Sabyasachi Mukherjee S/S at the Lakme Fashion Week & Brdal Asia

Sabyasachi and the

indigenous art form

The red carpet and chandeliers set the mood for Sabyasachi's presentation of his Indian couture collection, apparently the first time he is showing Indian wear at Lakme Fashion Week.

But it was not until the Pakistani qawwali music, particularly the song Mera Piya Ghar Aaya started and the models walked out onto the ramp in Sabyasachi's clothes from his Chand Bibi collection that the impact of his work was realised.

As the audience in the packed hall sat enthralled, the dupattas contrasted the lehengas and tunics, all inspired by history. And indeed, history emanated through the dramatic prints and woven fabrics, the colours and the gait and adaabs of the models as well.

LIFW Couture Collection - Chand Bibi 14/10/07
Sabyasachi’s first Indian Couture Collection at Lakme India Fashion Week celebrates Indian Textiles, silhouettes, embroidery and styling unabashedly. Taking influence from the costumes of Royal India, the “Jenana” and the “Purdah” system, old muslim enamel utensils, the bylanes of Karachi and dilapilated royalty, this entirely handcrafted collection exudes nostalgia and refinement.

Special pieces include: Antique brocade coats , Zardozi embroidered brocade ghagras , Vintage jackets and dresses, Vegetable dyed silk and net saris , Fluid trousers in silks, georgettes, Heavily embroidered silk and cotton Kalidars

LIFW - Pret Western Collection 15/10/07
Spring 2008 is about internal growth. As the world is inundated with photocopied fashion, real luxury moves away from the tangible to the spiritual. Organic fabrics, personalized surface ornamentation, cross cultural influences set the mood for this collection that is eclectic and mature. Hand stained satins, obsolete Mughal embroidery, organic hand block printing and an array of textiles that range from canvas to brocade create a look that is vintage with a very neo-modern feel.

Special pieces include:, a)Organic Bomber Jackets with hand embroidered details, b) Antique brocade waistcoats, c) Stained ivory satin evening pieces, d) Antique embroidered brocade coats, e) Vintage jackets and dresses, f) Fluid trousers in a multitude of luxurious evening fabrics, g) Lingerie inspired inners, h) Jeweled scarves and headbands

Bridal Asia

The Collection–Fabrics, Textures, descriptive info.The chief fabrics used in this collection are - Silks, Georgette, Brocade, Fine Quality Khadi, Muslins and Gauze. The Bridal Outfits being showcased comprise of traditional Indian saris, Kalidar Kurtas, Rich Angarkhas, Short Kurtas and Lenghas. Various kinds of surface ornamentation have been used to embellish these outfits – hand embroidery, moroccan gara work, crusty borders, tepchi work, zardozi, intricate aari, gota ka kaam, vegetable dyeing, block printing and tye and dye. The colours used are red, green, royal blue, black, cream and baby pink amongst others.The collection showcased at Bridal Asia consists of Sabyasachi’s staples- namely lenghas, angarkhas, and heavy kurtas and signature saris. This collection is inspired by the intricacy and beauty of traditional Indian Folk Motifs. USP - The Bridal Collection being showcased is a testimony to the richness and complexities of Indian heritage, culture and textiles borrowing heavily from the Mughal Gharana and the Avadhi Royalty. The emphasis is on bringing in dynamism in colour combinations which hitherto did not exist in the Indian Bridal wear Genre.

Brief Description about company and products
Sabyasachi Couture came into being on the 23rd of July, 2002. Over the years, it has become synonymous with the very best that a Couture House can offer – in terms of exquisite creations, innovative designs and personalized attention to our high profile clients. We supply to highly esteemed stores in India and abroad. Sabyasachi Couture specializes in Traditional Indian wear, Bridal Wear, Western Wear and Indo-Western Wear. Our forte lies in the unique but innovative blending of colors, textures and patterns. Sabyasachi's design philosophy is very simple and clear 'Personalized imperfection of the human hand'. Deserts, gypsies, prostitutes, antique textiles and cultural traditions of his home town, Kolkata, have been a lifelong inspiration for this designer who believes that clothes should just be an extension of one's intellect. He uses unusual fabrics, texturing and detailing, 'fusion' of styles 'patch-worked' with gorgeous embellishments in a vibrant eclectic color palette to make the feeling of going back to the soul'. His creations evoke powerful images of the ancient and medieval eras. He describes his own collections as 'an International styling with an Indian soul.’

