Lakmé Fashion Week to take four emerging designers to Chennai for ‘Gen Next on the Road’

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Feb 25, 2020

Lakmé Fashion Week and IMG Reliance will bring four ‘Gen Next’ brands to Chennai for a showcase at multi-brand store Amethyst from February 28 to 29, for its ‘Gen Next on the Road’ initiative.

 
Up-and-coming brands AKHL by Akhil Nagpal, All2Defy by Ananya Modi Jain, Chandrima by Chandrima Agnihotri, and Graine by Harshna Kandhari and Mannat Sethi will showcase their summer/resort 2020 collections at Amethyst in Chennai from Friday, Lakmé Fashion Week announced in a press release. 
 
The four brands all recently took part in LFW’s Gen Next runway showcase during its recent fashion week in Mumbai. The Chennai showcase will give shoppers a chance to get to know the brands and help to expand the new brands’ distribution networks. 

AKHL by Akhil Nagpal, launched in 2019, will present the collection ‘Hold me Tight/Set me Free’, which uses woven textiles, Zardozi and Ari embroidery techniques, and up-cycled monofilament yarns mixed with handloom textiles. The designer’s modern take on evening wear features structured silhouettes and a colour palette including silver, black, pastels, and bordeaux.
 
All2Defy by Ananya Modi Jain, launched as an urban wear brand in 2018, will showcase its youthful collection ‘Woke Up Like This’. The collection mixes tongue-in-cheek graphics with stripes and checks and features reversible outerwear and a relaxed aesthetic.
 
Chandrima by Chandrima Agnihotri will retail its multicultural folk-inspired collection ‘Warps of Melange’. With the aim of promoting and preserving India’s rich folk heritage, designer Agnihotri worked with the Jat community of the Kutch region to create hand-embroidered pieces. By mixing in European lace, Agnihotri has also given the collection a global perspective.
 
Finally, Graine by Harshna Kandhari and Mannat Sethi will present ‘Kaju Katli Silver Filgiree’, which was inspired by Barfi and the joy of visiting an Indian sweet shop. Using linen, gotta, twill, and sheer organza, the collection plays with layering and proportions. The brand also used re-purposed rubber tyres, meticulously cut and embroidered by Zari artisans.