Vikram crafts designer line for Vishal Fashions at IIFA

Vishal Fashions Pvt. Ltd., which holds a strong presence in the domestic fashion industry, showcased its garments at this year’s IIFA Awards in Tampa Bay, Florida, USA.

Leading fashion designer, Vikram Phadnis, who is also a favourite among the leading ladies of Bollywood designed an exclusive collection for Vishal Fashions at IIFA Rocks, a event that is a specifically designed platform for fashion & music.

The Collection designed by Vikram Phadnis for Vishal Fashions is called ‘Nazakat’ and was be an epitome of classic Indian attire.

Held on the 24th of April at the Tampa Convention Centre, the evening was attended by Bollywood stars Shahid Kapoor, Farhan Akhtar, Anil Kapoor, Saif Ali Khan, Kareena Kapoor Khan and many more. The dazzling Malaika Arora Khan and Yami Gautam sashayed down the ramp for The IIFA Collection by Vikram Phadnis for Vishal Fashions.

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Malaika Arora Khan said, “I am so excited to be walking at IIFA Rocks this year. The Nazaakat Collection is all about celebrating femininity. Elegant Indian wear in rich hues are an all time favorite and are guaranteed to be a runaway hit. Vikram is not just a brilliant designer but is also a very dear friend, and I am honoured that he has asked me to walk the ramp for this gorgeous collection. The Nazaakat Collection truly deserves to be showcased in a global scale and IIFA provides the perfect opportunity.”

Designer Vikram Phadnis said, “I’ve been showcasing my Collections at IIFA for many years and it has always been a fabulous experience. IIFA is the perfect platform to reach out to the global Indian community and the Indian Film Industry. Having partnered with Vishal Fashions this year, the Collection ‘Nazaakat’ is going to be a visual treat. The concept of the collection is old world charm, the idea being to bringing back classic designs in deep rich tones.

“The colors I have incorporated are primarily black, beige, gold and maroon with bursts of red, pink and orange. The collection is sexy and glamorous, but without modernizing the sari. The collection will largely feature Sarees along with Lehenga Cholis and Jalabias in tissues, nets, georgettes and brocades that speak of taste, class, richness and allure. Each piece will be an artistic design.”

Commenting about the association, Mr. Dipesh Shah, Director, Vishal Fashions Pvt Ltd said, “We are thrilled to have a designer of Vikram Phadnis’s caliber on board to design our IIFA collection. This collection will encompass the luxury Indian couture experience for those women who value and appreciate classic Indian designs.”

About Vishal Fashions Pvt. Ltd.

Launched with an aim to drape every Indian woman in the mosttraditional ensemble, today Vishal Fashions Pvt. Ltd. hold sa strong position in the national and international fashion industry.

Vishal Fashions has also ventured into the retail sector, launching its exclusive store ‘Arissa’ with 32 stores pan India and aiming to reach 60 by the financial year end in 2015. The brand has been associated with leading designers like Manish Malhotra, Neeta Lulla, Vikram Phadnis, Masaba, Falguni & Shane Peacock, Rocky S, Archana Kochhar and Priyadarshini Rao to name a few.

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Narciso Rodriguez Cited as Top Fashion Designer

Fashion designer Narciso Rodriguez will receive a National Design Award this year from the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, along with 10 other top names in design.

Rodriguez designed the memorable black and red dress worn by first lady Michelle Obama in Chicago on election night in 2008. The dress recently went on display for the first time at the National Archives to represent her signature style in history. Earlier, Rodriguez designed Carolyn Bessette’s wedding dress for her 1996 marriage to John F. Kennedy Jr.

The New York City-based Cooper-Hewitt museum announced this year’s recipients of the design awards Thursday. The museum said Rodriguez “redefined American style for the past two decades, playing a singular role in global fashion through his structured and elegantly minimal designs.” He has also been named one of the nation’s most influential Hispanics by Time magazine.

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In an email to the AP, Rodriguez said he was “elated and moved” by the honor. “It means so much to me to have my work recognized by an institution that I hold in such high regard,” he said.

Asked to characterize what he considers to be his contributions to American style and design, Rodriguez said: “I have always been passionate about process and craft. My focus is to make clothes that celebrate women and are relevant to the way we live.”

