Amit Aggarwal raises the curtains to India Couture Week 2019 with LUMEN 

Delhi - 22nd July 2019:  Amit Aggarwal had long endeavoured to bring in a new age of Indian bridal couture and establishing a distinct identity by engineering in innovative designs inspired by nature’s awe-inspiring forms; while effortlessly combining our country’s rich textile heritage and his commitment to environmental sustainability. With a collection that embodies all of his beliefs and design sensibilities and a show that left the audiences completely mesmerised, the designer opened the 12th edition of India Couture Week.At a virtual reality, he experienced titled, ‘We Live in An Ocean of Air’ where the invisible connection between plant and human is revealed through breath. Amit Aggarwal experienced how the air we breathe travelled and uniquely illuminated every framework of the body. Bringing to light the wonderful architecture of the human and plant anatomy, his couture collection, ‘LUMEN’ celebrated that unique light that illuminates us and makes us the individuals that we are.

Taking cues from this experience, the collection drew its inspiration from organic structures of the human body that exchanged invisible energy through an overlay of framework, fluidity and form. The framework of the garment was created with layers of recycled polymer understructures, the fluidity came through the illusionary movement of textiles that created forms that came to life through the intricate motifs and embroideries. A series of weightless gossamer tulle lace, organzas were meticulously hand-embroidered and rendered with structural frameworks to bio-mimic the details of the human and plant anatomy. This was explored by a range of hand-done three-dimensional embroideries in various organic angular forms and motifs to give our textiles a unique visual and tactile quality.

The colour palette featured a blend of opaque colours with its metallic tone and its iridescent hue making each shade into a superfluous flow of energy. A vibrant jewel colour palette of emerald, petrol, purple and plum moves into neutrals of gold, blush, silver and ivory with an eclectic mix of neon tones. The transparency, opacity and reflection of these colours revealed the reaction and the flow of light through every hue in the collection.

Grooving to the beat, models strutted down the ramp showcasing the designer's traditional Indian silhouettes that seamlessly blended with western ideologies of couture. Sculpted Edwardian bustles lent an edge to the quintessential bridal lehenga, while the brand’s signature sarees were reinvented with dramatically structured trails. The ensembles were enhanced by sheer drapes and layers that created an illusion of colour through a play of light. Amit also showcased a series of sharply tailored menswear ensembles in classic styles with a touch of layering. Ceremonial Indian silhouettes were revived with modern three-dimensional hand embroidery on jacquards, silks and handwoven textiles. The garments were styled by draping layers, colour blocking through textiles, as well as the use of dramatic hand embellishments. This collection embodied the traditional Indian man that has evolved and started accepting newer forms of clothing.

The showstopper garment embodied the new-age bride - a contemporary and fearless individual. The gorgeous millennial actress, Kiara Advani donned this one-of-a-kind piece inspired by natural forms and foliage patterns. Playing with the vibrant and bold red for the very first time, the designer created a striking bridal lehenga - a truly signature Amit Aggarwal piece.

Speaking about how he feels to have opened the India Couture Week Amit says, "An opening show should denote a new wave of fashion and reflect what the year has in store for couture. Although an opening show comes with its own set of challenges and heightened expectations, as a brand we have continuously enjoyed that. This year, we’ve taken risks and experimented with structuring and layering, we aimed to create an illusion of colours through shadow play and layers."

Amit's vision for showcasing his couture 2019 collection ‘Lumen’ was brought to life in collaboration with some of the leading designers and artists from across the country.

This year marked another successful collaboration with Taani by Tanira Sethi in which one-of-a-kind traditional textiles were created. The textile motifs represented natural life forms, converted into architectural formation. Her ideologies came together beautifully with the theme of his couture collection.

Stunning bridal jewellery by Narayan Jewellers by Ketan and Jatin Chokshi featured engineered designs inspired by the beauty of nature, striking an interesting balance between form and function. Their Jewelry showcased intricate craftsmanship with a perfect synergy of modernity and tradition.