Fashion Week: GenNext designers lead the way

Six young designers showcased their collection on Day One of Lakme Fashion Week Summer/ Resort 2014 in Mumbai. Summer colours like red, orange and white dominated the runway.

Six GenNext designers -- Divya Sheth, Chandni Mohan, Parul Bhargava, Sreejith Jeevan, Ujjawal Dubey and Vilvin Sabu -- opened Day One of the Lakme Fashion Week Summer/ Resort 2014 amid loud cheering from the audience at the Grand Hyatt in Mumbai.

Titled the INIFD Gen-Next show, each of the designers were personally mentored by ace designer Anita Dongre.

We start off with Divya Sheth's collection that had an Indo-international flavour to it.

Inspired by Mary Cassatt's painting of Lady at the Tea Table, the line derived influences from Japanese, Moroccan and English tableware.

Seen here is a model wearing a pottery blue slit gown with multiple pattern-work designed by Sheth.

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The use of thread embroidery and Ajrakh prints with the unusual clamp dyeing ensured that each of the outfits stood their own -- be it drapes or silhouettes.

The intricate lace hemlines and choice of ikat, khadi and Jamdani weaves blended seamlessly into the outfits lending it grace and volume.

The designer walked the runway and chose to wear a dress with dotted prints from her own creation.

Parul Bhargava who was debuting at the Lakme Fashion Week experimented with a range pastel silhouettes and hues for her serene collection.

A graduate from London College of Fashion and Central Saint Martins UK, the designer revisited the charm of the 1950s through her line.

Bhargava's line treated us to a bevy of options in boxy jackets, skirts, pallazos and dresses that accentuated the curves of the models.

Dolman sleeves made a grand comeback in Bhargava's collection.

Among the colours that dominated her summer line include muted beige, brown, and blue with deeper hues of brown, each of which extended a sense of warmth and femininity to the outfits.

Meanwhile Chandni Mohan treated the audiences to her high end luxury line.

A graduate of fashion from Nottingham Trent University, UK, Mohan owns the label Selvage -- derived from the words 'self' and 'edge'.

The designer's inspiration for the collection was Preston Scott's architecture which was clearly visible in her choice of geometric cuts and folds.

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Mohan played with fabrics like tencel, satin, crepe spandex and satin chiffons which personified the grace of the new age stylish woman.

Bright summer colours like orange teamed with gold accessories highlighted the collection.

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If it is high end luxury, black is mandatory.

The asymmetrical cuts and slits were the talk points of Mohan's line.

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Kochi born designer Sreejith Jeevan's collection was titled 'Fashion Forecast'

True to the concept, Jeevan used umbrellas and ships as motifs for his collection that seemed to be inspired from God's own country.

The quaint collection was a tribute to the handloom weavers and women embroiderers of the country.

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With colours like cloudy grey, dull brown and white the designer experimented with hip length blouses, preppy dresses, pleated pants, rustic skirts, cropped jackets and casual tunics.

As you can see from the picture above, Jeevan's line had a perky young appeal.

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Jeevan's line successfully recreated the scenes of a picturesque Kerala in his debut collection. As for the outfits, they were quite wearable too!

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When the rest of the world designed clothes mostly for women, Ujjwal Dubey opted for a menswear collection. And he turned to the hot deserts in the world for inspiration.

Titled 'No Longer the Hunted', Ujjawal Dubey presented his collection of garments that had rugged silhouettes in grey and black.

Coincidentally his label is called Antar Agni -- the fire within.

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For the summer collection, the designer chose to experiment with weaves, pleats and knits that would lend the wearer comfort and style.

There were trousers, tunics, jackets and coats too, all in muted colours!

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Vilvin Sabu's show titled 'Tropical Chic' sought inspiration from ancient heritage and art.

An alumnus from the London College of Fashion UK, Sabu's resort collection saw a melange of shorts, rompers and body suits.

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The blouses with splashes of abstract prints and bright hues were a treat to the eyes.

Sabu's line featured bright minis, pants and jackets in refreshing colours like yellow, green, rust, fuschia and blue.

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Sabu's well fitting dual shade blouses and cleverly constructed jackets with rich embroidery and prints clearly excited the young audience.

The GenNext show turned out to be a hit in more ways than one for it showcased a successful range of wearable creations that were far from the ordinary.