The celebrated couture designer known for turning her moniker into a global empire, Anita Dongre is particularly noted for designs that host a plethora of traditional Indian textiles and sustainability initiatives in fashion. Recently, her foundation collaborated with The Princess Diya Kumari Foundation to celebrate fashion with a cause. The coming together of two labels or designers has had its share of hits and misses, yet it remains a testament to the dynamic and ever-evolving nature of fashion. This event went beyond the typical merging of aesthetics from both the entities and was instead aimed at uniting their individual strengths for a higher purpose. After the Fall 2023 show of Dior held in India, it comes as a delight that luxury labels closer to home are beginning to take lead on creating an immersive event of this scale - leveraging the abundance of the country’s resources that have been brewing for centuries. This show beckoned a different spotlight and unfolded noteworthy observations that blurred the borders between opulent fashion and social cause, art and architecture and more.
Held at the sprawling courtyard of the City Palace of Jaipur, the event titled Rewild ‘23: Fashion for Good- a fashion fundraiser - held a deeper purpose than customary catwalks and glamour. The event segued from the visual delight of couture-clad models who graced the ramp in Anita’s botanical embroidered collections to the rhythm of soul-stirring Rajasthani folk songs- all symbiotic in nature. The result was a grand set of audience left significantly more receptive about the message of the cause. This amalgamation of art, music and space leveraged fashion for a greater cause; a realm rarely explored before.
The event was different in many ways. For starters, it brought forth a unique collaboration between an atelier that advocates sustainability and a community that champions women empowerment. On this particular evening, Anita Dongre fashioned her signature aesthetics to raise awareness about nature and elephant conservation. Rather than embellishing the silhouettes, traditional craftsmanship drew attention to the wildlife and their increasing plight.
The historic Palace’s open-air setting, a refreshing departure from the conventional closed fashion show venues, offered an immersive experience as audiences dove into the world of traditional crafts in a city known for its cultural heritage. The decor, especially the life-sized Lantana elephants participated too - stationed as backdrops for the event but really serving as soft nudges to draw the attention of the audience towards the cause. Anita’s passion for sustainability was also reflected in the show’s deft repurposing of the flowers as the decor for the dining table. Towards the end, the traditional showstopper walk took a backseat as the designer and the team took the centre stage shining a spotlight on the pillars behind the collections.
Within the Indian fashionscape, this collaboration has already set the bar high - leaving trails for more such partnerships and concepts to usher. Now that we have witnessed a glimpse into the impact that music and art have when combined with fashion, upcoming labels can take cues and understand fashion’s potential for pushing forward a good cause.