JD Institute of Fashion Technology organised its 29^th Annual Design Awards Night, a 2 days of fashion runway show on 19^th and 20^th May, 2016 at the Lalit Ashok Hotel in Bangalore.

The theme of the JD Annual Design Awards,  ‘Untold Stories’ was conceptualised keeping with the Government of India’s initiative, ‘Make in India’, where the gen-next designers  focused on narrating the untold stories of our artisans, craftsmen and weavers, thus celebrating the rich heritage of our textile and clothing history, which is deeply  ingrained in our cultural fabric.

In this prestigious Fashion Awards night, the Institute recognized the extraordinary design excellence and innovative skills of the graduating students. The students collaborated with various artisans, craftsmen and weavers to create ready to wear line that will capture the essence of traditional yet modern India. The show witnessed almost 42 collections with more than 300 garments from our gen-next designers.

Eminent choreographer and actor Rahul Dev Shetty directed the fashion runway show, and was showcased by 35 top models from Bangalore, Mumbai and Delhi. The event was attended by eminent personalities from the industry, including wholesalers, retailers, department stores, purchasers, boutique owners, importers, manufacturers and crème de la crème of Bangalore’s social circle.

Besides, an experienced jury of experts, selected from amongst the distinguished of the fashion fraternity, lifestyle and luxury industry evaluated the collections of these young designers and elected the winners based on their vision, interpretation, innovation, business, social responsibility and creative skills.

The list of winners for Day 1 include Kajal D Jain with the collection name Streetgeist in the category Best Design Collection– A comprehensive and consistent performance in areas of research, design development and execution. This collection reflects all the aspects of design in the most balanced manner. A designer who blended trend, creativity and vision with a true spirit. “Streetgeist”, a high street fashion collection for women draws its inspiration from the works of an artist named Cedric Misquith.  He is inspired by leather art and his work extends to mural paintings, leather carvings, creating personalized handbags. (https://rentalsfloridakeys.com/) This collection is an attempt to explore the stories of real people and their alter lives.

Designer Sonal M Jain with the collection name Licorne won in the category Most commercially viable – Immaculate Execution is the most important aspect of a design. The market value of a design rests in its appeal for a customer. This collection truly stands for a design which can translate into sales. Artist Pallavi is known for an interesting printmaking technique called aquatint printmaking. The menswear collection “LICORNE” is a representation of Pallavi’s ability to combine her talent of sketching and creating aquatint prints.

Manisha Prasad with the collection name New York Pop won in the category Best creative concept– Amalgamating ideas to create a unique design, technique or application require an eye for detail and creativity. This collection displays how the most unpredictable sources of inspiration can create masterpieces. Manisha’s collection is collection inspired by artist Sounder Rajan who is fascinated by pop art style. His art work comprises of images of iconic figures combined with bold and vibrant colours. The collection is designed for New York street wear.

The next set of winners from the Diploma batches for day 1 were Anisha Venu, Annu Sony, Shariqa Shabbir with the collection name De la Terre, in the category Best Design Collection A comprehensive and consistent performance in areas of research, design development, application and execution. A designer who blended trend, creativity and vision with a true spirit. Bamboo craft has always been existent in our country from time immemorial. Giving this conventional handicraft a gentle twist is, artist K.B. Sukumaran. Inspired by the work of this artist is “DE LE TERRE”, a collection that reflects the style of an elite Parisian woman who visits museums, art exhibits and is actively into philanthropy.

Designers Krupa Karia, Sukrutha V Sai, Surekha Malviya with the collection name Glaze won in the category Best innovation- Innovation is the result of an aspiration to find the new. They experiment and explore new frontiers in search of a challenge. This collection has gone in depth to the very roots to bring design from the most technical perspective yet creating an aesthetic appeal. The collection “GLAZE” is an attempt to explore unconventional glass fabric with contemporary weaving style. The inspiration comes from V. Ashwatha Narayana, a traditional weaver.

Designers Sejal Gulechha, Arpita Goliya, Nafiya Monis with the collection name CALICO won in the category Best Retail Collection- When a collection captures the imagination of many and invoke the desire to wear then the design translates into appeal. This collection has succeeded in creating the right looks in tune with the global trends to create desirability. The collection is inspired by artist Sindhu Jois, who is a creator of brilliant pieces of art and can transform any given material into works of unique creation. Titled ‘CALICO’ the student designers have taken cat motifs as their inspiration from the artist’s work.

Collections Inherited and Royal Prayer won in the category, Most contemporary- These collections are a testimony for the vision of the designers to amalgamate ideas across a broad spectrum. They are masterpieces of thoughts and execution in tune with the spirit of the times. Designers Priya Nair, Mrudula H.S, Medha Giridhar worked with the artist, Anand Shenoy who is fascinated by the gender roles created by the society. His art work is an interpretation of these gender roles. Using pastel colour pallete, modern machine embroidery, bead works and simple cuts, “INHERITED” is a fun exploration of Anand’s work. The collection “ROYAL PRAYER” takes its inspiration from the golden zardosi embroidery that the artist, Afzal MiyanKarchobwale is famous for. The collection was presented by Ashnit Singh, Simran Surana, Arpitha Krishnappa, Divya N.K.

Collections Smoulder and Amalgamation won in the category, Experimental RTW collection- An RTW collection is when designers work within boundaries of creativity but then there are a few designers who break the laws within those boundaries to deliver collections which inspire. These collections have explored and experimented from materials to application to stretch the boundaries of an RTW collection. Designers Megha Jain, Raksha Jain, Bindu P, Jeal Mardia’s artist Balaji is a multi-talented artist specializing in oil painting, glass painting, mural painting, and sculpting. The designs of the collection “SMOULDER” are inspired by his art work. AMALGAMATION  is a collection by designers Ganesh AC, Bhavya BY, Sapna s, Mounitha G inspired by artist Chaitra Vinay. In order to amalgamate natural and artificial elements, the range uses organza a manmade fabric inspired from the art that uses source of silk – cocoon as a medium.

The final set of winners for Day 1 were Saida thara, Sonal Jindal, Shalini P, tripti tated who won the Jury award- A special mention from the mentors for a collection which has displayed a die-hard attitude and a strong focus in the most unfavourable moments. Titled ‘My Hamlet’, the collection takes inspiration from the appliqué work of an artist named Kanha Sarao from Orissa. The appliqué patch work on the garments depicts the story of the artist’s village. Nature, surroundings and people of the hamlet form the core narrative of the collection.

The JD Annual Design Awards Night is a celebration of the culmination of a successful academic year. The event was organised to recognize the hard work and dedication of the students and celebrate with them as they stand at the threshold of a new chapter in their lives.

About ‘Untold Stories’ – Mission & Vision

Indian craftsmanship have been known since time immemorial and is appreciated and celebrated worldwide for its richness, diversity and the story telling artistry. With a long standing history of textile, design stories, and an ancient legacy of culture, India has it all to make its fashion and garment industry one of the biggest success stories. This can be achieved only if we acknowledge and work hand in hand with the untapped talent pool of skilled artisans and craftsmen.

Our skilled artisans are an integral identity of our country-India, which forms the story of our diverse culture, a celebration of our traditions; craftsmanship and exquisite creativity.  The project aims to give recognition and honour to the country’s innumerable skilled artisans, craftsmen and weavers, and bring them to the centre stage, who are almost on the verge of extinction because of lack of awareness and administrative support. The event will create a platform for the artisans and craftsmen to display their work, ensuring a mutually beneficial relationship and at the same time give them the much needed respect and dignity that they deserve.

Photo Courtesy : Jerin Nath