“Art Meets Fashion” was a concept that was truly brought to life by the designers at the 2019 Lakmé Fashion Week. 

Inspired by the concept of Rig Veda, “Aquesthetic” by Ajay Kumar Singh for his label ‘Ajay Kumar’, was a stunning fashion offering. The line featured a range of silhouettes, fusing class and flamboyance. Exploring the aesthetics of the aquatic body, the ensembles had a mélange of narrative prints, that added drama and pizzazz to the line.

The juxtaposition of motifs of fish, corals, starfish, and paradise birds were visions of beauty.  Nautical elements were infused with miscellaneous stripes, chains, ropes and anchors to create a fashion fantasy. Reflecting the power and purity of the sea, handloom lightweight cottons, handloom silk linens, khaki wools and luxury cottons were smoothly blended with local digital prints.

Ayushman Mitra’s label ‘Bobo Calcutta’ brought out a riot of colours and created a fashion fantasy with their “Blackout/Whitewash” collection, which sends a message of  “protesting against, the blacking out of truth and white-washing the false.”

Men’s wear was an amalgamation of oversized shirts, high-neck cropped tops, and shorts.

The stark contradictions, of soothing whites and roaring black cottons, created a sense of mystery and the silhouettes were a clear mix of creativity and innovation. Inspired by Ayushman’s paintings that depicted scenes of contemporary revolutions, each silhouette was totally unconventional, just like the painting that hung above as their inspiration.