New Delhi, April 23 (Inditop) This was a fashion show with a difference as designers stayed away from synthetic fibers and presented an eco-friendly collection. This was their way of contributing to saving the environment.
National Geographic Channel (NGC) organised a week-long festival, “Eco week 2009” on the occasion of International Earth Day April 22. The aim was to highlight the state of our planet and encourage the use of eco-friendly practices in our day-to-day life.
The festival concluded Wednesday at the British Council with a fashion show. Prominent designers such as Ritu Kumar, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Raghavendra Rathore, Kakoli Banerjee of Satya Jyoti trust and UK based designer Mark Liu showcased their eco-friendly collections.
“I was tired of making clothes using man-made fibers. This was a refreshing change from the routine and I strongly believe that everyone should actively contribute to saving the environment. This is my way of contributing and from now onwards, my focus will be to work only with natural fibers,” Ritu Kumar told Inditop after the show.
While Kumar’s collection had anarkali suits, long skirts in off white hues with gota embroidery, Rajesh Pratap stuck to his well cut silhouettes and slim-fit trousers and dhotis in the hues of white, black and red.
Raghavendra Rathore’s collection was for men and the line had suits, kurta-pajamas and waist coats in the hues of black, blue and white.
In contrast, Kakoli Banerjee showcased a colourful collection that had long dresses, short skirts, tunics in bright colours like fuchsia, purple, red, orange and green.
Mark Liu also experimented a bit with colour and his line had hues of pink, purple and black.
“People normally think that eco-friendly dresses are boring because they can only associate nude shades like white with this fabric. I wanted to change this perception and hence I experimented a bit with the colour,” Liu told Inditop.
Talking about this initiative, NGC’s South Asia managing director Nikhil Mirchandani said: “Through this initiative, we want to sensitize our viewers to the fact that no environmental issue stands on its own. It is time to change – to think and act towards preserving our planet as even the smallest things we do count, whether it is buying ethically produced products or recycling waste or simply turning that light off before leaving a room.”
rounak