The Palladium luxury Mall at the Phoenix Mills was an unlikely venue for the third Triumph Inspiration Award 2010 Indian finals. But it turned out to be a rocking event as ten finalists from four fashion institutes in India gave their versions of the theme “Shape Sensation”. The contest was held in seven institutes all over the country from which the finalists were shortlisted. The winner from India will represent the country at the London finals this year which will be held along with the London Fashion Week. The long ramp with an AV screen showed the concept of the designers and their inspiration as each model glided down the ramp and the designers were questioned by the jury on the thoughts behind the creations.


The panel of judges followed a simple criterion for selection. The jury comprising Mr. Thornsten Allenstein, MD Triumph International India and Sri Lanka, Neeta Lulla Anita Dongre, Babita Malkani and Meher Castelino were quite definite in the end about their unanimous decision which was even endorsed heartily by the audience. Wearability was however not of importance though eventually the international winning garment will be produced in limited edition and sold in selected Triumph stores worldwide. Prior to the judging the ten final creations were also shown to the public at select Triumph stores and their votes matched that of the final jury verdict perfectly.

“There should be innovation and creativity in interpreting the design theme which should have individuality and uniqueness, strong concept aesthetics, quality in design and execution and a perfect presentation,” informed Thorsten Allenstein.

Without a doubt the winner was a beautiful lingerie set called “Back to the Basics” by Yadvi Aggarwal of Pearl Academy Delhi. The beautifully structured circular leaf like motifs swirled and cascaded around the bra and panty set created from a blend of chanderi and silk and coloured with vegetable dyes. These two factors of using Indian fabrics and traditional crafts and dyes was the main reason for the panel of judges placing this entry high on their list and helping Yadvi to clinch the first prize. Besides that the beauty of the lingerie set was further enhanced by the multiple ways in which the bra could be worn.

The “Candy Princess” was the first runner up designed by Sneha Advani of Wigan n Leigh College. Candies, bubble gum and sugar sweets coloured the bra and panty set made of sheer net while a floating tulle corset completed the look. Aimed at the young girl who is introduced to her first lingerie set, the effect was striking on the ramp and appealing to an adolescent buyer.

The second runner up was Shradha Grover from Pearl Academy of Fashion whose creation titled “Making Familiar Strange” was an unusual offering with fluorescent green reflectors on a polyamide base. The gothic bra and slender corset leggings with plaited effect on either side gave an eye catching touch to the garment and overall the effect was dramatic on the catwalk as the set was very well constructed.

The other entries were very interesting and their themes were innovative and at times quite bizarre. Garima Sharma’s “The Black Widow” was a well crafted piece with subtle tonal embroidery on black organdy moulded into a spider’s web to present a very feminine set. Gunjan Kumar’s “Seashells” had delicate shaded blue tones of the shells for the blouson like bra and panty duo with interesting pleat and origami detailing. Vivek Gaurav presented “Blossom” a pink and white set draped in a large white flower like umbrella and skirt probably aimed at the bridal trousseau.

Anshul Kalra’s inspiration was the desi auto rickshaw with his final design called “Auto Rickshaw” using parts of the three wheeler to highlight the different angles of the bra and panty. His choice of materials was quirky with Rexene, plastic, elastic, tyres, battery, Velcro, door paints for the creation. The number plate at the rear of the brief was explained by the designer as something to identify different girl friends should the boy have more than one! While the design had great ramp appeal it was a wild and wacky look at innerwear more suited to a Madonna or Britney Spears video offering.

Surbhi Jain called her entry “Deception Through Prisms” in black and white organdy and knit, and the sharp angles of the triangular prisms gave a futuristic look to the lingerie. Nijhum Patra presented “Snow on a Pagoda” an all white organza and tissue set that recreated the beauty of a pagoda with flecks of snow designed from fabrics.

Shrena Hirawat’s “Deconstructivism” was a black and grey Lycra set with blue taffeta and red Rexene for added colour for a very interesting well finished piece.