This year’s winners also include brand designers Ivan Chermayeff and Tom Geismar for lifetime achievement; architect Witold Rybczynski for design mind; online marketplace Etsy for corporate and institutional achievement; Angela Brooks and Lawrence Scarpa for architecture; San Francisco design studio Office for communication design; Aaron Koblin of San Francisco for interaction design; Roman and Williams Buildings and Interiors for interior design; Andrea Cochran Landscape Architecture for landscape design; and San Francisco design firm LUNAR for product design.

Museum Director Caroline Baumann said this year marks the 15th year of honoring the nation’s top designers.

“I am delighted to welcome this new class of extraordinary designers, each of whom represent the very best in their discipline and demonstrate design’s power to affect the quality of our life, community, economy and environment,” she said in announcing the awards.

The first lady serves as honorary patron of the National Design Awards, which were launched at the White House in 2000. A jury of design leaders and educators reviews nominations and selects winners based on their excellence, innovation and public impact.

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Anti-Semitic Designer Galliano Gets Dumped During NYC Fashion Week

John Galliano the clothing designer who was famously fired by Christian Dior after spewing anti-Semitic remarks at a Paris café in 2011 apparently won’t be getting a permanent gig with designer Oscar de la Renta either. The team at Oscar was not willing to put up the money that Galliano needed for his design team. Galliano who had gone through about two years of silence addressed his hurtful remarks in an interview to Vanity Fair magazine last year.

"It's the worst thing I have said in my life, but I didn't mean it... I have been trying to find out why that anger was directed at this race. I now realize I was so f---ing angry and so discontent with myself that I just said the most spiteful thing I could.”

In February 2011, Galliano was arrested for allegedly attacking a couple in Paris and using anti-Jewish insults, in addition to making his infamous comments like "I like Hitler" which eventually led to his dismissal from Dior.

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Galliano blames his despicable rhetoric on an on-going battle with alcohol and addictions. In his own words Galliano said “I was either going to wind up in jail or dead.” As time has passed and de la Renta allowed Galliano to show some of his collection this past year he stepped out in what appeared to be a Hasidic-themed outfit and everything fell apart again.

The controversial outfit, which Galliano wore the day of his big Oscar de la Renta comeback this week, reignited the conversation around the designer's ill-advised behavior and his subsequent forgiveness. Barneys Creative Ambassador-at-Large Simon Doonan and stylist Mary Alice Stephenson both argued that Galliano did not intend to offend with his questionable outfit. "I mean, John's dressed like that for the past 25 years," said Mary Alice. "I think it was innocently done," added Simon.

The New York Post blasted the designer's fashion statement, splashing the photo across the front page with the headline "SHMUCK! Jew-bash Designer's Costume Mocks Faithful." "He’s trying to embarrass people in the Jewish community and make money on clothes [while] dressed like people he has insulted," Williamsburg community leader Isaac Abraham was quoted as saying.

Around the same time that Galliano was suspended over the multiple incidents at a Paris bar, NY Mag's The Cut interviewed "a source" who'd "worked closely with Galliano on several projects" who said: "I'm an observant Jew, and I know from my own experiences with him that there's no way he hates Jewish people. He's incredibly gentle."

Galliano who insiders say has been getting sober has been focusing his talents in London. He has also been mentoring fashion students at Central Saint Martin’s College of Arts and Design.

Although no permanent deal could be struck with de la Renta the fashion icon released this statement: “John and I have known each other for many years, and I am a great admirer of his talent.” “He has worked hard on his recovery, and I am happy to have given him the opportunity to re-immerse himself in the world of fashion and re- acclimate in an environment where he has been so creative.” Sources say Galliano is in talks concerning multiple fashion projects.

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HOW A 13-YEAR-OLD GOT HER FASHION LINE IN NORDSTROM

Fashion designer Isabella Rose Taylor did, and it’s landing her juniors clothing line on a rack in Nordstrom this fall. The Austin, Texas girl was eight years old when she attended a sewing camp. Soon after, she started making her own clothes. Her designs drew compliments, then her friends started asking her to sew clothes for them, and just a few months later she held her first trunk show in a local boutique.

Customer reaction was overwhelmingly positive and, when Taylor was nine, she and her parents realized it could be a business. She had the creative part down, but she needed help learning production. Her parents, who both work in the medical field, found Liza Deyrmenjian, founder of Fashion Accelerator 360, a New York-based fashion-business coaching firm.

