Raima Sen inspires participants at The Design Festival, says prefers to be herself despite her legacy

However, she handled the queries with elan and when asked who she resembled the most, Sen replied, "I have received both their genes, but mostly I am very different from both of them.”

The emphasis on being oneself was an inspiration to the Kolkata participants of the The Design Festival, a competition hosted by INIFD across six Indian cities, including Surat, Pune, Mumbai, Jaipur.

Actors Raima Sen and Aman Verma were present at the Kolkata leg of the competition that was searching for talented Fashion Design and Interior Design students.

Fashion designer Paromita Banerjee, who was also present at the event, said, “Indian designers are looked at with respect outside the country and we should be proud of this.”

Jaspreet Chandok, Head of Fashion, IMG-R said, “In terms of creativity, Jaipur stood out because of its aesthetic beauty. Kolkata on the other hand seems like a mix of metro-cultural fashion with cultural connotations."

On being asked about the prevailing competition in the fashion industry these days, Shefalee Vasudev, Editor, ‘The Voice of Fashion’ said, “Students should be pragmatic and need to understand that they may not be welcomed with open arms. They should focus on their goal. At the end, the only people who matter are the consumers of your product.”

Winners of the competition will get get a direct entry to Lakme Fashion Week. Winners of the fashion design will showcase their work at the premier fashion show while winners of interior design competition will design five sets at the Lakme Fashion Week.

(Reporting by Meghna Dunbar)