A long time ago, a very wise woman once said that “In order to be irreplaceable, one must always be different.” The woman then went on to change the way the world looked at every woman in that generation. Such was the force of her conviction that she toppled some of the greatest thinking minds in fashion. Her name and lineage is still looked towards as perhaps one of the most recognizable and powerful forces to reckon with in fashion. Her name was Gabrielle “Coco” Chanel. I often find myself pondering over those famous words, wondering if I am indeed irreplaceable. For my first collection on a SERIOUS runway, the GenNext programme at Lakme Fashion Week, I have been working within mundane outlines (stripes and pleats), and trying to create not-so-mundane outfits. As I move forward everyday with new silhouettes wanting to break in, and new fabrics demanding attention, it has been exhilarating to say the least, to attempt to create a cohesive collection with unique outfits. The uniqueness is not as much a challenge as trying to control an overflow of ideas. Yet the adrenalin rush of cutting and tailoring outfits everyday is indescribable, almost as ‘rushing’ as it was my first time bungee jumping.

However, reverting back to Ms Chanel’s famous words, while trying to stay minimal (as minimal as you can be with an interest in Indianwear), it is proving to be very rewarding, being “different”. I often find myself drawing from my roots in Haryana, subtle referencing of which might not be visible to the naked-eye. Yet as days transform into weeks in a blink, I am now constantly running against traffic signals, from printers, to dyers, to fabric suppliers, to my sketchbook. Even dreams are now occupied with visions of floating stripes and pleats in space.

All in all, I would say that my collection is on track, and is shaping up exactly as I had envisioned, even as it evolves every time I sit alone with my sketchbook. I only hope Ms Chanel would approve, and find it “irreplaceable”.

How we felt about getting through Lakmé Gen Next? Euphoric! This would be a great way to get started. We created ILK a year ago, and we were keeping our fingers crossed as this was our second attempt. Luckily the response was prompt, and while we had a reason to clink glasses, we also got down to our worktables immediately.

Two year ago we were colleagues at Cue. Fortunately, we recognised a chance to work together, to create something completely new and freshly imagined. And so, ILK was born.

At ILK, we use simple materials and tease crazy ideas out of them. We pretty much do most of our work together. We seem to get the best results when we share our insights. The main thing is we want to create. We want to explore ideas further and further. Our designs are not just aimed at success in the market. We must ourselves like what we make. The designs must be wearable and at the same time take a leap in aesthetics. We have different views about things, but as a team we try to develop rather than disagree with each other’s ideas.

Lakmé Fashion Week is a fabulous opportunity that inspires and fuels hard work. We are eager to showcase our designs and find our place among other emerging designers, senior designers and also get in touch with important business members of the fashion fraternity.

Our collection for LFW is called ‘I lose myself’. It is inspired by the different stages of butterfly metamorphosis. Focusing on development and transition, it is about a state in which one is only concerned with changes happening to self. One is full of wonder at one’s own existence. The collection reflects freedom and experimentation as one is yet not complete but still exploring all that they can become.

This sense of transformation is seen in our collection through staples of casual women’s wear. With each design, more function and complexity are added. With anatomical exploration at the core, our clothing explores the different ways in which the body chooses to articulate itself. The clothes mirror body movement, celebrate form, and add that sense of identity that one transforming so needs.

It is rare in any field that upcoming talent is recognized and Gen Next is a wonderful and much-needed initiative by LFW to give budding designers an opportunity to showcase their work on this very promising platform. It is very encouraging for me to know that my work was appreciated and recognized by the esteemed panel of judges at LFW. Aki Narula is my mentor and I’m glad that someone whose work I respect and follow is mentoring me. He made some very insightful points about my collection and I’m looking forward to learning more from him.

Right now I’m just running from pillar to post to get things done, time seems like it is moving faster, days seem shorter and the traffic seems to get worse every time I need something done! I want my debut at LFW to be perfect and memorable and I don’t want to leave anything to chance so I’m paying close attention to detail.

