Rao, a saree enthusiast and influencer; Naved Qureshi, an eco-champion and influencer; Rachna Mahadimane, a fashion influencer and Lakshmi Gopalswamy, popular dancer and actress.

Dr Laghna Gowda and Dr Priyanka Abhishek

Dr Laghna Gowda and Dr Priyanka Abhishek are co-founders of Sustainable Fashion Week (SFW) India. Together, they are building and host community based activities to normalise slow and sustainable fashion.

They have already hosted various events like upcycling jeans and denim, clothes swaps, pop-ups of circular and sustainable fashion and workshops for jewellery-making, sewing and embroidery since December 2022.

Fashion director Amit Pandya and team styled and choreographed the show. Vineeth Vincent, emcee, entertained the audience with his beatboxing.