India Intimate Fashion Week Season 2 concludes in style

Mumbai : India Intimate Fashion Week unveiled the much-awaited second edition of IIFW on April 22 at Hotel The Leela, Mumbai amid much glitz and glamour.

The fashion extravaganza will witness some of the finest collections from renowned Indian and international designers who will make the night dazzle with super-hot models setting the ramp on fire in even hotter outfits. The night will turn out to be a starry affair with Bollywood super-hot hunk Thakur Anoop Singh walking the ramp for designer Rashmi Solanki. In addition to that, the cynosure of the event was Dr. Mona Varonica Campbell walking the ramp who walked the ramp for the plus-size lingerie brand.

The event was graced by Xose Feijoo, International Sales and Business Development Specialist at Selmark (One of the Spain's Largest Lingerie Brand), Padma Karani, Market Analyst at the Spanish Economic and Commercial Office (Spanish Consulate Office) and Marta Alonso, Trade Advisor at the Spanish Economic and Commercial Office (Spanish Consulate Office).

"India Intimate Fashion Week had a fantastic season 1 and we were more than excited to present season 2. Season 2 will always be special; as the fire set by us in season 1 has taken a roar now. IIFW brought international fashion designers on Indian platform, which is going to stand as a leap in Indian intimate fashion industry. We were also glad to host Spanish esteem officials. IIFW is building a bridge to overcome a gap of Intimate Fashion in Indian Fashion Industry. We aim to build a powerful platform for the intimate apparel industry in India, which is still in its nascent phase considering other countries." Said Niraj Jawanjal, Founder and Ideator, IIFW.

"We are overwhelmed to see the response for IIFW Season 2. This season was dedicated to proving that intimate fashion defines comfort and confidence. We also focused on an awareness campaign to Boo the Taboo of intimate fashion. We are expecting to explore more possibilities in this area in the coming season with Intimate apparel being one of the largest markets yet still unexplored in India," Said Amit Pandey, Media Head and Associate Partner, IIFW.

IIFW season 2.0 was kick-started with the sparkling show of Hong Kong based International designer Mona Shroff who displayed her high-end jewelry collection entitled as 'RIO CARNIVAL' along with clothing line of Internationally acclaimed fashion designer Rajiv Mehta. The show also got an artistic flavour with a live painting by international artist Nityam Singharoy.

"The Theme for this year's Fashion show is - RIO CARNIVAL. Depicting colours of life, matched with colour blocking jewellery. I am collaborating with another International artist this year to add more aesthetic meaning to my show, attracting a lot of art, integrating of culture and creating something dramatic which has never been seen in the history of fashion," said Mona Shroff.

"My vision is to attract the audience from all walks of life and all parts of the world. I would like to reach out to every woman, to make her look beautiful and feel complete. I am really happy that India has now got a platform like IIFW which talks about a Taboo-less India," Mona further added.

After a sassy fashionable affair, the show was followed by a panel discussion 'The Intimate Debate' for the first time in India, which talked about Importance of Lingerie & Intimate wear, Future Intimate Fashion in India and the Taboo, India, is fighting with.

A night further witnessed an enthralling performance by ace Bollywood playback singer Rahul Pandey, known for his popular songs "Haseena Tu Kameena Main" from the movie Happy Ending and ''Jab We Met" from movie Hero topped the chartbuster. Rahul performed on some rocking songs to bring alive the audience after a heat of "Intimate debate".

Later, 'La Intimo', a brand that specializes in intimate clothing an elegant collection of undergarments which included both men and women's wear, showcasing the finest intimate apparel of all shapes and sizes.

"Millennials are confident about their respective body images and are not willing to compromise on the product quality or style. They are confident and willing to experiment with their styles and intimate choices and that's what makes the concept of IIFW all the more exciting," said Yogesh Mittal, Managing Director, La Intimo.

The Gen-Next designers from INIFD Bandra, Mumbai later showcased the collection 'MYSTICAL EGYPT' inspired by the grandeur and mysteries of the base colors such as royal blue and black with a striking use of gold supported by.

"IIFW is a fantastic initiative to bring intimate fashion to the forefront; something that's very close to the beautiful body that God gave everyone must be spoken of and displayed fashionably. INIFD, Bandra is proud to be associated with IIFW presenting resort wear resembling Greek n Egyptian style, a new foray in making resort wear very chic n classic," said Vivek Dhawan, Centre Director, INIFD Bandra.

One of the major highlights of the show was the launch of plus-size lingerie label "Melons India" for which the star attraction was Dr. Mona Varonica Campbell, India's only super plus-size transgender model, who sizzled the ramp as a showstopper for the designer label.

"Sexiness is defined by 'curves'. Moreover, being a plus-size model, we definitely have the curves. It is all about how confidently I carry myself, be it in a fully covered outfit or in a minimalist covered outfit. A size is just a number. One can look sexy in any shape and size; all come downs to how much one believes in it. IIFW is a platform, which encourages and supports this thought. I am glad am walking as a showstopper to sizzle the runway. I am thankful to IIFW for this wonderful opportunity," said Dr. Mona Varonica Campbell.

Designer Rashmi Solanki presented her exclusive collection 'Rudra', A belief, a design label for innovative and promoting fashion sustainability using age-old Indian techniques of Fabric making and Handicrafts. To make the show even grandeur for the designer Commando 2 fame Bollywood actor Thakur Anoop Singh walked the ramp as her showstopper.

"My Collection is an Amalgamation of Khadi which has an ability to keep cool in summer, consisting of Contemporary designs for the Beach souls, bralette, shorts, skirts, shirts and jackets with different cuts using various Khadi fabric textures and colour combination are apt to wear for a beach party or a beach meeting. Khadi cotton and Khadi silk used is vegetable dyed, buttons made of Coconut shells, minimal use of plastic only for zippers makes my collection Eco- friendly. I am happy that IIFW has started something that was much needed in India to open an altogether new market for Indian designers," said designer Rashmi Solanki.

"It is really inspiring to see something like IIFW happening in India which was much needed. Being a professional bodybuilder, I know how much undergarments means for inner confidence. This should be brought into our daily communication rather than considering this a social stigma. This not just about curves and sexiness but health and hygiene too. We should definitely Boo This Taboo," said Bollywood actor Thakur Anoop Singh.

The audience once again got mesmerized with the magical performance of 'Rastafari' singer DEB who took the audience by storm with his heart-touching singing during the show, which was truly refreshing for the spectators.

India Intimate Fashion Week season 2 witnessed a splendid grand finale with Jef Albea, an international fashion designer from Filipino who highlighted who presented the best line of bridal lingerie collection for the first time in India.

"Sophisticated designs are themed to celebrate the vibrant artisans of Asia which India is an also proud to have. Art drawn from patterns seen on earth coupled with the techniques with flawless execution creates a rich and modern appeal. An intimate wear shall transport the meticulous eye into a world so vast, rich and sexy. An intimate wear shall possess elegance, sophistication and full of drama to catch the eyes of the audience, revealing but gorgeously decent. It's a great pleasure for me to showcase my collections for the first time in India through an innovative platform like IIFW. I am looking forward to a revolutionary change in Indian Intimate apparel market after IIFW," said Jef Albea.

In addition to that, IIFW Season 2 also had a spectacular Art Gallery in association with India's leading online Art Gallery Art Spread to display the connection of intimacy with art, which is surely a part of Indian history.