Latest news with #ParisHauteCoutureWeek
Fashion Value Chain
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Fashion Value Chain
Pearl Academy, the Only Design Education Institution at India Couture Week, Presents Falguni Shane Peacock; Students Work Backstage with India's Top Designers
It wasn't just a designer showcase. It was a testament to how education, innovation, and creative excellence can converge to shape the future of fashion. At Hyundai India Couture Week 2025, Pearl Academy, India's leading creative education institution, and the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) brought forth a spectacle that redefined how academia and industry intersect – presenting the visionary designer duo Falguni Shane Peacock in an unforgettable display of couture craftsmanship, vision, and avant-garde detailing. Akshay Kumar walks the ramp for Falguni Shane Peacock presented by Pearl Academy Known for dressing global icons and redefining couture with futuristic flair, Falguni Shane Peacock unveiled a collection that blurred the lines between fantasy and fashion. Inspired by the opulence of Indian maharajas and maharanis, the collection reimagined royal heritage with modern silhouettes, rich embroidery, and intricate detailing – exuding grandeur, drama, and theatrical finesse. Bollywood icon Akshay Kumar brought star power to the runway in an ivory bandhgala, paired with black sunglasses – a look that evoked princely elegance and effortless charisma. In a rare and immersive opportunity, over fifty students from Pearl Academy, spanning disciplines such as fashion design, styling, communication, interiors, and business, worked behind the scenes with India's leading couturiers, managing fittings, styling, sequencing, and backstage operations. They not only experienced the high-stakes energy of a live couture show but became part of its making. For many, it was a dream turned reality – a defining moment where classroom learning transformed into adrenaline-fuelled, hands-on experience that most design students can only imagine. This wasn't their first encounter with the world of couture. Just weeks earlier, Pearl Academy students had travelled to Paris for a Global Immersion Programme, where they participated in exclusive workshops and secured backstage access to the prestigious Paris Haute Couture Week – one of only two official couture weeks in the world, the other being India Couture Week. From the fashion capital of the world to India's most celebrated couture showcase, Pearl students are consistently stepping into real-world roles at the most exclusive fashion events globally – a reflection of the institution's deep commitment to preparing future-ready professionals. 'We have always led with creativity – not by following trends, but by setting them,' said Aditi Srivastava, President, Pearl Academy. 'This collaboration reflects our deep commitment to experiential learning. Our students don't just watch fashion happen – they help make it happen.' 'It was a pleasure to collaborate with Pearl Academy for our showcase at Hyundai India Couture Week. Partnerships like these are always energising and add a meaningful layer to the overall experience,' added Falguni Shane Peacock. This partnership reflected a shared commitment to creativity without boundaries. On one side, Falguni Shane Peacock – synonymous with future-forward couture and a celebrity clientele spanning Beyonc to Bollywood. On the other, Pearl Academy – a leader in creative education for over three decades. This powerful combination of cutting-edge fashion and academic excellence spotlighted Pearl Academy as the only educational institution at India Couture Week 2025, reinforcing its position as a changemaker in design education. The show was a celebration of bold vision and technical precision – and for Pearl Academy students, it became a transformative experience. Their backstage involvement underscored the institution's commitment to preparing industry-ready talent who don't just learn design – they live it. Backed by a pedagogy rooted in experiential learning, Pearl Academy continues to lead with future-focused initiatives – from launching India's first Metaverse campus to global immersions in London, Paris, Milan, and New York, and social rehabilitation programmes like the Tihar Jail Fashion Laboratory. The institution consistently pushes boundaries in how design is taught, experienced, and applied. As the only academic institution partnering with India Couture Week, Pearl Academy continues to lead from the front – transforming premier fashion platforms into powerful learning environments. For its students, this was not just an assignment. It was a front-row seat to their own future. About Pearl Academy Pearl Academy, a unit of the Creative Arts Education Society (CAES), is India's leading creative education institution. Established in 1993, the institution offers a diverse range of Bachelor's and Master's degree programmes including BBA/MBA and short-term certificate courses across disciplines such as Fashion Design, Communication Design, Product Design, Interior Design, Textile Design, Fashion Communication, Fashion Styling, Fashion Business, and more. With campuses in Delhi-South, Delhi-West, Mumbai, Bengaluru, and Jaipur, Pearl Academy provides world-class education backed by its affiliation with the Rajiv Gandhi National Institute of Youth Development (RGNIYD), a Government of India Institution of National Importance on par with prestigious institutions such as IITs, IIMs, NIDs, and AIIMS. This partnership ensures that effective 