The Future of Fashion

What happens when experts and famous personalities of the fashion industry gather together? Well, one, it becomes an unforgettable experience! And two, you get a detailed insight into the industry you are aspiring to be a part of and the future unfolds in front of you!

The Future of Fashion Forum, held on January 25^th, by the WhistlingWoods Neeta Lulla School Fashion was a learner’s paradise. An unique platform where professionals and experts from different areas of the fashion industry shared their visions on Emergence of Luxury Brands, the Growth of the Fashion Retail Business, Trends and Insights and so on.

Eminent designers and personalities from the Indian fashion industry like Manish Malhotra, Rocky S, Varuna D Jani, Lulu Raghavan, Xerxes Bhathena and many others including Subhash Ghai, Meghna Ghai Puri and Neeta Lulla adorned the event and enriched the participants with knowledge on future fashion trends, the changing world of retail fashion and encouraged them follow their dream and be passionate about it.

               

“Tough luxes will be an inspiration in all fashion products with subtle textures and silhouettes. Modern Myth with characters from Indian and western folklore and Scandinavian motifs will be the key fashion components along with Hybrid styling in footwear’, explained Puneet Dudeja of WGSN, on Fashion Trends and Insights for the coming year. 

Manish Malhotra and Rocky S, shared their experiences with the industry and their journey as designers and association with Indian cinema.

In all, it was truly an enriching experience for the aspirants!

Get a Glimpse of the Future

Indian fashion industry has evolved in the past decade and the future seems to be full of exciting trends and innovations. The business aspect of the fashion industry is changing manifold, making it is necessary even for beginners to be familiar with the changing dynamics of the industry. 

The Whistling Woods Neeta LullaSchool of Fashion is unraveling the future of the fashion industry through the ‘Future of Fashion Forum’ on Saturday, 25^th January 2014, from 10:30am-5:30pm at the Whistling Woods International campus, Mumbai.

This Forum would create a unique platform where professionals and experts from different areas of the fashion industry share their vision on topics like Emergence of Luxury Brands, the Growth of the Fashion Retail Business, Trends and Insights and so on.  

The event aims to explore and understand the changing dynamics of Indian fashion, the influence of global trends and how technology is affecting the same. Fashion experts like Nachiket Barve, Krishna Mehta (of India Circus Retail),Pearl Shah, Ekta Rajani, brand consultants and strategists like Lulu Raghavan, Rahul Narvekar and similar others are few of the speakers at the Forum who would share their expertise, experience and insights with fashion aspirants and professionals.

The Future of Fashion forum is for those intrigued by this multifaceted industry. For further event details, registration and more, visit 

http://wwineetalulla.com/futureoffashionforum/index.php

So calling all fashion aspirants to get an insight into the future of Indian fashion! 

Spring-Summer 2014: Trend Highlights

We are already in the New Year, set and ready to take in what the fashion trends of the year hold for us. The vibrant festive colors with shimmer and jewel tones gave way to lighter, pastel shades, blush tones and bright colors and airy fabrics.

What young designers can look forward to for Spring Summer 2014:

Post Retro Comeback

If last year we saw vintage prints and styles make a comeback, this season is the time for the 80s and 90s to come back to our ensembles. High waist pants, knotted shirts and cropped jackets will be abundantly visible. Relaxed and comfortable long, loose fit tunics, tees and handkerchief dresses are back to runways.

Artful Colors

Let’s thank Lady Gaga for predicting what’s coming and aptly naming her album Art Pop since we will be seeing more of pop art colors, splashes of bold, vibrant reds, oranges, yellows and blues.

Athletic fancy

Use of performance fabrics, quilted cotton and mesh overlays on clothes and accessories like bags and shoes, for a truly sportswear inspired vibe to the season’s clothes!

Pastel shades

The festive colors like burgundy, royal blue, claret and the likes, in fabrics like silk, satin and sheers have given way to subtler tones like powder pink, white, peach and aqua. They’re a great contrast to sharper designs, or even a way to cut down the drama of heavy ensembles for day wear.

Checks

From chess board checks, to graph checks, hounds-tooth checks, spring-summer 2014 is about incorporating linear patterns and sharpness of designs.

 Monochromes

Black and white seems to be extending their trend in fashion from the last seasons. Ensembles in monochromatic whites and blacks with contrast accessories would rule day wear.

Ethnic prints

From Africa, India to Latin America and the Far East, ethnic prints, folklore and traditional motifs have inspired runways all over the world. Tribal jewelry, rich embroidery and graphic prints are an essential part of dramatic ensembles.

Sheers

Leaving a little imagination to your design is always a good idea. Sheers add subtle excitement to any garment and can be used for layering, or highlighting the prominent feature of your design. 

Pattern-making with Miniature Dolls

The most basic and essential aspect of fashion designing is patternmaking. Without understanding how to cut out the patterns for a particular design, garment construction is almost impossible. There are different methods of pattern making. 

One of them is to cut the fabric to a smaller scale using miniature dolls and replicate the final garment, so that the end result on a life size model is accurate enough and there is no wastage of fabric.

The New Year at the Whistling Woods Neeta Lulla School of Fashion started with a class on pattern-making, where our fashion faculty, Amol Chettiar, introduced the concept of cutting on ¼ scale dolls. The class was given circular skirts and their variations, ¼. ½. ¾ and full circular skirts.

The concept of cutting garments on a smaller scale for miniature dolls, was invented by Madeleine Vionnet, a French fashion designer of the 1800s.Known as the ‘architect of dressmakers’, Madeleine was popular for introducing the ‘bias cut’ to the fashion world. Her style of garment construction involved cutting, draping and pinning fabric designs on miniature dolls, almost half the size of a human body. The pattern was made afterwards by the house’s premiére (first seamstress). In those days, it was a new way of creating patterns. Normally the pattern is cut before a toile (first-try) is made. 

Madeleine’s fashion house was at its peak in the 20′s and 30′s and her designs were inspired by Greek vases and Egyptian frescoes. She also introduced ‘seam decorations’ by decorating visible seams with flower shapes. Madeleine’s vision of the female form revolutionized modern clothing and styles like the cowl neck, halter neck and the handkerchief dress are some of the styles that were introduced by her and are still in vogue in the 21^st century.

With this pattern making class, our students learned about putting a ‘stay stitch at the waist so as to avoid the fabric from stretching too much. They are now raring to go and experiment with new styles on their ¼ scale dolls.