Our Take on Lakmé Fashion Week 2022

Author: Saloni Dahanukar

The FDCI x Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) kicked off its 2022 edition at the Jio World Centre in Mumbai last week, marking the start of a long awaited festive season. From a wide range of designers that focused on traditional Indian themes, to immaculate presentations from the country’s top fashion maisons, it’s safe to say that these 4 days were an extravagant and glamorous affair. 

However, the real spotlight was laid on environmentally conscious and sustainably driven initiatives that championed inclusivity, diversity and cutting edge innovation. Organic cotton made a robust comeback, and empowering graphics highlighted the need to make serious environmentalist changes. LFW’s focus on sustainability and advocating for the importance of curricular fashion was received with applause from top media houses and environmentalists alike. 

Let's take a look at the three sustainability driven activities that stood out for us at the country’s most fashionable week of the year:

• The IMPACT HUB

The RISE Worldwide IMPACT HUB was a special arena dedicated to showcase the various ways in which Indian enterprises have made a difference through their sustainability focused activities. The immersive presentation was brought together by a new age display by businesses advocating for circularity, transparency, and authenticity. Craste, Human Centred Design, Revolve, 200 Million Artisans and Fleather, were the 5 enterprises chosen for their innovative solutions to tackle real world challenges of the fashion industry. 

The IMPACT HUB’s vision to revolutionise the fashion industry and all its stakeholders like textile mills, packaging companies, those involved in fashion’s extensive supply chain as well as consumers is truly impressive.

• Women in Sustainable Fashion Panel

As a part of LFW’s ‘Sustainability Day’, the British Council and RISE held a panel discussion to put a spotlight on ‘Fashion, Climate and the Role of Women’.  The panellists included pioneers in sustainable fashion like Priya Krishnamoorthy - founder and CEO, 200 million Artisans, Anita Dongre - chief creative officer, House of Anita Dongre and Aditi Mayer - sustainability activist and photojournalist. While the panel met to speak about the vital role women play as catalysts of change, the conversation’s key takeaway was the return to frugal, minimalist and basic lifestyles in line with our ancestors. Additionally, tips and tricks on how to include sustainability in our daily lives were also furthered.

• Sustainable Fashion Day

LFW’s winter edition dedicated a full day to celebrate themes across sustainability, gender fluidity and celebrating local textile crafts. The show’s green initiatives like refillable water bottles and recyclable invite cards showed us that the event was designed keeping in mind the right principles. Fashion houses like Studio Medium, Diksha Khanna, Swatti Kapoor and Elka made a bang by showcasing innovative garments that paid homage to the country’s rich history of local artisans and handmade fabrics such as silk and khadi. R|Elan won the United Nation’s Circular Design Challenge award for its use of sustainable materials like Cartex and Greengold, in an eccentric presentation on the runway. Moreover, Anju Modi’s mindfully designed collection made from Tencel and Modal fibres was also a crowd favourite.

While all these incredible sustainability-led showcases were super important to highlight the future of fashion, a very important part of the fashion economy - circularity was also a key theme that shined through during the event. 

The event surely redefined the way people perceive fashion and challenged the traditional notions of what is considered fashionable or trendy. Here’s hoping for many more such thought provoking events, where sustainability takes over - one initiative at a time.