Fashion couldn't be gender specific anymore: Gauri & Nainika
Mumbai: Designer duo Gauri & Nainika believe the concept of power dressing has been associated with women to aid empowerment but going ahead fashion cannot be bound into the binaries of gender.
Nainika Karan, who along with Gauri will bring down the curtains at the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2019 as Grand Finale designers, said fashion industry is witnessing some interesting experimentation.
"Women have traditionally been associated with feminine glamour and its about breaking that mold and the conditioning that women would only wear pretty frocks so obviously to emphasise on women empowerment there is something known as power dressing.
"In today age it's a very interesting question in male dressing as well, we see that there is a lot of crossover, there is a hint of femininity and you will see women's wear in androgyny style. I don't think fashion could be gender specific anymore. There are a lot of fashion designers out there who put out designs where we can't tell whether it's for a man or woman, both are wearing them on the ramp," Nainika told PTI in an interview on the sidelines of the LFW.
She also noted how everything boils down to conditioning, where people are made to believe that men and women should dress up in particular way.
"Everyone is breaking that notion. Nowadays we see everyone on the ramp. Women of all colours, gender and size. That's the spirit of the moment which needs to be captured and brought to the runway and we absolutely love it."
Nainika also said the fact that the Indian fashion industry is 20 years old and a mix of both female and male designers are making it big globally is a great achievement.
"If you're doing Indian wear or bridal wear its given that the market is going to be in India, there is enough for a designer to become big."
The designer said it is an honour for them to close the five-day fashion gala, which is celebrating its 20th year anniversary.
"There is a sense of celebration and all the designers have grown with Lakme Fashion Week from the beginning, its what launched fashion week in the country.
"We all started from scratch so it's a very nostalgic path, when you look back and see how far everyone has come and how LFW has helped the fashion industry grow so much and it became this incredible platform for established and emerging designers," Nainika said.
Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor Khan is the showstopper for the Grand Finale.
The collection is based on Lakme's theme this edition, "#FreeYourLips" which revolves around freedom of expression.
It is inspired by European fashion, history, art and even old Hollywood films.
- By Radhika Sharma
