Art meets fashion at this exhibit in Mumbai

There’s no denying that fashion is art, and that’s what this exhibit wants you to experience as you appreciate the details that go into making it

This exhibition is not just for fashion enthusiasts. While the fashion aficionados will draw a great deal of information, inspiration, and artistic value from the works on display, I’d like to explore what impact it has on people for whom fashion is not such a big deal. This means people who maybe even rebel against fashion or the kind of fashion that is considered more populist or more trendy. [I’d like to see] how they interact with these archival artworks,” says fashion and lifestyle journalist Varun Rana on curating Vogue India’s Forces of Fashion exhibit that opens on October 14 at Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke.

“These pieces are all stationary, which is opposite to what happens in a fashion show or a regular fashion presentation. These are in a museum setting. The context changes, the light changes, it’s static. You can walk around things or you can go close to them and you can take your time to appreciate the details, the craft, the ideas and the video presentations.”

Rochelle Pinto

As part of the exclusive three-day exhibition—titled Power of the Indian Runway—40 Indian designers will unveil their art-meets-fashion curation, where each piece is thoughtfully designed to reflect the fashion house. The line-up includes designers like 11:11, Abraham&Thakore, Gaurav Gupta, Huemn, Manish Malhotra, Masaba, Neeru Kumar, Payal Khandwala, Sabyasaachi, Rahul Mishra, Ritu Kumar and Urvashi Kaur. Vogue India’s head of editorial Rochelle Pinto said, “It’s a chance to delve deeper into our fashion history, while also anticipating what the future holds. I’m excited to see each of our participating designers interpret this in their own unique way.”

Here are a few exhibits you can check out

Payal Khandwala

“This installation celebrates our decade-long tryst with brocades. It also coincides with the launch and opening of our first flagship store in Bombay. This miniature is a scaled down version of our house favourites, mimicking the brand’s philosophy of quiet luxury and attention to detail.”

Namrata Joshipura

“I’ve transformed the traditional wooden Adda, a frame used for stretching garments for hand embroidery into a stainless steel structure. By choosing metal for the frame, I am reimagining the traditional wooden adda into a permanent, enduring structure. Why? I wanted to explore the intersection of traditional craftsmanship and modern industrial materials. The installation challenges perceptions of what is delicate and durable, merging the old and new, craft and innovation, into a single visual narrative.”

WHAT: Forces of Fashion exhibit
WHERE: Galerie Mirchandani + Steinruecke
When: October 14 to 16

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