Background: After finishing his schooling from St Xavier’s, Calcutta, Amit did his graduation in science from Mumbai. He then came back to Calcutta to start a career in digital graphic designing and printing, a stint that introduced him to textile design through different clients in that field. Amit is currently a final-year student of National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad, pursuing a post-graduation diploma course in Textile Design. He has launched his label AmRich in association with Richard Panday, a student of Apparel Design and Merchandising at NID.

Forte: Textiles. “The collection we will show at LFW is totally textile-based,” says Amit.

The theme: Titled Itajime Blue, the collection draws inspiration from Itajime Shibori, an ancient Japanese textile art that uses “clamp-resist dyeing”. “The shape-resist dyeing process involves an inherent patterning by manipulating the two-dimensional cloth surface into three-dimensional shapes before compressing them to dye,” explains Amit.

Highlights: The colour code of indigo and white. The silhouettes are western, but with strong Oriental sensibilities. The collection is dominated by silks, with brocades and organza as well. There are hints of shimmer and metal.

Designerspeak: “The collection draws inspiration from a textile technique of the past, and yet it looks forward,” says Amit. “Some of the garments have been indigo-dyed, but since that is a very expensive process, we couldn’t do it for all the garments. We had to keep in mind the price point of pret,” he adds.

Ajeet Mishrau

Background: After graduating from the Fashion Design and Information Technology department of National Institute of Fashion Technology, Calcutta, in 2003, Ajeet joined an export house in Delhi. Currently, he is a final-year student of Apparel Design and Merchandising at the National Institute of Design, Ahmedabad. Ajeet’s label is titled Maniq.

Forte: Men’s wear. “Though I design both men’s and women’s clothes, I enjoy designing men’s wear more and that’s what I will be presenting at the LFW,” says Ajeet.

The theme: Titled Isms, the men’s wear line with a “casual feel” is inspired by “the various isms of art”, the different art movements. Starting with Renaissance, the collection draws inspiration from Baroque, Neoclassicism, Post-Impressionism, Cubism, Dadaism, Surrealism and Pop art.

Highlights: In keeping with the inspiration, the collection uses exclusive hand-paintings. The influences also find place in the lines, cuts, shapes, textures and the general look of the era, which are in sync with modern tastes.

Designerspeak: “The Isms are extracts from all the arts movements and their translation into apparel. It is also a tribute to the great artists,” says Ajeet. “For instance, I have used bizarre strokes and surreal prints, as well as abstract impressionism of Pop art.”