People in Pune have a very discerning taste when it comes to fashion and luxury,” say Smita Patwardhan and Naina Mutha, the founders and organisers of Couture, a premium exhibition that hosts participants from across the country to display their exclusive works in clothing, jewellery, gifting and handicraft items. (* See Disclosure)
Started six years back with just 15 participants, Couture has come a long way and has hosted more than 90 designers in their lifestyle exhibition. “We started this venture because it is something we are passionate about. Earlier, Pune didn’t really have many outlets where one could go and hunt for exclusive things. People had to travel to other cities like Delhi, Mumbai and Kolkata to shop for traditional sarees and other lifestyle products. Our aim is to bring the best talent from all over India and get them to showcase their work here,” explains Patwardhan.
This year, designer work is being sourced from different parts of the country. From Kashmir comes Angad Creations, that specialises in designing traditional Kashmiri shawls, stoles and richly embroidered sarees. Sthree Collections by Anuradha Bhat brings a vast array of South Indian silk sarees that are woven and embellished with traditional designs which are hand painted. Mutha and Patwardhan are also keen on featuring upcoming talent in their exhibition. “This year we have Ishita Bafna of Little Miss Miu, which is a children’s wear design brand and Amoha by Vaishali Jain who designs ethnic and Indo-western wear. We have even arranged to exhibit crockery designed by Versace,” adds Mutha.
Other known names from the industry that will be present at the exhibition include jewellery designer Falguni Mehta, noted gold and diamond jewellery brand Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri (TBZ) and fashion designers, Aartivijay Gupta and Shravan Kumar.
The work displayed at the exhibition has been chosen carefully through a thorough research and a screening process. “We make sure that all the participating designers are carefully handpicked. We see their exclusivity and their work must suit every pocket,” mentions Mutha, who also highlights that every kind of taste is taken care of at the Couture exhibition.
As Couture enters its sixth year, both Patwardhan and Mutha have worked to bring together several notable and budding names in the lifestyle and fashion industry on one platform. But, at the same time, they also want to take this opportunity to give back to society. “We are inaugurating the show with ‘Walk for a Cause’ in support with Prashanti Cancer Care Mission. This will see cancer survivors walk the ramp with well-known personalities of Pune. It is all about women empowerment and encouraging young girls to take up entrepreneurship,” Patwardhan says.
This two-day event will be held from August 11 to 12 and more than 4,000 people are expected to attend it. As Patwardhan rightly puts it, “Everyone in Pune recognises quality work and supports endeavours that encourage budding artists and designers. It has grown by way of taste and culture.” Indeed, it has.
*Pune 365 is a media partner of Couture Exhibitions 2016.
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