IBFW 2015 opens with a royal touch

IBFW 2015: Day 1

BMW decided to bring its flagship fashion show BMW India Bridal Fashion Week to Hyderabad this year, much to the glee of the fashion aficionados of the city. The fashion week, in its second year of existence, is going to seven major cities of the country, Hyderabad being its second destination.

Held over the weekend, it showcased the works of four leading designers at the BMW showroom in Khairatabad. According to Frank Schloeder, head of marketing for BMW India, the theme of bridal fashion and BMW have a lot in common. “In India, weddings are a huge occasion, and people can spend any amount for a good piece of craftsmanship. That is what these clothes are about, and that is what BMW cars are about. Our cars are epitomes of craftsmanship. Each time you drive a BMW it is a joyous occasion, much like weddings. The amalgamation of the two themes was very much organic”, he said.

One of the two designers who were showcased on Saturday night was Raghavendra Rathore. Rathore, mainly known for his men’s collection, stuck to the roots of Indian men at weddings. His models proudly wore their moustaches along with the attires designed by him.

The clothes were very wearable and had a theme which progressed from darker shades of bandh galas and boots to more traditional Indian wedding colours, like beige and red, and Rajasthani chappals. When asked about his collection he said, “The theme had much to do with the lighting and the venue.

It had to be presented in a way that it captures the audience’s attention. The main idea of this collection is to rebuild the wardrobe that got lost post-independence. Banarasi silk, Rajasthani accessories are a huge part of it. I am a very market oriented designer rather than an over-the-top one. I study my market and then design clothes according to it.

80 per cent of my customers are wedding attendees rather than grooms. I make clothes that they can wear without looking too loud and at the same time standing out. I invest a lot in buttons and dupattas for men.

They become family heirlooms that can be passed on to the next generations. Just expensive clothes which are one time wears do not really make sense. I want my creations to last more than that.” Rathore is coming up with an exclusive showroom in Hyderabad early next year and hopes that the response will be the same as he got during this fashion show.

The other designer whose creations sizzled up the ramp was J J Valaya. He showcased his Bolshoi Bazaar collection which was a product of the contradiction between the Russian and the Indian culture. Starting with the theme of beige with dashes of green, the show progressed to all green and then set the ramp on fire with shades of amber at the end.

Talking about the collection Valaya said, “I travel the globe every year looking for cultural contradictions. Contradictions bring out the best clothes. Last year it was Morocco and before that it was Spain. Clothes are my second skin. I have been doing it for 25 years, and my aim is to bring people together through clothes.

In the great Indian wedding, it’s all about clothes and what better way to design clothes than sewing it with different cultures. We all are the same underneath these clothes. The contradiction of the clothes is actually a manifestation of our similarity and that fascinates me.”Well, had you been there, you could not have agreed more with both the designers.

Their clothes, the ambience that BMW provided, the hospitality extended to guests and of course the transformation of the showroom into a ramp; everything was spot on. One can only hope that bringing the Bridal Fashion Week to Hyderabad is a tradition that BMW will stick to in the coming years as well.