Designer Profile
Summer of 1999, Sabyasachi Mukherjee graduated from the National Institute of Fashion Technology, India with three major awards. Four months later, Sabyasachi started his eponymous label. Early 2001, Sabyasachi won the Femina British Council’s most outstanding young Designer of India award, which took him to London for an internship with Georgina Von Etzdorf, an eclectic designer based in Salisbury. Returning home with edgier ideas, Sabyasachi started retailing at all major stores in India. In 2002, Sabyasachi participated at the India Fashion Week where his debut collection earned him rave reviews from the national and international press. In a cover by women's wear daily which is considered as the most coveted trade magazine internationally, he was reckoned as the future of Indian fashion. He was the first Indian designer to have incorporated the use of Indian textiles in his collections but in a modern context. His unique contribution was the use of indigenous methods like bandhani, gota work, block printing, hand dyeing etc in construction of modern silhouettes. Spring of 2003, Sabyasachi made his international mark by bagging the grand winner award at the Mercedes Benz new Asia fashion week in Singapore, which took him for a workshop in Paris by Jean Paul Gaultier and Azzedine Alaia. His collection "Kora" at the Lakme India Fashion Week 2003 won him laudatory reviews where he used unbleached and hand woven fabrics with Kantha and other hand embroideries He was declared the best Designer of India at the MTV Lycra style awards and won the “Society” Achievers award for the best new Indian designer. In 2004, Sabyasachi went global with the Kuala Lumpur Fashion Week, The Fashion Week of America at Miami with a bohemian take on Indian textiles and his collection was called "THE FROG PRINCESS". His significant achievements included his coveted showing in Browns earning him a retail place at the tiny London store voted by vogue as the best shopping destination in the world and thereby establishing himself as one of the most promising young designers for years to come. He forayed into films by designing costumes for Sanjay Leela Bhansali's landmark film: "Black" which earned him rave reviews and also the national award for costume designer for a feature film. He earned the distinction of being the only Indian designer invited to showcase at the Milan Fashion week 2004 facilitated by the indo-Italian chamber of commerce. Along with great reviews he was also voted by Asia Inc. a Singapore based Business magazine as one of the ten most influential Indian in Asia, alongside Aishwariya Rai, Priyanka Gandhi, Sabeer Bhatia…et- all. His Spring Summer 05 Collection, "The Nair Sisters" was inspired by hand block printing, embroideries, bagru prints and the extensive use of cotton and other hand woven fabrics. The collection found itself in the racks of Browns & Selfridges in London, and has been featured in the UK vogue hot list, establishing his presence in the international fashion arena. He has been requested for a showcase at the prestigious Oxford University Annual black tie charity dinner fashion show. Sabyasachi’s debut Spring Summer 07 collection at New York Fashion Week last year earned him critical acclaim and the label started selling worldwide in territories ranging from Moscow to Hong Kong. His recent collections project India in a new light to the west which in turn would help our Indian textiles and tourism in a big way. His clothes are found in countries far and wide like Los Angeles, Kuwait, UAE, Switzerland, Russia, Greece, London and others. He has also designed Bed/Bath line for Bombay Dyeing which has been well received by all. In 2007, Mr.Sabyasachi Mukherjee has been invited to participate at the New York Fashion Week which is considered as one of the most prestigious fashion events of the world. He has also been invited to showcase his collection at the London Fashion Week, apart from the Lakme India Fashion Week and the Vogue Launch event in India.