Indian designers inspired by Seychelles holiday |07 April 2018

The essence of a Seychelles holiday was captured as two Indian designers, Shivan Bhatia and Narresh Kukreja, showcased their new collection at the Amazon India Fashion Week, 2018.

The event was held from March 14 to 18, at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in New Delhi.

The designers’ ‘EdoMer Series’ was inspired by the memories of their trip to Seychelles in January this year. The collection featured luscious fruits, flowers, magnificent birds and the endemic coco-de-mer nut set in the artistic era of Edo art. 

One of the designer duo, Narresh Kukreja, said: “We have been reeling with an oriental hangover since the trip to Japan last year and the Edo period was extremely fascinating. The trip to Seychelles only helped us amalgamate two opposite artistic worlds into a work of unique design collection.”

“The rocks of the Seychelles beaches highly fascinated us during our inspiration trip, so much so that we translated it in hairdo that reflected these fabulous rocks. This look was perfect for the clothes and the edgy eyewear,” the other designer, Shivan Bhatia, added.

The collection was showcased on day three of the Amazon India Fashion Week autumn/winter 2018. The show saw a lineup of forty five models sporting the designer resort wear and contemporary destination wedding wear.

One of several publications that covered the event, Vogue India, wrote: “While the designer duo's collection captured the historic 17th century Edo Art aesthetic and amalgamated it with elements from the Eden of the world - Seychelles, transforming it into a traveller’s decadence, it featured signature prints against a colour palette of cherry reds, Seychelles aqua blue, coco brown and powdery blues for a glamourous getaway that could be a serene honeymoon or a splendid destination wedding. Each print dedicates itself to a setting or a thought reminiscent of the virgin islands of Seychelles, creating an effect of carrying a getaway in each of the ensembles.”

The event was attended by the deputy chief executive of the Seychelles Tourism Board (STB), Jennifer Sinon, who appreciated the eye to detail and amalgamation of various Seychellois elements in the designers’ collection.

The chief operating officer at Mumbai-based Blue Square Consultants, which represents the STB in India, Lubaina Sherazi, who joined Ms Sinon at the event, said: “The presentation was a feast to the eye, not only were the prints and accessories inspired by elements unique to Seychelles, the granitic boulder installations on the ramp also created a Seychelles imagery for the audience.”