ELLE Graduates is back again, this time as RElan ELLE Graduates 2019, to celebrate the future of Indian fashion. The unique platform encourages homegrown labels and young talented designers to celebrate fashion in their own way, while being mentored by some of the best in the industry. Here’s everything you need to know about the designers nominated for the ‘Ready-To-Wear’ category at RELan ELLE Graduates 2019:
1. Diksha Khanna
Mentored by designer Wendell Rodricks, designer Diksha Khanna first showcased her label at Amazon India Fashion Week in 2018. Relaxed minimalistic silhouettes, her label mainly draws inspiration from nomadic lifestyle—made simple. Dominated by the use of purely organic fabrics the design philosophy revolves around sustainable fashion, keeping in mind trans-seasonal clothing that is also modern.
“We produce on a small scale to minimise wastage. We directly source our textiles from weavers, without any middlemen, to support local artisans and communities. And as I mentioned, our denim, too, is scrap fabric sourced directly from the factories and is fully hand distressed,” she told ELLE India.
2. Kanika Goyal
Intricate craftsmanship and fine tailoring, Kanika Goyal has defined her brand as “provocative minimalism”—a paradox she’s truly proud of. The identity of her label intertwines calm with chaos, through luxurious designs that use opposite elements—a mix of heavy and light fabrics, prints that contrast—all giving her label more depth and definition.
3. Pallavi Singh
Redefining the vision of traditional printing and embroidery techniques, and seamlessly combining it with contemporary silhouettes, ARCVSH by Pallavi Singh brings two worlds together through her label. Primarily inspired by folklore aesthetics, it reinvents the old with the new by creating a rather unique statement which is timely, yet classic.
4. Two Point Two
Focussing on the person rather than the gender, Two Point Two by Anvita Sharma creates a gender-neutral fashion space for everyone. An amalgamation of colours, detailing, and silhouettes, the label’s philosophy lies in not giving importance to gender separation and unites the differences between them instead.
5. Yavi
Using traditional hand-crafting and hand-painting techniques, Yavi by Yadvi Agarwal was conceptualised from the designer’s fascination with textile and fine art. Comfortable and wearable fashion that is also playful and inventive, the label uses India’s traditional and diverse textile traditions such as handloom weaving, block printing, and Adda work, and renders them into pieces that are more contemporary.
Photographs: Instagram.com