2024 intake, all students will receive accredited degrees recognised by the Government of India. With a legacy of 32 years, Pearl Academy has evolved into a globally renowned institution of higher learning, placing a strong focus on global exposure, entrepreneurship, technological expertise, and life skills. The institution has been a catalyst for success for its students through its constructive tie-ups with industry bodies such as FDCI, Tech Mahindra, Reliance Brands Ltd., MAC, and international universities. With an impressive track record of consistently exceeding a 99% placement rate, Pearl Academy has over 700 top recruiters hiring its graduates annually. The institution boasts 15,000+ successful alumni and continues to be a driving force in the creative industries, both in India and globally. For more information, please visit
Mint
5 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
From eagles to ravens, ideas on how to wear bird-inspired fashion
Earlier this month, rapper Cardi B attended the Schiaparelli Haute Couture Fall/Winter 2025/2026 fashion show at the Paris Haute Couture Week with her best friend acting as a rather eccentric accessory. This said 'friend' was a raven whom the rapper held stoically as she posed for the paps. As a report by People magazine claims, the rapper exclaimed 'We are best friends!" Going back to how the avian world has inspired and continues to inspire designers and labels, one wouldn't be too amiss to say that 'fashion and birds" are best friends too. In February, American designer Thom Browne's Fall 2025 collection, themed Birds of a Feather, coats and skirts sported motifs inspired by canaries and barrel-chested flycatchers. And Rahul Mishra's Spring Summer 2025 collection that was showcased in Paris featured 'Raven's Flight", an LBD that featured ravens in 3D embroidery design, no less! Be it their vivid colours, their otherworldly plumage, their poses or their birdsong, it's easy to see why these winged creatures are constant sources of creative inspiration to couturiers and jewellery designers alike. This week, Lounge's roundup takes a cue from avian-inspired fashion and includes objets from a silver eagle-headed belt to feathered shoes and pretty dresses with bird motifs. FREE BIRD Homegrown label Khara Kapas' pre-fall 2023 menswear collection takes inspiration from the plumage of birds – from crested cranes to cardinals, jays and even the albatross. With ravens being popular, this black lino printed 'Raven Wing" mul shirt with lapel collars and one welt pocket gets our vote. Available on ₹7,000. GARDEN VARIETY Italian designer Roberto Cavalli took constant inspiration from flora and fauna and wasn't afraid to play with rich – almost gaudy – prints on his clothes. Birds were a part of his canvas, naturally. This pure silk blazer from the label is a good example of how the designer could meld busy prints with a modern silhouette to create a standout outfit. The blazer features a motif of flowering branches and pheasants that's beautifully juxtaposed over the label's iconic python print in a monochrome shade. Available on ₹2.96 lakh. PERCH UP When he was alive, French jewellery designer Jean Schlumberger had created some iconic designs for luxury brand, Tiffany & Co. One of the designs was the 'Bird on a Rock" brooch that was inspired by a yellow cockatoo that Schlumberger had encountered. This brooch is a recreation of Schlumberger's design and features a bird encrusted with diamonds, a pink sapphire and perched upon an emerald-cut tanzanite 'rock". Precious? You bet. Available on Price on request. HIGH FLYING Birds can liven up everyday outfits too, as this design from indie label Paulmi and Harsh shows. Tailored from soft malai Chanderi, the anarkali features a print of florals and birds with embroidery on the yoke and sleeves and comes with a matching scarf. Available on ₹20,800. SET AFLIGHT Designer Alexander McQueen's fifth collection, presented in 1995, was called The Birds, and was inspired, as per Wikipedia, by a study of birds and Alfred Hitchcock's movie, The Birds. This pair of pointed toe T-strap sandals from the label is rather in your face with it's avian love, as it features intricately crafted leather feathers. Fashion sure takes flight here. Available on ₹3.50 lakhs. FEATHER SCIENCE Here's another entrancing example of avian-themed fashion from designer Thom Browne. This pleated skirt made from luxurious silk twill features delicate feathers which symbolize bird migration patterns, seasonal shifts, and new beginnings. Available on ₹2.25 lakhs. TEA WINGS Sipping coffee out of a bird-shaped cup is as cute as it sounds. The Kawki collection created by Polish designer Aleksandra Zeromska for Lladro takes that idea and gives it a extremely adorable, gold-plated tweak. Inspired by Slavic folklore and by Zeromska's love for birds, the name of the collection 'Kawki" comes from a Polish word that could mean, 'a small coffee" or 'a kind of bird". Available on ₹1.56 lakh. PRETTY POUCH The chickadee bird is found in North America and is named so for its distinctive 'chick-a-dee-dee-dee" birdcall. This Judith Leiber Couture's clutch is designed to resemble the small-sized bird and comes encrusted with colorful, light-catching crystals and a detachable chain strap. Available on ₹7.79 lakhs. BEAK HEAD Distinct silhouettes of certain birds lends them to be designed as accessories. This intricately designed, silver-toned eagle head, for instance, serves as an impressive belt buckle in this Enfants Riches Déprimés' leather belt. Available on ₹2.73 lakh.
