Year of national and international recognition to Hyderabad

2014 saw the city’s fashion scene coming of age. Gone are those days when Abids, Cherma’s, etc were the go-to destinations for trendy apparel. International brand outlets and designer boutiques are the new fad. With many new labels setting up stores here, the fashion scene is expected to grow by leaps and bounds.

The city’s name is on every fashionista’s lips these days, thanks to the headway young designers made on the national front. From representing the city at different fashion weeks and creating a line that caught everybody’s eyes, these designers have added the much needed oomph to the city’s vogue. Archana Gupta and Anushree Reddy rose to the occasion in 2013 and continued their good work this year too. However, the year belongs to Shravan Kumar, Shilpa Reddy and Guarang Shah.

Shravan Kumar exhibited his designs at Vancouver Fashion Week. He received a standing ovation when he walked the ramp with models who presented his beautifully crafted designs in Ajrak — an environment and skin friendly fabric with block prints. Simran Kaur Mundi, Miss India 2008, was Kumar’s showstopper. She was dressed as a bride and walked down the ramp with all the drama of a Bollywood wedding.

“Kumar’s designs mix a little tradition and some Bollywood into the modern and eco-friendly collection, that make you want to own every piece that the models showcased. Ensembles in typical Ajrak colours of blue, green, beige, maroon, black, yellow and gold dominated the show,” wrote Vancouver Desi. Shilpa Reddy became the first Indian designer to exhibit her collection at the Eiffel Tower. Held on the first deck of the Eiffel Tower, with a panoramic view of Paris as the backdrop, the show's guest list included ambassadors, members of the government, business and fashion leaders, along with national and international press.

Shilpa showcased a line based on the environment-friendly, malkha fabric. With this, Shilpa Reddy Studio became the only Indian design house to be associated with this show by Jessica Minh Anh. Another designer who had a great year was Gaurang Shah. Actress Taapsee Pannu looked dapper in a Yellow ghagra designed by him at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive. With curly locks and a green bindi in place, Taapsee made for a perfect muse and justified Shah’s outfit, which was part of his Chitr-Sena line. The ensembles were made using Kanchipuram weaves with a unique twist in colours and textures.

Shah said that he took over six months to shape up the Chitr-sena line. His collection had ghaghras, anarkalis, ghararas, and angarkhas with pants tailored in matka silk and Maheshwari-khadi. These are embroidered with fables in zardosi and badla. Chitr-Sena features traditional motifs of Garuda, rudraksh, hamsa, shikarga, sher (tiger), bagha (leopard), haathi (elephant), morni (peacocks), and shikar woven in Kanchipuram silk dupattas and saris in a distinctive fashion.

The designers are making it big and fashion institutes are attracting new talent from far and wide, yet there is something amiss in the fashion scene. “People here spend huge, often in the tune of lakhs but it is only limited to bridal attire. When it comes to contemporary fashion they are conservative,” says Shilpa Reddy.

The designer observes that silhouettes and sleeves are a strict no-no and most designers prefer the safe and predictable collection. “The scenario is way better when compared to the past. But it has to make a lot of headway, to be called the next fashion destination. Hyderabad is a huge market, but on the fashion front it is behind Delhi, Mumbai and Bengaluru,” she adds.