The crowd stalls here

[1]

The ongoing Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) at Pragati Maidan is truly a wonderland for creative designers, who are not just putting up a great show on the ramp but even off it by creating a special zone at their respective

stalls. If you happen to visit the WIFW venue, then take out some extra time and take a look at the stall area where 130 participating designers have displayed their latest spring/summer collections in small cubicles.
For Mumbai-based accessory designer Felix Bendish, a stall is not just a place for putting up clothes on mannequins with a price tag. He feels the area is allotted to a designer to put up his collection in a nutshell and hence it must be used innovatively. At his stall C-3, one can see the rainforest coming alive as he has decorated it with fancy forest wallpaper and bird nests hanging artistically from the ceiling. He says, “My collection theme this year is ‘rainforest going neon’ and since all the brooches, clutch bags and stoles that I have brought this year have animal inspirations, I did my stall in this manner. It is also indicating the importance of wildlife in dense jungles and the lizard brooches all over the place add to the picture and feel.”  
At stall B-54, away from blooming rainforest, one can see a mysterious celebration of newborn birds with designer Varun Sardana’s quirky mannequins. The non-conformist designer, who is known for his excellent designs and techniques, is not showcasing this time but has a unique stall where three bird-faced mannequins with human hairdos are depicting his S/S collection ‘the bird bath’. He explains, “My collection ‘bird bath’ draws a lot of tribal influence and hence you can see complex hand-weaving techniques in the ensembles.  The theme is birth of a newborn baby bird and I have used elements like feathers, natural fabrics and masks to represent it.”
Designer Nida Mahmood has put up a great colourful show with her collection ‘Great Indian Bohemian Tamasha,’ and proudly tells us about how each and every bit of her stall is an important element of her collection which is hand-picked by the designer herself. She says, “I have put up the puppet dolls and colourful lights to show the street theatre art, which is the main theme of my collection this time. I believe that presentation is very important and hence I have tried to showcase the essence of Indian street theatre through my collection.”