Designs that get people talking

As a student when learning the ropes of the industry, a youngster gets a chance to work with established names then the confidence doubles and competence soars to the sky.

The JD Annual Design Awards 2014 organised by JD Institute of Fashion Technology (JDIFT) is one such platform where students of design get a chance to not only showcase their flair  but also an opportunity to work with leading designers,be seen and recruited by leading brands in India and abroad. 

In order to inspire the budding designers, these awards are organised every year with an aim to focus on creating the designers of tomorrow. The awards are to fete talent keeping in mind their creativity and  the ever-changing requirements of the design industry.

The four-day festival of design and creativity showcased works of students of fashion, interior and jewellery design departments on the theme of ‘Responsibility', highlighting the revival of the diminishing art and crafts of India. The crafts of India are diverse and rich in history and religion.

“The aesthetics of each state in India reflect the influence of different empires. Despite the steep and upsetting decline of Indian arts, there is hope on the horizon. The idea behind this theme - ‘Responsibility’ was to protect the glorious traditions from fading away into oblivion. I am elated to see some serious potential and responsibility among my student designers. In all, this will bring in a new set of ‘Responsible Designers’,” said RC Dalal, executive director, JDIFT.

For many students it was like a dream come true to be able to work with leading brands in the industry at the very start of their career. Even the mentors spoke highly of the creative talents of these students. Tarun Shienh, CMD, Premia Group and mentor of Interior Design Department at JD Institute said, “The work reflected the flair within the student designers who have pushed boundaries and have brought in so much of creativity and innovations in their designs.”

But this event full of fun coupled with experience did not end here. The evening saw the presence of personalities like Rohit Bal, Tarun Shienh, Prof SA Bari (Kuvempu University), Prof M Venkateshwarlu (Director of Distance Education), Mohammed Bello (Embassy of Nigeria), Gudmundur Eriksson (Ambassador of Iceland), Vandana Bhargava (jewellery designer), Sylvi (celebrity stylist), Sonia Jaitleey (designer), Manjeet Bhullar (interior designer), Tanuja BK (architect) and Pallavi Mohan (designer) among others.

Also present for the event at Eros Hotel, Nehru Place was fashion designer Rohit Bal (also the mentor of Fashion Design Department). “It was fun working with these budding designers and the ‘Rohit Bal Core Group’ will set new standards in experiments and innovations in fashion.  It will not be wrong to say that this was among India’s finest fashion talent. Jediians have immense potential and such a strong platform facilitates exchange of ideas and industry developments,” said Bal.

The cherry on the top was the visit of Bollywood actors Akshay Kumar and Tammanna Bhatia who were in the Capital promoting their recent film Entertainment and halted at the event venue to interact with the budding designers. Chandrakant Dalal, president of JDIFT, awarded Kumar with the ‘Style Icon' on behalf of all Jediians. 

After all, Akshay Kumar is one of the most sought-after Bollywood star by menswear designers.