Denim on the ramp

Denim is for all seasons and all reasons. The recently held Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020 saw many designers either using jeans to pair their flowy summery separates, shirts and tunics or working on the denim fabric to create some amazing jackets, trousers, casual wear and even party wear ensembles.

One must surely mention Rohit Bal's range of embroidered, patched up distressed jeans that bring in an element of vibrancy to the otherwise nonchalance that denim exudes when used in men's wear. His show was held at open air lawns forming the perfect backdrop for the shades of blue.

Pankaj and Nidhi's collection, was primarily about florals and lustrous twills. They used sheer organza for most of their clothes. For the first time the designer duo ventured into the denim space with iridescent embellishments giving the perfect contrast to bomber jackets and jeans in indigo.

The speciality of denim as is in the case of Pankaj and Nidhi's collection is that the pieces can be worn together or paired easily with other casual separates from the wardrobe. The 'ArtFluence' collection is part of the 'green fashion' movement. And the focus is on comfort to suit the summers accentuated by their youthful designs. They call this a perfect blend of functionality, enhancement and fashion, set amidst summer-inspired silhouettes.

Yet another young designer, a find of the INIFD Launch Pad, Prachiti Shinde's collection is eccentric, breezy and sustainable. And she is one the designers whose prime fabric was up-cycled denim. A halter neck bralette layered with a sturdy denim jacket having edgy striped details on the sleeves, worn with flared denim pants; is part of the street style created using asymmetrical blouses, denim corset, sleeve variations and geometrical threadwork. Use of traditional embroideries—Kasuti and Kantha from Karnataka and Bengal, make the line, "Recoup of Threads" rather quirky and a striking fusion of the art and craft of India with the trendy and modern look of the denim.

Reiterating the adapting nature of denim, many designers included this piece of garment to compliment their designs; never mind if they were casual or well-tailored formals. Seasoned designer Kunal Anil Tanna displayed his range of immaculately tailored men's wear on the runway in subtle primary tones of ivory, bare tinges of beige, effortless gradations of grey integrated with staple shades of blue and deep tanned blush from his new collection 'Elementary'. It was interesting to see how he used slim ivory jeans to team with a biker's knitted jacket with double-buttoned opening.

Abhishek Sharma found the inspiration for his collection "Impressions" in the broken impressionist brush strokes, creating unconventional colour palette. He also used traditional hand embroidery, some exciting patchwork along with silk thread work and eye-catching embellishments and presented a wide array of garments ranging from saris, lehengas and jumpsuits to shorts and hoodies. Dabbling in different fabrics added innovatively made for striking collection that is bound to stay on the fashion streets through the summer. In addition to chiffon, georgettes, linens, use of denim in contemporary silhouettes gets him a mention in this ode to the fabric.

Young 'House of DK' designer Devesh Kothari's creations were recently unveiled as a part of the FAD Talents at London Fashion Week. He brought in his own innovative concepts by up-cycling pre-worn denim to create an alternative to traditional fur. FAD International Academy plans to unveil the collections at Milan towards the end of the month.

Another budding designer, Shahin Mannan's "Fernweh" (meaning 'longing for far off places' in German) was called a perfect travel-worthy offering at Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2020. Her versatile collection too has trendy denim jackets in addition to anti-fit coat dresses, long sleeveless jackets and pencil skirts.

It surely looks like you can't have this season's wardrobe without a denim separate or better still a denim dress for that cool hot summer look; also throw in a couple of jeans not just in shades of blue, but also the kinds of ivory included. Evidently, designers vouch for it too.