Graduation shows at fashion schools are an indication of the unbridled creative instincts of budding designers. Sans filters that come in later for commercial viability, they showcase the skills of these designers who are unafraid to embrace their rebellious streak. The recent graduation show of Footwear Design and Development Institute (FDDI), Hyderabad, had students from the 2019 batch showcasing 27 different collections.
Among them, a few stood out in their partnerships with craftspeople and weaver clusters and also by making a statement in the form of protest fashion.
A collection titled Insane Space paid tribute to a Class X student in New Delhi who was a victim of bullying in mid-2022. According to news reports, the student was teased and assaulted by his classmates for his fashion choices. The silhouettes displayed as part of Insane Space do not fit into the conventional norm. In earthy beiges, browns and whites, the separates varied from anti-fit trousers to cold-shoulder tops with frilled collars, embroidered pocket flaps on trousers to tasselled jute strands on jackets. This collection designed by Aman Ashok, Kumari Ayushi, Riya Pratap and Pranjal Arora was awarded the Best Creative Design Collection of the year. “We used raw jute for our collection to signify the rawness of nature and white as a symbol of peace,” says Aman Ashok. The collection was intended to emphasise the need to accept people as they are.
