Lakme Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2018 Day 1 held in Mumbai served more than just fashion, it delivered statements about Genderless Fashion with Bold and innovative creations by fabulous designers namely Anvita Sharma and Asit Barik, Ayushman Mitra, Padma Raj Keshri, Mohammed Mazhar and Helena Bajaj Larsen, who are the winners of 25TH Gen Next batch for Lakme Fashion Week 2018. The Gen Next batch of designers presented by INIFD opened Day 1 for Lakme Fashion Week and it was one great of a show put up with these breathtaking dresses and asymmetrical hems along with mismatched pockets showing the new era of fashion.

A genderless fashion language :

Talking about Anvita Sharma and Asit Barik, both graduates from Istituto Marangoni, Paris who also have an experience of working with Rick Owens that reflects in their work. The look by Anvita Sharma and Asit Barik was replete with fluid garments that revealed flawless clean lines since the over-sized creations were genderless and ideal for all sizes and shapes, thus offering a liberating fashion feel. For their label ‘TwoPointTwo' the pair called the collection "Gyne-Andro-Philia" that eliminated the stereotyping in fashion.

Bold and Innovative :

Moving forward to Ayushman Mitra, known for his innovative thoughts which he showcased in his collection titled "Excessive Adaptation" that brought together fabrics like cotton, muslin, denim, and silk. Therefore, it was but natural that his collection for men and women revealed his bold artistic talents. Ayushman added a layer of his artwork and graphic motifs, which he sprinkled with hand embroidered sequins and threads. With clean silhouettes that highlighted the embellishments, the op-art visuals on the maxis dresses, boiler suits, tiered maxis, floppy tops, and kaftans had a mix of abstract and wild imagery with vibrant striking facial studies and giant visuals of lips and eyes.

Wollen Visions :

A few seasons ago, "Looms of Ladakh" the collection by Padma Raj Keshri was created as a sportswear line at the Wool Runway for Woolmark India. With a double graduate in fashion from National Institute of Fashion Technology and National Institute of Design, Padma's Summer/Resort 2018 look was inspired by the organic modernity of Ladakh. Using diverse materials like linen, Pashmina and Yak wool from the villages of Leh, the ensembles offered a unique style for the trendsetter.

Unique Inspiration :

It was a mélange of fabrics like cotton, lawn, and mulmul that came alive on the ramp from the studio of Mohammed Mazhar. A graduate of INIFD, Mohammed got his further fashion grounding as assistant designer to Priyanka Khosla and Abraham and Thakore. Inspired by the "Dhobighat", Mohammed hoped to bring the artisans who contribute to the fashion industry to the forefront. Mohammed's self-developed ‘Bhalwa' prints that washer men craft from ‘Marking Nuts', was feminine yet innovative with a contemporary flair. The swirling, layered, day dresses, sari, kurta tops, and skirts were great casual wear for women, while for the stronger sex the designer brought in layered short/long kurtas with Aligarh pyjamas as well as pant pyjamas.

Parisian but Traditional :

The Franco-Indian-Norwegian designer Helene Bajaj Larsen showed exclusive one-of-a-kind pieces since the print was manually done. It was a collection that highlighted hand painting with acid and pigment dyes that made an impact on the ramp. Helena Bajaj Larsen, a Parisian with a fashion degree from the Parsons School of Design is a specialist in Textiles and Jewellery. The colour tones ranged from earthy autumn hues to grey for silk, wool, and cotton. The clothes had a stylish mix of Indian hues with a Scandinavian silhouettes' sense and a Parisian touch of fashion.

Other designers to showcase include Label Ritu Kumar, which presented Hip-Hop Baroque, a blend of street couture and rap culture. The famous Bollywood actress from the movie PINK, Tapsee Pannu walked the ramp showcasing designer Ritu Kumar's collection. Tapsee is not the only Bollywood actor to have walked the ramp for Lakme Fashion Week 2018, The Showstoppers for designer Anita Dongre were the hot B-town couple , Shahid Kapoor and Mira Rajput. Dressed in an ivory bandhgala-sherwani, Shahid Kapoor looked a dapper groom and wife Mira looked an ethereal bride in a matching floral-printed lehenga choli.

After a grand Day 1 packed with bold norms about fashion along with celebrity show stoppers, Day 2 was expected to be rather toned down for its theme of Indian Ethnic chick dresses but that's not the case for Lakme Fashion Week. We saw some out of the box ideas and creations molded with Indian wear. The highlight of day 2 was #NorthEastMojo.

#NorthEastMojo was a collaboration with United Nations of India bringing Designers from Six States in North East India. They brought the diverse culture from their respective states, showcasing the livelihood also boosting their local economy. States include Sikkim, Manipur, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Assam. It was highly appreciated by the audiences.

Other highlights from the show were Indian clothing going contemporary, Sarees with belt wore with shirts as a blouse, Pocketed kurtas, Kurtas made of jeans materials but the best of it was Brogues with saree. Finally wearing comfortable shoes with your saree is fashionably accepted. The show was ended with former Sikkimese footballer Bhaichung Bhutia walking the ramp in his rather dashing Sikkimese traditional weaves.