Archana’s tale of two travels at New York Fashion Week

Designer Archana Kochhar will showcase her collection A Tale of Two Travels, a mélange of her travels to the Taj Mahal and the village of Banjaras, at the FTL New York Fashion Week SS17 on Thursday. She is also supporting the initiative 'Bring Beauty Back' at the fashion week, where acid attack survivor Reshma Banoo Qureshi will walk the ramp for her.

"I am thrilled and excited to be showcasing my collection for the second time at the FTL New York Fashion Week SS17. A Tale of Two Travels has been inspired by my travel to the Taj Mahal and the village of Banjaras," Kochhar said in a statement.

The collection, inspired by Banjara, is a part of the Make in India campaign. "Here, I have worked with different sets of artisans from across India trying to revive and re-energize different art forms of India, some of which are dying.

"The translation of the collection is modern, keeping the essence of Banjara intact. My second inspiration of the collection is by the magnificent Taj Mahal. The most interesting aspect of this collection is the way the Taj has been depicted in Banjara handwriting. I feel it is a very contemporary translation of Taj which has never been attempted before", she shared.

The first inspiration of the collection is by Banjara, known for the craft of the vibrant colours and rustic mirror work in India. The colour palette of this collection is ivory offset with colourful digitally printed motifs which is further highlighted with multi-colour thread work and mirror work.

The second inspiration of the collection is by the Taj Mahal. The collection is an exclusive range of colourful intricate digital prints depicting the vibrant symbolic motifs of the Taj Mahal, the lotus flower and the royal elephants balanced with geometric motifs.

The silhouettes comprise crop tops, flared bell bottoms, flared skirts, pencil skirts, high-waist shorts, paper bag skirts, dhoti pants, structured gowns, key hole gowns, flowy drapes and jumpsuits.

Commenting on her supporting the initiative of 'Bring Beauty Back' at the gala, Kochhar said: "The initiative is about inclusion of all forms of beauty. I believe beauty is not external, but rather what comes from within. Fashion weeks are platforms, which are considered as benchmarks for beauty.

Hence it is imperative to promote the 'Inclusion of all forms of beauty' concept on such platforms to change the stereotypical thinking." "Reshma was a perfect choice as she in her own way has been working extensively for a similar cause of supporting the survivors of acid attacks."