In its 17th edition Bridal Asia has added a new venue: Mumbai. Also new to the high-end bridal expo are a bunch of designers from around the country (young, established and from across the border even). This time around the emphasis is on a summer bride – with decidedly fuss-free lehengas and bridalwear. We spoke to the founder, Divya Gurwara, on what to expect:
What’s unique to the 17th edition?
“This city is very close to our heart and we wanted to ensure that we come with the rightly curated group of participants, to ensure that the city gets to experience the best of Bridal Asia. We have an interesting mix of young designers in whom we see the future of Indian fashion. We also have on board some of India s top couturiers. While we have Alpana & Neeraj, Swati Ubroi, Puja Rajpal Jaggi, Dev r Nil and others, bringing an interesting collection of summer bridal wear, we also have veterans like Pallavi Jaikishan, Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Bal, Suneet Varma, Bhairavi Jaikishan, Falguni & Shane Peacock and others on board.
In terms of the jewellery we’re bringing an interesting array of designs from across the country. Temple jewellery from Jaipur Gems (Chennai), intricate diamond and polki from Nemichand Bamalwa (Kolkata), Khanna Jewellers and MBj (Delhi), and Briddhichand Ghanshyamdas (Jaipur) to name some. And we other interesting names like Sumona Parekh, and Neelam Narang bringing in silver jewellery.”
We hear that there are a lot of new designers participating this time.
“We are happy to provide a platform to the young designers who may not be very big names right now but we foresee them playing a very important role in the industry in future. Sonali Gupta, Rose Couture, Pooja Rajpal Jaggi, Studio Petticoat, Pooja Shroff, Sozenkari, Divya Reddy are some of the names we are proudly supporting.”
What can we expect at the venue?
“The expansive space is giving us enough room to mix and match interesting names from across apparel, jewellery, trousseau packaging, silver ware, accessories, wedding decor. But more importantly, since we are focusing on the summer bride, you will see an interesting mix of apparel from breezy, sexy, stylish resort wear to intricate and detailed wedding and trousseau pieces.”
What’s the one thing we shouldn’t miss at Bridal Asia’s Mumbai edition?
“We have Gul Ahmad come to India from across the border for the first time. They are the leading manufacturers of finest lawn (a special fabric) and exquisite voiles. Also, Zara Shahjahan, a young designer from Pakistan is bringing a range of beautifully styled wedding wear in classic marori work.”
Bridal Asia, Mumbai, is on from April 10-12. Bridalasia.com
