Designer Bride: Mijwan Sonnets in Fabric by Manish Malhotra

I was originally not going to publish this show, because I planned to run Malhotra's show from Delhi Couture Week, and the designs are largely the same; I didn't feel it was necessary.  Mijwan Sonnets in Fabric was a special presentation commissioned by lyricist Kafii Azmi and his daughter Shabana Azmi in support of the Mijwan Welfare Society, and when I heard Malhotra's take on the whole show, I decided it was worthwhile to cover from this angle,because it was more than just a fashion show. 

A little background: many designers commission their handwork to villagers and tribes in various regions of India based on local expertise in various forms of indigenous textile art.  Manish Malhotra is among these designers, and while his partner in the fashion show Azmi, sees his work as philanthropical, and a means by which village women are financially and socially empowered, Malhotra is a pragmatic businessman about what he does.  He observes that outside of the Indian market, no one is buying the traditional Indian silhouette, but there is a high demand for the specific skills of beading, embroidery and sewing employed in the making of traditional garments.  He feels that in capitalizing on these strengths, Indians have a unique and valuable craftsmanship to offer the world.  Case in point, the Indian-inspired Chanel show by Karl Lagerfield, was an homage to the increasing reliance of Paris fashion houses on Indian craftsmen for much of their couture handiwork, as local skill dies out with an older generation.

Bollywood celebrities turned out to model many of the designs, the show's final piece was worn by M.C. Mary Kom, a boxer from Manipuri and London Olympics Bronze Medallist.