THE POWER OF MENTORSHIP

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“Liza taught us everything--from blocks to sourcing fabrics, finding models and creating samples,” says Taylor, who turned 13 in March. “She showed us the whole process--something we couldn’t have done on our own.”

Deyrmenjian had worked in fashion for more than 25 years, opening her own clothing factory in Vancouver, British Columbia at the age of 19. She built her company into a 60-worker shop, producing clothing for large brands as well as her own label, Go Girl. She sold her business and moved to New York in 2003 and became an apparel consultant.

One of her first clients was Jay McCarroll, winner of season one of Project Runway. “He told me, ‘I learned more from you in half an hour than I did from a whole year apprenticing at Banana Republic.’” says Deyrmenjian.

A good mentor will coach you from where you are, respecting your expertise, says Deyrmenjian: “Isabella has a very honed aesthetic. She’s very on point with her market and is an incredible creative director. I helped her with other aspects.”

As an industry insider, Deyrmenjian coached Taylor on things like the fashion cycle, how retailers buy, how to sell wholesale, and how to leverage a trunk show. She helped Taylor release a collection twice a year for three years, slowly building her brand.

THE SLOW PROCESS OF BUILDING BUZZ

“It can take two to three years to build a following,” Deyrmenjian says. “When I mentor, I’m always pushing the strengths of the designer so I can get a lot of eyeballs on their designs. But they must be prepared to financially sustain, produce, and sell during the time they’re creating their story.”

When Taylor’s brand, Isabella Rose Taylor, matured, it was time to go after larger retailers. Deyrmenjian helped Taylor get the right publicity, so a large store would pay attention. Local press led to an appearance with a larger Austin, Texas designer who was showing at 2013 New York Fashion Week. That led to an appearance on NBC’sToday show. Then she was asked to be on Steve Harvey.

“It was a slow process of building buzz,” says Deyrmenjian. Taylor’s team reached out to Nordstrom, whose buyers had already heard of the young designer.

“And an amazing thing happened,” says Taylor. “They liked my clothes.”

Jennifer Jackson, the merchandising manager for children's clothing at Nordstrom, told Women's Wear Daily that Taylor has the “unique ability to create fun, stylish clothes that really represent her customer, who are also her peers.”

The Isabella Rose Taylor line, which is being called “hippie-grunge, yet feminine,” will debut in August 2014 for the back-to-school market, with 10 to 15 pieces in 10 Nordstrom stores.

Deyrmenjian says she can teach her clients the backend, but the mentee must do their part: “If you’re not out there sharing your story and selling your clothing, you’ll find it discouraging to keep creating lines that nobody is buying. You must be confident in moving forward.”

Taylor says the key to her success has been blood, sweat, and glitter. “Blood because it takes a lot of passion and sacrifice,” she explains. “Sweat because of the time and hard work you must do. And glitter because of the imagination and creativity. There must be a dream behind your business.”

While Taylor is the youngest client Deyrmenjian has worked with, age was never a factor in their mentor-mentee relationship: “Talent-wise, Isabella wasn’t at all different from my other clients,” says Deyrmenjian, who has also coached Rochelle Behrens, founder of The Shirt, and Gretchen Jones, winner of season eight of Project Runway. “Her age was actually an advantage; because she was young and wasn’t jaded and had no fear. Her vision was clear--and she’s an incredible designer.”

“Liza has given me a good foundation and an understanding of the industry,” says Taylor, who was home-schooled and is now studying fine art as a freshman in college. “Fashion will be a career for me. I want to do this forever.”

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Fashion Designer Finds Shen Yun Costumes Amazing

The costumes “were just amazing,” said fashion designer, Rossalia Almeida, when she saw Shen Yun Performing Arts for their final performance at the ASB Theatre, in the Aotea Centre, on April 12.

“Everything was really colourful and the colours came out together really beautifully. And the silks as well were just amazing,” she said.

“The shades of the colours were just perfect, definitely. They really did an amazing job.”

Shen Yun is based in upstate New York and according to their website “Every costume in a Shen Yun performance is presented with brilliant colors, displaying a splendid spectacle—from the Tang Dynasty’s “Raiment of Rainbows and Feathers” to imperial dragon robes, phoenix coronets, and cloud capes; from the civil official’s headdress and robes to the warrior’s helmet and armor; and from the traditional rightward cross-collared Han clothing to the ethnic attire of the Manchurian, Tibetan, Dai, Mongol, and Uyghur ethnic groups.”

