JOIN USA medley of skilled techniques and innovative twists came together during a recent show organised by the graduating students of NIFT Bangalore, in which they showcased a collection of knitwear designs.
The students exhibited their technical strengths in the array of ensembles, which were put together through different techniques — hand-knitting, machine-knitting and computerised-knitting, for instance — coupled with interesting surface development, intriguing forms and silhouettes.
Those who had gathered to watch the show were pleasantly surprised by the variety of knits, something they had clearly not expected.
Each collection was centred around a strong inspiration, telling a story through silhouette and colour. The designers had put together multi-hued yarns of various compositions and used this to create fabric — which, in turn, were sewed into avant garde creations. The complexity of the designs was a treat to behold and spoke volumes of the designers’ creativity. Some of the garments were centred around the theme of the ‘Black Widow’, knit with mysterious black and red lace. Others used multi-gauge knits to simulate a magpie’s
montage.
A Sherlock Holmes-inspired collection used woven tweeds to bring in a secretive air; Indo-Western kitsch was displayed to perfection with a cacophony of colour and a kidswear line, based on a ‘Mad Hatter’ theme, was also displayed.
The budding designers who impressed on the ramp were awarded accordingly. Sakshmi Sharma, one of them, walked away with two awards — ‘best designer’ and ‘most creative collection’.
Her collection, called ‘Transmutation’, displayed mutating body forms and elongated and emphasised structures. Aditi Singh, another student, was given an award for her depiction of men from the tundra.
“I came up with a menswear creation, which I called ‘Into the Wild’. It basically focussed on a group of carefree, rebellious alpha males, who are setting out to explore the world,” explains Aditi. “The collection was based in the Russian tundra and the garments were
inspired by the vegetation and landscape there.”
Prashant Kumar was awarded for the best use of computerised flat-knitting, displayed in his ‘Birds of Paradise’ collection.