JOIN USThe Army Institute of Fashion and Design (AIFD) recently hosted the third edition of ‘Chrysalis’, its much-anticipated national-level student fashion designing competition. The event was inaugurated by Brigadier Krishan Kumar, OIC AWES, at the Hennur campus of the college.
‘Chrysalis’, held once every two years, aims at meeting three goals — providing an opportunity for students to demonstrate their design skills on a national platform, creating a chance for them to network with professionals from the design field and to give participants refreshing perspectives on how professionals approach common design-related problems.
After a series of preliminary rounds and semi-finals between the 57 short-listed entries from colleges like Vogue Institute of Fashion Technology, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT), Chennai and NIFT, Bangalore, the finalists were asked to create their ensembles using the facilities of the college.
They were given the theme of ‘Women’s trendy casual wear for Spring-Summer 2015’. Over a span of two days, the participants worked hard to create a complete ensemble and once the final product was ready, the outfit was judged by independent jury members from the industry. There was a continuous evaluation process wherein the students were questioned about their design process, the pattern making and the construction of their garments.
Pooja Karki of AIFD won the first prize of Rs 30,000; Sindhu from NIFT, Chennai, won the second prize of Rs 25,000 and Anita Kumar of AIFD won the third prize of Rs 20,000. Trophies and certificates were also given out to the winners. The winner Pooja Karki, a BSc FAD student, said, “It was a wonderful experience. I made a dress using linen, cotton and rayon for the spring-summer collection.
I was inspired by Aswan City, which is located near River Nile in Egypt. It is known for its abstract buildings and that’s what I used as the print for my creations. It was a tough competition because of the kind of colleges taking part in it and also because you never knew what the others were working on. Plus, the deadline was strict, which made it very stressful. But it was worth it in the end.
I couldn’t have done this without the support of my principal and faculty members.” Asked what she plans to do with the money, she replied, “I’m going to invest it in my new line of clothing, which I can use for my portfolio.”
Anita Kumar, a student of the same department who came third, added, “I feel proud that I came third. My outfit for this competition included a skirt, top and shrug. I found it pretty easy because we’re used to working under pressure in our college.
It was a well-organised competition that taught me a lot as a budding designer. It was interesting to see the works and inspirations of my peers and understand where I stand by market standards.”