The Lakme Fashion Week in partnership with the Fashion Design Council Of India (FDCI) was opened by none other than renowned designer Anamika Khanna’s pret label AK-OK.
Apart from regular womenswear, the designer debuted her much-awaited menswear collection. The star-studded fashion evening was hosted at Fountain of Joy at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai’s Bandra Kurla Complex.
Against the backdrop of the dancing Fountain of Joy, DJ Kayan played some foot-tapping music, while models sashayed down the ramp in some of the trendy curations by Khanna.
The AK-OK’s latest collection features pristine white cotton, prints in silk, and handmade shiboris, including hints of denim. The highlights include uneven hems, the use of soft fabric manipulations in chiffon, creased-effect ensembles, and embroideries in various forms such as on shirt pockets, denim, and dresses, hence sprucing up your go-to look in a jiffy. Apart from these add-ons, there was a heavy influence of abstract prints and ruffles.
The use of 3D floral shapes and fluidity in tailoring was evidenced in the menswear edit. The color palette of the collection sees the presence of red, yellow, black, indigo, and emerald, keeping the collection vibrant. From draped dresses to pyjama sets, the showcase featured innovative ways of draping with a splash of colors on fluid silhouettes. The add-on to each look was the presence of floral garlands aka gajras that created the infusion of indo-western style.
Taking us through how her pret label’s story began in her home country, Khanna enthuses, “I am elated to collaborate with the Fashion Design Council of India and Lakmé Fashion Week. My AK-OK story began at home and went on to travel the whimsical, yet relaxed road, making every journey its own, be it a draped dress, pyjama set, jacket, or the quintessentially timeless white kurta. The use of 3D floral shapes, fluidity in tailoring, contrasting with structure sometimes, uneven hems, use of soft fabric manipulations in chiffon, and embroidery in various forms, make this collection almost intangible.”
Similarly, Sunil Sethi, the Chairman of FDCI was stoked by the phenomenal unveiling of the AK-OK collection at the Opening Show. “Today audiences discovered a new experience from an incredibly passionate designer who is always on the lookout to explore new avenues. The presentation flaunted an amalgamation of luxury ready-to-wear pieces that are intrinsically global yet Indian in outlook and in design philosophy,” he opines.