My collection focuses on minimalist trends which are more useful and efficient and pays close attention to accidental design which is a major part of this androgynous theme. An ultra simplistic style will emerge focusing on hidden details and timeless silhouettes.

I am ecstatic about making it to Lakme Fashion Week, and it means a lot to me and to those who support me. Given that LFW is the premiere stage for fashion in India, I feel proud to be a part of it. My collection is aptly titled Pro•logue because this is my debut collection and I am looking forward to a lot more to come.

It was a usual December morning; I was working on my designs for a freelance work, when I received a call. It was a Mumbai number, which I wasn’t familiar with. Nervous with anticipation, I took the call. And there came the biggest news that I had been waiting to hear since long. I had been selected to showcase my collection as a part of Gen Next in Lakmé Fashion Week.  Bang!

I froze with excitement, hardly able to react to the news. I wanted to jump, laugh, shout but to no avail. I called up my close friends and informed them still unable to grasp the feeling. Very soon people started calling to congratulate, mails came in for the requirement for the show, and things were moving too fast.  I wanted to sit and analyze what was happening, when I received another call. It was from Aki Narula!!! One of my favourite designers! I seriously needed someone to pinch me!

Aki being the Gen Next mentor spoke to me about the shoot he was planning to do for the Gen Next designers with Elle, discussed about the collection which I wanted to showcase and gave some tips on what works for the buyers. It was a very comforting conversation to understand what is expected and what needs to be done. The exciting day came to an end and I finally sat with myself to look back at the journey I took to get to this day-

It had been three months in November 2011 that I had come back from London after finishing my Graduate Diploma in Fashion from Central Saint Martin’s. I always wanted to start my own line and wanted to launch it in the best way. What better way than to do it through Gen Next at Lakmé Fashion Week!

As the registrations for the application were open in November, I registered myself to give a chance for my dream to take shape. It being my first application to Gen Next and practically no work experience, I had doubts about my selection. I chose to work on the theme-Aura, which I did for my final collection in CSM, as it was something which I loved doing. Aura as a theme excited me due to its mystic elements and the colourful concoction of fantasy. I had felt that something that I did with my heart in it, should earn good result. So, I decided to send the garments made in London for my final collection, for the selection process. The result- we all know.

Now that it’s just two months to the show, I am trying hard to complete the collection way before the deadline. I do not want to settle on any design till it’s thoroughly worked out. I am trying to source fabrics from different cities and working on alternate and new garment finishes.

Launching the label under my name at the best platform of the country is a dream come true. Gen Next at Lakmé Fashion Week is the only platform in the country which recognizes young designer’s talent and not only gives an opportunity to showcase the work but also supports the designers with experienced team of people to achieve the best. All in all, Gen Next is  the perfect platform, where a young designer can weave its dreams into reality and I am happy to get one woven!

Getting “The Call” from LFW that I got through Gen Next was probably one of the best moments of my life. To be honest, I in fact wasn’t planning to apply for this season. Preparing for my application was a lot of fun for me. My design concept was focused on transforming the classic white shirt into fun outfits using a lot of street Indian fabrics. I like my clothes to have a little bit of humour. I still remember the day I had to send the application, it was super hectic. I reached the IMGR office with my application at seven in the evening, handed over the stuff to Amtosh and ran from there because I was very nervous.

The day I got a call that I had got selected I was so ecstatic. The following day when Aki called, I couldn’t stop blushing because when I was in NIFT, he was someone I used to admire for his work and now he called and said “my clothes were cool”. He gave me some excellent feedback and told me to work on the next few pieces. I have really put in extra effort for my designs so I can present something new and fresh for Gen Next. I have started working on my show outfits and my first piece is ready!!

LFW is probably the only platform for young designers in our country. I have seen my own classmates like Aneeth Arora and Swapnil Shinde benefit so much from LFW. Gen Next is probably the best concept our Indian fashion fraternity has come up with as it encourages and pushes young designers to break the commercial aspect of fashion and take that extra leap to create something new. My future plans are to keep working harder and keep creating. I have visualised the Gen Next show in my head a several times. Showing at LFW is a dream come true for me.