Orange is the new black and luxury pret fashion designer duo Pankaj and Nidhi proved it on the runway. Keeping it vibrant and energetic, the muse and the face of Lakme’s 9To5 Vitamin C+ range, Ananya Panday, sashayed the ramp to the tune of Kate Bush’s Running up the Hill, in a sunrise orange applique blazer dress.
Bringing their vision of their collection Solaris to life on the runway, the designer duo presented an array of structured silhouettes which were feminine and featured shades of sunshine oranges, ambers, yellows, horizon pinks, purples, dusky teals and greens.
In conversation with News18, the celebrated designer duo Pankaj and Nidhi, spoke about returning to a physical showcase, the inspiration behind Solaris and why Ananya Panday was the ideal muse.
EXCERPTS:
Your designs celebrate creative vibrancy in the form of texture and colours. What inspired the collection you showcased at the fashion week?
The collection is called Solaris which means pertaining to the sun. When we were designing the collection for Lakmé Vitamin C+ range, we wanted to do a collection that is all about celebrating life and bringing to the fore its light and vibrancy. The sun is a source of vibrancy which we draw energy from and so we also wanted to draw our inspiration from orange which is the colour of the sun, evoking the feeling of vibrancy, energy and a collection that is full of life. We like to make clothes which make you feel special again. For this particular collection, we wanted it to feel like a second skin. It’s like when you put on makeup and do your hair, you feel great. Similarly, when you put on clothes you need to feel your best.
You mentioned you wanted the clothes to feel like a second skin, how did you do that?
When a woman gets ready for the day or an outing in the evening, she chooses an outfit and then thinks about how she is going to prep her skin, makeup, and hair. It is very instinctive. As designers we do it with a little bit of thought, we work on the aspect of clothes feeling good when you wear them. A lot of research has gone into how the clothes are being lined. The texturization is sometimes intense but the inside is lined with silk organza which is beautiful and soft on the skin. The clothes don’t feel like they would weigh you down.
Ananya Panday was your muse for the show, what made her the ideal choice?
Ananya Panday embodies the collection beautifully and is also the face of the Lakmé 9to5 Vitamin C+ range. Her youth and her charm complement our vibrant collection. We couldn’t have asked for a better muse than her.
Blending fashion and skincare on the runway, how challenging was this collaboration for the brand to break from stereotypes and come out with something exceptional?
The inclination and interest towards skin among global and national audiences has increased over the years, so bringing alive the trend of the ‘skinification of makeup’ on the runway was truly a challenging but inspiring way to reconceptualize our designs.
How is pre-pandemic Pankaj and Nidhi different from post-pandemic Pankaj and Nidhi?
One big dynamic that has changed is that now the seasonality has become more instantaneous, where we are making collections which are on the runway now and they will be ready to buy next week. They will be ready to shop at the store. Pre-pandemic, one used to make collections six months ahead, now it’s literally six hours ahead.
How did it feel coming back to a fully physical fashion show?
We were beyond excited to be back at a fully physical showcase this season of Lakme Fashion Week in partnership with FDCI, as the platform gives designers an opportunity to channel their creativity and take on fashion. As part of the fashion fraternity in the country, we know how much it takes to put together a fashion show; from hair and makeup, venue, set design and everything in between, so are eternally grateful to Lakme and FDCI for putting together and enabling this platform to artists across the country.
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