Fashion 

- by the young, for the young -

L-R: Ritu Beri with her New Collection (AFP Photo- Arko Datta); Ritu Beri's beach outfit displayed in Paris earlier this year (AP Photo-Francois Mori)

The setting up of Fashion Institutes in any society means style is, henceforth, to be taken seriously - and a serious business it is. The National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) in India has given the country some of the mightiest names in fashion design. Started in Delhi, with State support, fifteen years ago, NIFT now has a presence in Mumbai, Chennai, Gandhinagar, Kolkata and Hyderabad. Similarly, the Pakistan School of Fashion Design in Lahore is a recent undertaking, also with State support. Bombay may have been the centre of glamour, but Delhi has always been associated with innovation in style. Noor Jehan, the wife of the Mughal Emperor Jahangir, may well have been the city's first high-profile fashion designer and a trend setter. More recently, Ritu Kumar, Rohit Bal, JJ Vallaya, and Ritu Beri are all Delhi based and Delhi inspired designers who have commanded great respect and international acclaim.

The young graduates from these Fashion Institutes participate in the annual ritual of exhibiting their designs to the world at large. This summer , graduates from schools in India and Pakistan entered the real world of competition - but before they did so, their work was shown  as a high-profile society event. In India, their creations were modelled by the likes of Noyonika Chatterjee and other top models of the country - a perfect morale booster.

We bring you glimpses of what these young people are creating for their peers.

NIFT- Delhi
The earthy, ethnic and formal collection

 
(Photos TOI- Manoj Kesharwani)
L-R: Models Rohini Tiwari, Noyonika Chatterjee, Waluscha D'souza

Themed collection - North-eastern hills of India

(Photos TOI- Manoj Kesharwani)
L-R: Models Ayesha Prem, Kiran Rao, Ayesha Prem

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