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Atsu Sekhose: The boy from Nagaland, who dreamt of YSL and Karl Lagerfeld in school, is ready to host a stall at the fashion week. “I shall do a collection of western separates with clean silhouettes,” says the 30-year-old NIFT alumnus who launched his label in 2006. “It will be a mix of Asian influence and western sensibility,” says Sekhose. Check out his subdued, chic look, especially his way with silks and handloom fabrics from the Northeast.
Ekru Bio: When Kolkata-based sisters-in-law Ekta Jaipuria (left) and Ruchira Kandhari debuted at the Lakme Fashion Week last year, fashionistas were suitably impressed by their delightful use of eco-friendly fabrics. The duo, under the label Ekru Bio, used materials like vanya silk (wild silk from Assam) that has a natural sheen. They will make their debut with “The Awakening”. It is inspired by the Renaissance era but the focus is again on bio-friendly ensembles, aimed at sensitising the sartorial sorority to ecological issues. But the shift to Delhi is strictly with business in mind.
Rahul Reddy: He left conservative Hyderabad to rollick in garments at NIFT, Delhi, and got bitten by the pręt bug. After graduating in 2001, the 29-year-old did not return to his hometown. Instead he flew to the London College of Printing and came back to the Capital to assist Rajesh Pratap Singh. “I was with him for three years and learnt a lot,” he says. For his debut show on March 14, Reddy will interpret fall and winter in a purely western line. “The look is neat and structured, but there’s a twist in each of the ensembles,” says the designer, whose eponymous label sells out of boutiques like Ensemble, L Affaire in Delhi, Zoya in Mumbai and 85, Lansdowne in Kolkata.
Kokommo: Mumbai-based Kunti Shah (centre) was working with ceramics while school friend Medha Toprani (left) and her niece Kalli Mehra were dabbling in metal showpieces when one day the trio decided to get together and start a venture in accessories. The brand Kokommo was born about six years ago and the three came up with handbags and belts and fun jewellery. “It began as a fun project for us but soon grew rapidly, with lots of export orders. And we decided to take it seriously,” says Shah. The three of them, who have a tie-up with most of Mumbai’s high-end stores, had a fashion week outing at the Lakme ramp last year. But now, with their burgeoning business, Kokommo wants to venture into newer markets, and hence the foray into Delhi. “We mostly use fabrics for our bags, with as little leather as possible, and play around with wood, ceramics and even tiles,” says Shah. Catch their stuff at their stall at the WIFW for some off-the-cuff products.
Nitin Bal Chauhan: The 28-year-old from Chamba, Himachal Pradesh, has painted, made movies — like the avant-garde Lost or Found that won awards at the Asian First Film Festival in Singapore — and then, of course, made pręt. The NIFT alumnus’s expertise lies in seamlessly blending tribal handicrafts, often inspired by his hometown, with western sensibilities to come up with a range of women’s wear that is both sophisticated and ethnic. Chauhan, who debuted at the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai last year, is headed for the London Fashion Week. In between, however, he will be stopping over at the Delhi ramp with his autumn-winter line. “In Mumbai, winter wear is limited to jacquards and similar textures. I work with wool and woollen blends, something which is attuned to markets in Delhi and overseas. I thought it was the right time to come here,” he says. Expect some chic westernwear with folk overtones when he puts his collection on the ramp on March 13.
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