The North East Fest an event by Ministry of Home Affairs in
association with NTC (National Textile
Corporation) flagged off its second edition at the NSIC Grounds in the capital.
With its slew of runway shows by leading designers, promoting the indigenous
fabrics of the region through this platform, the first day set a precedent to
the upcoming events of the four-day festival. The charming Soha Ali Khan took
to the ramp in style wearing red saree. She looked completely at home in her
role as brand ambassador for the Festival.
The Festival was inaugurated by Ms. Renu Prabha Saikia,
Weaver from APWWA, Ms Soha Ali Kha- the brand ambassador -NEF, Mr.Joi Barua-
Cultural Brand ambassador-NEF.The inauguration of the exhibition of handloom
and handicraft stalls was also done by Mr.R.K Sharma- Director-Technical-
National Textile Corporation.
With a view to promoting overall development of the North
East region, the Fest saw seminars, conferences, B2B meetings at work amidst
fervent media interactions. The Weavers, artisans and kept the crowds buzzing
at the venue. Amongst other stalls from DC handlooms and Handicrafts were 33
women weavers and 3 craftsmen representing Assam Police Wives' Welfare
Association are participating in NEF'13. They, reflected a fraction of the
amazing diversity of communities in Assam. Each community has its own
distinctive style of weaving but the common thread is creativity of design.
The first day seminar on ‘Skill development and contemporary
dress designing with NE fabric’ addressed by designer Risha Deka and attended
by weavers from the North East.
The event took off with Soha walking the runway for Sailex, who is well known designer
from Manipur. Sailex has become a name to reckon with in women’s luxury prêt.
Sailex’s collection marked his foray into Indian wear with elegant
ethnic-inspired ensembles made of high quality fabrics and intricate
embellishments.
Ms Shabana Azmi was present to add cheers to the event. The
next show highlighted the modern-cum-minimalist approach by Teresa Laisom and
Utsav Pradhan through their offbeat label ‘munkee.see.munkee.doo’,
reinterpreting classics as contemporary urban wardrobe staples in cotton and
its various blends. Taking his specialty of creating ‘art to wear’ to the next
level, Rajdeep Ranawat exhibited designs from his Spring-Summer 2014 collection
called ‘Rococo goes Tropical’. This included playfully designed prints and
embroideries, further enhanced with flowing and feminine garment silhouettes
accented with Swarovski elements. Bringing the day’s fashion dose to a close
was master draper James Ferreira.His showstoppers were Swati and Rocky-the
famous RJs of Red FM. In an oath to North East textile and handloom James
Ferreira drapes Assamese scarf in 15 different ways, layered over red
swimsuits. Men’s collection consists of khadi casuals, jacket shirts and
printed chiffon Kurta’s and asymmetrical woven moonga silk tops.
Soha Ali Khan commented, “This is my second outing at NEF
and it is indeed a pleasure carrying on the enthusiasm and motive of NEF’s
mission further through its Delhi chapter. Delhi has always been looked upon as
the country’s fashion capital and gives us the right platform to truly enhance
the exposure that the talent from the North East region deserves. We are hoping
that the support of the Government, media and the prevalent fashion fraternity
here provides the Fest the strong networking it seeks.”
The first day also saw an enthralling performance of the
Lion Dance (Jai Ho) of Sikkim by the cultural group - Bhramaputra .Also, Joi’ s
Group who got the attendees grooving
brought the lilting melody of the North East to add spice to the festive
ambience. His show started when the Indi Old Schoolers riders group came to the
ground in their sturdy bullets. Around 30 riders, early in the evening, had
taken a small ride in the capital to promote North Eastern state and to spread
the message of harmony.
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