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As a notable fashion designer Ms. Almeida has an eye for all the subtleties in the costumes’ colours and designs.

“I think looking at the Chinese culture, the costumes and the colour really spoke about the culture and brought the culture we could see through the designs, definitely,” she said.

“I was actually surprised with the colours that were picked for the costumes.

“I thought they were very creative, they used shades I’ve never expect, shades of each colour that I never expect them to use. Light pinks, and light greys, aqua colours, so I was a bit surprised, but I think it was just amazing, it was amazing really.”

Classical Chinese dance is the heart of Shen Yun but it also includes folk and ethnic dance as well as mini-dramas bringing legends and myths to life.

There were many aspects Ms. Almeida loved.

“It was amazing, it was really one of the best shows I have ever seen, was really good,” she said.

“It was perfect!

“Everything, the screen, the timing, the dancers, everything came together so perfectly, I was really amazed by that.”

Ms. Almeida was already making a list of people she would invite to come and see Shen Yun next year and excited about what next year’s performance might look like.

“They must see it, they must, they must see it,” she said.

“Not only in New Zealand, if they have the chance to see the show anywhere around the world they have to do, they have to see it.”

In summing up Ms. Almeida said Shen Yun is “Unforgettable.”

Ms. Almeida is originally from South Brazil and has worked in fashion for ten years, following her passion and her blood rather continuing in physiotherapy.

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The Start-Up That's Giving Fashion Designers a Shot

There’s no standard path to becoming a successful designer. Some like Tom Ford and Marc Jacobs went to design school. Others had no formal training, just great mentors and access to fabric, needles and thread. For those who do manage to find his or her aesthetic, file a trademark and make a few dollars profit, the battle for fashion world dominance has barely begun.

The sad truth is that the majority of fledgling designers won’t make it. The failure isn’t always due to a poorly thought-through product (face it: that fanny pack line was never going to take off), but a mountain of other factors that many new designers aren’t prepared for. Pitch decks? Investor relations? Manufacturing chains? What does any of this have to do with fashion? As it turns out, a lot. Enter TrendSeeder, the brainchild of Columbia graduate and corporate lawyer, Avani Patel.

Based in New York, but aiding designers from around the world, TrendSeeder puts emerging labels through a four-month accelerator program to help them reach full potential. They also help customers connect with new brands and find those unique, once- in-a-closet cycle pieces. We caught up with Avani to see how her venture, a start-up itself, is helping to build fashion businesses.

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Paste: What prompted you to create TrendSeeder?

Patel: Having been a former emerging designer I understood the struggles they have. Also, having a business and law background I saw how that background was helpful in building a successful brand.

Paste: Other than taking equity instead of charging fees, how is this different to the other accelerators out there?

Patel: TrendSeeder provides a platform that works with emerging fashion brands to grow their businesses. We provide a creative professional environment to foster promising fashion talent through education, mentorship and brand building opportunities and provide access to advisors, investors, experts in fashion and PR, editors and marketing and production professionals.

Paste: How has TrendSeeder evolved since its inception?

Patel: When we first launched, we started with more of an e-commerce model with a marketing component to our services. Throughout the process we found brands asking us for assistance with everything from strategic to marketing to fundraising assistance.

Paste: Why did you move away from e-Commerce?

Patel: With the creation of services like Shopify, we realized that the value for the companies was more on the brand building side. That’s when we decided to build out the TrendSeeder program. We found that driving customers directly to the designers’ websites was more valuable, instead of driving traffic to our own website.

Paste: How can people find your designers now?

Patel: Every company is different and their definitions of whom their customers are, are different. With each company we create a holistic marketing and strategy plan and help them implement the initiatives.

Paste: What do you look for when selecting designers for the accelerator?

Patel: We look for companies that want to grow and build their business and that we feel we can help to reach a higher level of success. The personality of the team is important. It has to be people who we feel comfortable working with and who feel comfortable working with us. Of course, overall it has to be a company that we think has growth potential.

Paste: What have you found new designers need most while they are in the accelerator?