Mint
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
India Couture Week: Clothes that reinvent the idea of wedding wear
The annual couture week in Delhi might have become a circus-like extravaganza with social media influencers and celebrity showstoppers, but its biggest draw remains the clothes. Like its past 17 editions, this year's couture week is led by what sells the most—wedding wear. Each of the 14 participating designers is presenting versions of traditional as well as contemporary lehnga-cholis and kurta-pyjamas, some of which qualify as wearable art—as Lounge found out while sifting through the collections before the week-long showcase started on 23 July. There are some pieces though that go far beyond the creative margins of fashion, and celebrate a different kind of maximalism. They question traditional forms with unique silhouettes, interplay of embroideries and colours, or an unconventional stitch. Here are some of those creations—frilly and fabulous. Becoming Love, part of which was shown at the Paris Haute Couture Week last month, has perhaps the most pieces that could be defined as wearable art. From Gustav Klimt's painting embroidered on a long dress, and a trench coat studded with a Monet-esque scenery, to a flowing golden leaf wrapping the wearer—the collection offers ample reminders of how skilled India's craftspeople are. If there was an award for the blingiest collection, it would go to The Palace of Jewels. Each piece is unapologetically over the top, bringing ornamentation of India's royal palaces to clothes. East, which will close the couture week on 30 July, sticks to intricate embroidery but experiments with contemporary silhouettes like multi-tiered dresses and shades of black—unusual for a brand famous for following the traditional bridalwear palette of reds and pinks. Oxynn is a punk and futuristic take on Indian couture. It uses metallic wires and custom textiles to mimic traditional embroideries and mirrored textiles of Gujarat's Banjara tribe. Quintessence is a lesson in how to create clothes that are sculpted yet soft and fluid, as visible in this cabaret-style flapper ensemble. One of the few menswear-focused collections, Metropolis subverts traditional dress codes. Frills replace shirt collars, kurtas take the shape of kaftans, and veils become the new cap—all dismantling predictability in Indian couture. An extension of the designer's 2024 couture collection, Antevorta, the latest Arcanum line gives a new form to patola saris, using geometrical and molecular designs and cording techniques. The result: garments that look like they are in motion.
Mint
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Mint
India couture week: Rahul Mishra goes high on bling
Design house Rahul Mishra opened the 18th edition of Hyundai India Couture Week, in association with Reliance Brands and an initiative of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), on 23 July at Delhi's Taj Palace hotel. Called Becoming Love, the collection included some pieces that were showcased by the brand at the Paris Haute Couture Week last month including dresses inspired by Klimt's work. Majority of the collection presented on Wednesday, though, had more traditional bridalwear, with heavily embroidered lehnga-cholis, trench coat-like kurtas and tailored sherwanis. The entire collection was high on bling, unusual for a brand that has long focused on subtle shine. Here are some highlights from the show:
Hindustan Times
7 days ago
- Entertainment
- Hindustan Times
Tamannaah Bhatia walks the runway twice at the opening show of India Couture Week 2025! Take a look
The 18th edition of Hyundai India Couture Week 2025 opened in Delhi on July 23 with a spectacle that was equal parts cosmic and grounded. Taking the stage for the first show of the season was none other than Tamannaah Bhatia, who delivered not one, but two stunning runway moments for designer Rahul Mishra's couture showcase. Tamannaah Bhatia with designer Rahul Mishra and wife Divya Titled Becoming Love, Mishra's latest collection was a visual exploration of the many stages of love as interpreted through Sufi philosophy — from attraction and obsession to the dissolution of the self. An extension of what he showcased at Paris Haute Couture Week, this collection was tailored for his devoted Indian audience, featuring motifs of blooming lotuses, Krishna's divine Raas Leela and the gardens of heaven. Yet, while the designs radiated beauty and craftsmanship, all eyes were on Tamannaah and her looks (yes, plural). Her first ensemble drew straight from a fairy tale as she gracefully sported a dreamy, hand-embroidered gown layered with intricate florals and shimmering sequins that seemed to shift hues under the light. The palette moved as she moved, capturing the slow fusion of the other and I, as happens in love. And if her first appearance was poetic, her second look was grounded in the glamour of Delhi's couture aesthetic. The 35-year-old actor returned to the runway in a dazzling lehenga beaming with embellished detailing and hand embroidered sequins that shimmered like stars on fabric. The silhouette may have been familiar, but the execution was refreshingly modern with an edge that only Tamannaah could bring. While Mishra's collection was conceptual, blending mythology, love, and galactic inspirations, it was Tamannaah who brought the narrative to life with grace and ease. She didn't just model the clothes, she embodied them. And since this was just the opening night, we can't wait for what's next.
