Kolkata: Blenders Pride Fashion Tour 2015 presents the handcrafted story of style

The tour arrived in the city of joy, Kolkata in its third stop.

The evening was crafted to perfection bringing out the finest col.lab.orations of design, music and technology. Every artist exuded brilliance that is core to their Style and novelty, capturing the audience with sublime experiences which will remain etched in their minds.

Decoding his magnificent journey and the understated story of style, internationally celebrated Indian chess champion Viswanathan Anand narrated fine experiences which have stayed with him and influenced him to evolve as a sportsperson. Fashion aces JJ Valaya and Rahul Mishra presented design stories which were a blend of exquisite detailing and rich legacy, handcrafted to perfection.

These design stories were a col.lab.oration of contemporary couture and organic handcraft; as eminent designer JJ Valaya’s collection was inspired by India’s culture blended with that of Russia while Rahul Mishra’s collection was an epitome of rustic villages. Curating music for the tour, Gaurav Raina strung together the beats to which these design stories were presented. Adding to the resplendence of this experience, Soha Ali Khan donned the finale design for JJ Valaya, epitomising elegance that comes with rich legacy and distinguished craftsmanship.

Commenting on the occasion, Raja Banerji, Assistant Vice President, Pernod Ricard India, said, “Blenders Pride Fashion Tour has a legacy of bringing forth different facets of style. This year, the inspiration is ‘Col.lab.oration’ between designers, musicians, celebrated personalities who will showcase their inspirations, co-creations and the journeys of style that have defined their style and taste. Our endeavour is to decode the style elements for audience and showcase the substance that makes for every artist’s excellence.  Delving deeper into the journey of style, the Blenders Pride Reserve Collection evenings have been handcrafted to perfection and exquisiteness”.

On his collection ‘The Bolshoi Bazaar’ for Blenders Pride Fashion Tour 2015, JJ Valaya said, “Continuing in the spirit of the Royal Nomad, my collection ‘The Bolshoi Bazaar’ finds its soul in two unique ethnicities: India and Russia. My collection is a collaboration of two cultures. It embodies the very spirit of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour 2015. It is not a contrast but an amalgamation of refinement with subtle edginess, layered with luxury which is handcrafted yet intriguingly modern!”

Every year, Valaya combines the energy of his constant inspiration, India with that of another culturally charged culture and this year, it is Russia.

The collection traverses the large extent of Russian boundaries and finds inspiration from various regions and disciples including the jewels of the czars, the Ikats of the nomadic Russia, the Onion domes of Moscow, Russian Kerchiefs and pre-rebellion architecture. This in turn results in a modern, yet distinctly Indian (with a kiss of Russia) collection in signature weaves, crepes, viols, georgettes and other fine fabrics and champions various techniques ranging from digital printing, appliqué and embroideries.

Designer Rahul Mishra, known for his sustainable design philosophy, said, “As Blenders Pride Fashion Tour decodes the elements of style, this year my collection ‘The Village’ fits aptly with this platform. Col.lab.orating with the theme of good taste that remains with us always, the collection encapsulates beautiful stories of people, process, and craft. The collection is not just apparel but a design experience that was presented on the stage of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour, narrating the contemporary story of balanced existence of nature and mankind, with its roots lying in finest fibres, weaves and craft techniques, practiced in villages across the world.”

This collection is a soul-searching endeavour and creates a graphical sketchbook of images of a village, which inspired Rahul Mishra. Rahul worked on conjoining elements of various villages like Wool extracted from Gurrundah, a village in New South Wales Southern Tablelands, Sydney was given shape and form in a remote village near Kolkata.

Tuned to the craftsmanship and influences of JJ Valaya and Rahul Mishra, Randolph a.k.a Func presented a mid-tempo, ‘trip-hop’ style vocal tracks for Rahul’s rustic collection and some ‘larger than life’ cinematic numbers for JJ Valaya’s extravagant designs. Uplifting the mood of the evening and accompanying Func with his unique beats was Tipriti Kharbangar who kept the audience mesmerised with her brilliant voice.

Sharing his thoughts, Chess champion Viswanathan Anand said, “I am happy to be a part of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour which brings varied talent together in such symmetry. For a sportsperson, his performance is the core to his style. Mine has been a collective experience, years of focus, passion and simplicity of thought. I believe these elements are quintessential for a sportsperson to excel. I look forward to share my Style story at Blenders Pride Fashion Tour 2015.”