Ten Designs We Loved From St.Teresa's College Kaleidoscope 2016 Fashion Show

• 29 Jul 2016
• Fathima AbdulKader
• Features

Most of Kochi (perhaps even Kerala) look to the ladies of St.Teresa’s college for fashion inspiration. This statement has ringed true for many years, even before the start of the department of fashion in our city’s favourite ladies college. The department of Fashion Technology boasts of a talented alumni including Reshma Binu, one of the talent behind a popular designer brand in the city.

The graduation show by the Fashion Design Department is one of the biggest events held by the college. The 2016 graduation show, titled Kaleidoscope 2016 was a colourful reflection of the student’s talent. Each of the students of the UG Course in Fashion and Apparel Design looked to various sources for inspiration and incorporated innovative motifs and techniques to come up with their unique collections consisting of five garments each. Out of the 115 designs showcased by the 23 budding designers, WtzupKochi picked 10 of our most favourite outfits from the event (listed alphabetically by collection name). We confess it wasn’t easy to pick just 10 pieces from these collections.

Armageddon by Meenu Lal

Inspired by the Transformation of Mother Earth for Sustainability

The use of rich blue for portraying mother Earth as well as the use of twenties fashion elements made the collection stand out. This particular piece captured strength and dignity that the collection was trying to portray. 

A Starry Tale By Milena Jose

inspired by Japanese digital artist Kagaya Yutaka’s artwork.  

Inspired from Kagaya Yutaka’s ethereal digital art, this collection used shades of whimsical blues, purples, pinks and hints of yellows. The detailing on the yoke of this particular pattern incorporating all the colours of the collection was striking, although it was subtle. 

Elegante By Hereena Prakasia

Inspired By The Distinctive Features Of a Blue Angel Fish

A new spin on the currently popular indigo and white tie dye trend, this particular skirt had a unique silhouette, and the reversibility made it even more intriguing. 
 

Enchanted By Alysha Augustine

Inspired From Fusion Of Indian Aesthetics And Flapper Style

The collection showed the transition of a woman from a life of submission to one filled with glamour and pizzazz much like the rebellious flappers of the age. This white ensemble perfectly captured with the long sleeves, full length and a hood over her eyes, in a white shade of mute perfection, but with hints of red and pink Aari and Tara work that broke the tone.
 

Mermaid Tears By Jisna Job

Inspired By Seaglass

A blue and green collection with tie dye. The dye patterns are inimitable as the dyeing was done by the designer herself. These particular piece featured a high low skirt with draping that showed off the beauty of both the dyeing as well as the fabric. 
 

Mozafiato by Merlin Michael

Inspired By Ishtar Gate- The Eighth Gate To The Inner City Of Babylon

A modern take on ancient Babylonian influences, the use of navy blue colour as well as use of light weight fabrics, and a gold rope inspired belt was aesthetically pleasing as well as sincere to the theme.

Pasodoble By Sreelaxmi Vinod

Inspired From The Couple Dance Accompanied By Bull Fight In Spain

Designing a collection inspired from a Spanish dance form and the Tauromachia and doing justice to the inspiration is not an easy feat. But the designer of this collection used shades of red and black, elements of heavy coir rope, and beading to make the theme come alive. This particular piece used stiff mesh material that gave the silhouette a Haute Couture feel. 

Rasa Leela Manjari By Hima Subramanian

Inspired By The Life Story Of Shakunthala

A tale as old as time to Indians, Shakunthalam is a well known story and the modern interpretation of this character using pieces like Persian pants, crop top, cropped jacket, modern printing technique was a bold move that made this collection and this particular design in particular stand out. 
 

Terminal Flounce By Thanya

This Collection Is Inspired From A Fusion Of Italian Architecture ‘Reggio Emilia Railway Station’ And Japanese Dyeing Technique That Is ‘Arashi Shibori’. – Origami Skirt

A design collection inspired by an Italian high speed railway station and a Japanese dyeing method is not a theme that made sense initially. However, the Reggio Emilia Railway Station is known for its architecture that appears like a giant wave and the Shibori technique uses a technique similar to tie dyeing that creates a pleated appearance to fabric. This combination made for a collection reminiscent of cherry blossoms and this design in particular celebrated an apt marriage of two disparate themes in one piece. 
 

Withering Spring by Ashwathy P

This collection is inspired from the autobiography of a sex worker

Shades of scandalous red and fiery orange were the central focus of this collection. Inspired by the autobiography of a sex worker, this collection started with skater dresses crochet overlays and ended in this floor sweeping  design that featured a sparkling off the shoulder cape with exceptional weaving.

We would like to applaud the upcoming talents from the city and the initiatives the colleges are taking to give youngsters a platform to express themselves. The participants of Kaleidoscope showed energy and talent, and their hardwork has culminated in this exciting fashion show.

Text: Fathima Abdul Kader

Images: Joby Eldho