The first edition of Dutch Indian Fashion Week (DIFW) took place on the 27-28 of January 2018 at the World Trade Center in The Hague, The Netherlands. DIFW aims to follow the example of Lakmé Fashion Week, which has been created with a vision to redefine the future of fashion and integrate India into the global fashion world.
The Indian community in The Netherlands knows several events celebrating Indian culture including Indian film and dance festivals. National cinemas show the latest box office hits from Bollywood and several (national) Miss India events are held in our country. But fashion events showing actual (Indian) designer collections were hard to find. The introduction of such event is a great step forward.
We were invited to join this event and cover one of the evening shows. It included a variety of designers with Indian roots from The Netherlands, UK and India. I was very excited to see that a known name was walking the runway this evening, Indian model Krishna Somani.
The opening show by Amadi Couture, a label by designers Maahi Khan & Abdullah Kashan was one of the best shows of the evening. Their collection included both Indian and Western garments. A modern take on iconic designs from the past. They used vibrant colours including ruby reds, shades of blue and metallic hues. They showcased a very diverse collection including different silhouettes and fashion techniques.
For a moment it was like we were at Lakmé Fashion Week in Mumbai. Amadi Couture’s showstopper design was worn by Krishna Somani. A peplum jacket with long sleeves and zipper detail combined with a lehenga skirt. Richly embellished with floral embroidery, decorated with gold sequins and sparkling glitter. A design worthy of the big stage, worn by an Indian beauty like Somani. A feast for the eyes! This designer duo is on my radar.
Another show which sparked my interest was by the designers from Asian Bridal Haute Couture. Their collection included a variety of bridal designs aimed at the modern Indian bride. It included Lehenga Choli and Anarkali styles with gold & silver thread embroidery details. I know a lot of brides who cling to the traditional idea of a red wedding gown, but this collection shows the modern day bride wears whatever she likes, from gold and popping pinks to mint green.
Our focus of the evening was Indian bridal and couture but one Dutch designer is worth a mention, which is why we featured a picture from her show. Fashcrash by Lalita presented a collection of evening wear. Her silky jump suits in deep purple and black are on my must-have list.
We hope this event gets the chance to grow in the next years, as I would love to see more Indian designers coming to The Netherlands.