The exciting part about the Triumph Inspiration Award 2010 is the prizes that the winners in London will get. The first prize will be € 15,000, second € 10,000 and third € 5,000. Yadvi Aggarwal will have the best wishes of India as she presents her winning entry to the international jury in London in September 2010

Cesare Paciotti - Che-sah-ray Pah-cho-tee

Cesare Paciotti is a shoe designer from Italy. His eponymous company makes luxury shoes and other leather goods, and is famous for its dagger logo. The shoe company was founded in 1948 by his father. Cesare studied drama, art and music and travelled the world before inheriting the family firm in 1980 and gave it his own name. He took the main creative role. The two main lines of the brand are Cesare Paciotti and Paciotti 4US, which is aimed at a younger market. He launched his new collection at the Milan Men’s Fashion Week. Whilst the 4US collection previously existed, it only included a limited number of items, such as sweatshirts, T-shirts and denim jeans. Since the original launch of the label, the designer has expanded it to build a comprehensive line for men and women, adding cargo pants, polo shirts, knit tops and down jackets. From its humble Italian beginnings, the company has expanded to have boutiques located around the world, on nearly every continent, in high fashion cities including New York, Los Angeles, Paris as well as Asia and the Middle East, with more stores opening in places like Brazil. Paciotti’s sister Paola looks after operational matters.

Monique Lhullieri - Mo-neek Loo-lee-ay

Monique Lhuillier is a Los Angeles based brand that has made its mark with its beautiful wedding gowns and evening wear. The label belongs to the Filipina fashion designer, Diane Monique Llamas Lhuillier. Of part French and part Spanish descent, she trained at the Lausanne, Switzerland and the Fashion Institute of Design and Merchandising (FIDM), founding her company in 1996. She participated in the New York Fashion Week in September 2007, where her Fall collection was well received. Well known celebrities like Kristen Stewart, Britney Spears, Sarah Gore, Hillary Duff have worn her gowns.

The burgeoning garment factories in the NCR region have given easy employment to the women embroiderers in Sundar Nagari, a slum resettlement colony in east Delhi, who are happy enough to sit at home and wait for the contractors. Giving the middle men a shove and bringing better rewards to these exploited workers is the organization of Self-Employed Women's Association of India (SEWA), who has set up an embroidery center of their trade union and work as mediators to get the women a fair deal. Women can either work from here or from home. Many of the garment pieces these women embroider will hit stores worldwide next season. Four leading retail labels, Gap, Monsoon, New Look and Next have agreed to farm out embroidery jobs to SEWA members through their suppliers in India. SEWA also provides its members access to pension and microfinance schemes. Sanjay Kumar, managing trustee of SEWA Delhi said, “Our USP is to maximize income. We want transparency. Many times, the brands themselves don't know about their supply chain.” With increased awareness about issues of sustainability and fair trade, organizations like SEWA become necessary for the retailers

While we commend designer Tarun Tahiliani for his successful day in court, we wonder if the courts have missed the ‘woods for the trees’. Even Mr Tahiliani’s own designer colleagues could see beyond the façade of designer ‘artist’ that the respected judges seem to have missed… or perhaps it is a case of a badly drafted Act!

The short sightedness of those who drafted the Section 80RR of the Income-tax Act, 1961 raises serious questions about the modus operandi of the entire law making process. Was it merely lack of insight or some hidden motive when ‘artists’ were defined with a shrug and the wave of a hand, under the category of ‘whatever’. Several spotted the opportunity, movie directors writing film scripts, photographers, cameramen and more recently, fashion designers. Who next? Perhaps the humble housewife deserves a ‘tax credit’ for her selfless and ‘artistic’ act of setting up a unique household.

The onus of paying honest taxes without reprieve rests stubbornly on the shoulders of the ‘neither creative nor artistic’ salaried class with the TDS slashed each month. Should not the powers that be come out of their stupor and relook such asinine laws/rules/addendums? Is it not better to stem the out flow of revenue through assorted loop holes than continuously taxing those already taxed? Perhaps we can all register our own cases before the very understanding courts, under the same category. Long live Section 80RR!