Woolmark prize winner Nachiket Barve will show at Lakmé Fashion Week

By

Isabelle Crossley

Published
Aug 14, 2017

Nachiket Barve will show his debut collection of bridal wear at Lakmé Fashion Week winter/ festive 2017, his brand’s first step into traditional wear.

Barve won the International Woolmark Prize for fashion design for 2016/ 2017 and, of the recognition it brought him, said: “The Woolmark Prize really helped me stretch my boundaries as a designer.” For his label’s first foray into bridalwear, Barve explained that he was inspired by the Greek goddesses Athena, Artemis, and Aphrodite and the collection is called Theia.

Along with inspiration from Greek mythology, Barve also had more practical concerns for his collection. He said that it was very important to keep the collection both comfortable and wearable so that it could be enjoyed on the bride’s big day and even worn again afterwards. Barve added: “Despite all the embellishments, I’ve strived to make the garments lightweight and fuss-free”

Although Barve has never released a bridalwear collection, he did design his wife’s bridal lehenga in 2013 and said that clients have been asking him to delve further into the category ever since. “Clients have been consciously asking me why I’m not doing traditional wear, which prodded me to think what sort of festive wear I would want to do. Without a doubt, the Nachiket Barve bride is someone who is confident and individualistic and that’s the spirit that I’ve tried to capture in my new offering, Theia,” he said.

Nachiket Barve debuted his label in 2010 at the Gen Next show as part of Lakmé Fashion Week and has continued to show at the event since. Based in Mumbai, Barve has an appointment-only design studio in the city and is featured in luxury fashion boutiques across the country as well on online.