Patel: All of our companies are at different points in their lifecycle but one thing that we have seen is that they all need our hands-on support. When you start a company there are so many things to do and think about that it’s great to have another brain and pair of hands.

Paste: Which TrendSeeder successes are you are most proud of?

Patel: Some of the most exciting things have been quadrupling unique visitors to the website in a month’s time, driving the highest number of purchases in one day by over 400 percent and getting one of our company’s products on Alicia Keys for a big sports campaign.

Paste: What’s your piece of clothing or accessory that has come from TS?

Patel: I love so many things from TrendSeeder, but I especially love the fur vest Sahar Dada named after me and all of the fun jewelery from Zoetik.

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Decoded Fashion founder: 'Designers need to launch like startups'

It is less than three years since Liz Bacelar launched Decoded Fashion, bringing together her considerable address book of fashion contacts and tech founders to bridge two very different industries.

Freshly acquired by the research and consultancy firm Stylus Media Group on 31 March for an undisclosed sum, Decoded fashion technology events have grown rapidly, reflecting a new commercial appetite for the sector.

Bacelar will continue to head Decoded, which is planning to expand its brand of conference and fashion-technology hacks across the US, Europe, Asia and South America.

Her own brand of enthusiasm comes from trying to "bridge the gap" between the two industries, she says, recently inspiring keynote speeches from big name designers including Zac Posen and Tumblr founder David Karp.

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Tech has been 'disconnected about the opportunities of fashion'

Given how established many technologies are - the ubiquity of Google, Apple and the 1.2 billion-strong community of Facebook, let alone the plethora of inventive retail and fashion apps - it could be seen as surprising that the fashion industry has taken to long to wake up to the commercial opportunities coming from inventive new tech startups.

“The technology side has been really disconnected about the real opportunities in fashion and lots of tech founders have tried to create solutions or ideas that weren’t based on real knowledge of the industry,” she told the Guardian.

“On the industry side there was disconnect about the possibilities and a lack of awareness on what was rising.” She saw an opportunity to mix both worlds with a well-designed event that would appeal to the fashion crowd, but would also retain "the wit of real tech, and right from the source".

A former CBS News producer, Emmy nominated Bacelar launched her first Decoded Fashion event at New York's Lincoln Centre with 700 delegates, and now organises 20 events across the globe each year. In February 2012, Decoded hosted the fashion world's first large-scale hackathon, with the Council of Fashion Designers of America, inviting 650 technologists to New York to meet design and digital product challenges from a panel of fashion experts. The five finalists went on to present at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week.

“It was so incredible to see what happened that day,” says Bacelar, who was eight months pregnant at the time. “It was the first time that Women’s Wear Daily printed the word hackathon in a hundred years.”

In November 2012, a Decoded competition for startups offered $65,000 from Index Ventures and Marks and Spencer for the best idea. “They needed to captivate the people they were talking to with very plain terms and very clear vision on how they’d fit that into fashion. So that was the challenge. It doesn’t matter if it's a Silicon Valley titan - when it comes to conveying the idea to someone in the industry there has been a huge communication problem.”

'No excuses' for failing to represent women

Bacelar has also become something of a focus for push for more women in the technology sector. Decoded was not started as a women’s initiative, Bacelar says, but has found it fast becoming a platform for women interested in the tech industry to be noticed. "The amount of pitches I’m getting that are led by women is growing like crazy. What I can't stand is when you go to all the top tech events around the world and you see 5% females - the most I've seen was 8%,” she says, with some exasperation.

"There are no excuses any more," said Bacelar. "When you look at the lineup for Milan, New York - I was looking for the best voices, if I turn out 50% women it’s because that’s what I found due to proper reporting. If you’re just copying what speakers people had from previous events, you just perpetuating the problem of the lack of visibility of women in tech.”

Fashion courses churn out 'old thinking'

Entrenched prejudices about technology are still holding back designers, says Bacelar. It's no longer enough to follow old-fashioned practices to run a modern business.

“Every fashion university in the world, they’re churning out designers with the old thinking. Very, very few if any are really equipped with the eco-system of today," she says.

“A designer launching today needs to launch like a startup: What’s your mobile strategy? What’s your e-commerce strategy? How about communities?

"It’s not the old game of being picked up by a magazine,” she stresses. “Technology is intertwined - and the builders and creators are tastemakers, in the sense that they’re building the journey and the industry."

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