By R. Paul Dhillon
VANCOUVER – Vancouver Fashion Week (VFW),which kicks off next Tuesday, March 18, will feature a number of top designers from India and Canada along with more than 60 designers from 25 countries showcasing their Fall/Winter collections to international audiences in Vancouver.
“Every season Vancouver Fashion Week grows even bigger, with more designers from more countries, and creating even more partnerships from every corner of the globe,” says Jamal Abdourahman. “Vancouver is a hub for international people, and VFW is a great cultural celebration and representation of how diverse this world-class city really is.”
Dave Singh – Wellgroomed Designs Inc
“Wellgroomed” by Dave Singh is described as a symbol of high quality, stylish bridal and fusion wear. With a strong background in textiles and a distinct passion for fashion, Singh introduced the Wellgroomed label in Vancouver five years ago.
Wellgroomed Designs inc. have been associated with designing and creating highly coveted ethnic indian couture and Indo-western fusion wear. With a vision to create designs which will become icons of style and emblems of creativity, Wellgroomed has taken the Vancouver fashion industry by storm! The bespoken design service guarantees the creation of a stunning “one-of-a-kind” outfit made exclusively for clients!
Wellgroomed’s most recent collection “Once Upon a Bride” is inspired by Indian Parsi thread work that originally was depicted in Kashmir shawls!
Shravan Ramaswamy
The focus of Indian Dancing god – Nataraja on the 8 Dynasties of India will be the of Indian designer Shravan Ramaswamy creations. At the age of 17, the Indian designer forayed into the Fashion Industry. Overwhelmed by the response his work got, he established his label Shravan Kumar and the Shravan’s Studio in Hyderabad
Fashion is a religion rather than a profession’ an adage Ramaswamy lives by. A true-blue fashionista based out of Hyderabad, has unparalleled command on the latest trends and styles. Known for his unusual creations using the rich variety of handlooms available in India, Ramaswamy has often shocked the fashion community with his bold usage of unconventional fabrics in his designs. His style of design is research oriented and he focuses on creating new trends every season instead on run-of-the-mill fare. His collections usually reflect his way of approach to life that is ethnic and regal. Ramaswamy believes fashion is a “recurring cycle” in a nutshell. His motto is that there is no good or bad fashion; one should wear clothing that suits their palette.
Parvesh & Jai
Having graduated from NIIFT (Chandigarh, INDIA) in 2002 with the choicest Most Creative & Viewers Choice Award- Parvesh & Jai made their fashion footing in vogue. By 2004 they were already designing for Bollywood celebrities and for the band Trickbaby (London). With two major studios already set up in the heart of South Delhi, they launched another studio in the fashion mall MG- 2(New Delhi) in 2005.
They were even designing for the Royal family of Nepal. With the launch of their swimwear brand “Blue Coral” in 2006, Parvesh & Jai were invited to participate in many fairs worldwide like the prêt-a-porter, Ethical fashion Show (Paris), and so on. They further inflated their experience and expertise with collaborations with the major swimwear companies of Greece.
Reaching great heights in such few short years, Parvesh & Jai proceed with élan towards their next adventure. Their high end couture line, Raasleela is already retailing from Paris, Milan, S.A., US, Greece and Turkey. They made a mark at Saint Andrews Charity Fashion Show (London) on 28February 09, where they shared ramp with Armani, Luca Luca and so on. They participated in Dubai Fashion Week in April 2009, where they were appreciated for their innovative and artistic collection.
The full fashion lineup for VFW Fall/Winter 2014 Collections include: Pierre Renaux (Paris), Gabriel Lage (Argentina), Green Embassy (Australia), Pitour (Austria), Susana Bettencourt (Portugal), Yuhsi Takahashi (Japan), mayamay (Slovakia), Martins Paulo (Brazil), Takaokami (Denmark), Evan Clayton (Vancouver), Nina Tan (Vancouver), Noe Bernacelli (Peru), Hong Kiyoung (Korea), Firan & Rose (UK), Ophelia Song (China), Birgit Badke (Kelowna), Lisa Loveday (Thunder Bay), Erikó (Colombia), Fever (UK), Angel Eye (UK), Soojin Lee (Korea), Sonya Jang (Ottawa), Jesper Annerstedt (Sweden), Rachel Liu (China), Yicheng Chen (China), Sophie Karen (USA), Shravan Kumar (India), Evolét (Peru), JFG Designs (Vancouver), Jin and Jacqueline (Vancouver), Shelley Klassen for Blushing Boutique (Vancouver), Ipek Tohumcu (Turkey), Kym Couture Kollection (USA), José Zafra (Peru), Nadia + Zehra (UK), Gardé del Avante (Toronto), Grandi’s Atelier (Vancouver), Calotype (USA), Wellgroomed Designs Inc. (Canada), Mario Young (UK), Connally McDougall (Victoria), NotEqual (Brazil), Papillon (Vancouver) and
Make-up is supplied by COVERGIRL, Pantene and Olay.
Tickets can be purchased online at www.vanfashionweek.com/tickets.html.
