The FDCB Fashion Week 2023 has kicked off, bringing spectacular collections from 18 members and exciting creations featuring 6 visiting designers from India to Aloki Convention Center in Dhaka’s Tejgaon area.
The two-day event, organised by the Fashion Design Council of Bangladesh and powered by Apex and driven by Hyundai Bangladesh, is bringing together fashion designers, retailers and luxury stakeholders under one platform. Community Bank is the banking partner of the event.
This show is being supported by Buy Here Now, MTB, Streax, Maya, Ujjwala Care, and Natura Care Limited. Shera Digital 360 is the organizing partner of the event. Hotel The Way Dhaka is the hospitality partner and Aloki is the venue partner of the event.
The Fashion Designer’s Council of Bangladesh (FDCB) is a not-for-profit organization that escalates sustainable fashion and artisanal craftsmanship to revive Bangladeshi heritage. Headed by esteemed fashion designer, Maheen Khan, the organization is a platform for talented designers across the fashion spectrum in Bangladesh.
With an aim to raise awareness about environmental sustainability, this year’s theme for Bangladesh Fashion Week 2023 is “Wear clothes that tell a real story of people and the planet.”
The show began at 7.15pm by paying homage to late designer and fashion frontier Emdad Haque, who was also the Vice President of FDCB.
After that Apex, the power partner of the event represented their dazzling queue. They launched their newest womenswear collection named JATAREA at this queue. The collection was created with a fusion of traditional fabrics with contemporary its and designs. Suitable for all seasons, this ready-to-wear collection is for dynamic homemakers to busy entrepreneurs. Accompanying the dresses, there was footwear from Moochie and Nino Rossi, the brands available at Apex. Moochie represents a range of luxurious and glamourous footwears. Ninno Rossi is an inclusive brand providing effortless style.
The second queue was presented by Ujjwala care, a unique brand offering anti-hair fall oil, skin-lightening body oil and anti-hair fall shampoo, for women and men. With the slogan, “It’s all about nature, science & beauty”, the brand has exclusive product ranges for personal care. Afroza Parveen, the founder of Ujjwala was present at the ramp at the end of their queue.
After these two maiden queues, the show witnessed an insightful speech delivered by Maheen Khan, the president of FDCB. Maheen Khan briefed the audience about the journey of FDCB and how it has been playing a pivotal role in preserving the local heritage with the artisanal community.
After that, the main show started showcasing the collections made by designers from FDCB and India.
The first collection was by Chandana Dewan. Inspired by the “Mangal Shobhayatra” the colourful collection put forward some Sarees and Punjabis made out of cotton fabrics with patchworks of different auspicious symbolic idols.
The next queue represented Gunjan Jain from India. Under her label “Vriksh”, the collection titled “Flamingo tribe”, represented saris handspun & handwoven in luxurious textures of indigenous tussar & mulberry silks, highlighting the highly skilled weaving traditions of Jala (extra weft) and Ikat (resist tie-dye) techniques of India. Gunjan is the winner of the UNESCO Heritage Award and Vogue Designer of the Year 2016. Her collection celebrated womanhood and its uniqueness.
After that, Afsana Ferdousi showcased her collection titled “Tale of a blue river”. Afsana’s collection depicted the tale of a river and the aquatic life around it. Traditional nakshi kantha stitches have been used to uphold the beauty of the river and its changing colours using natural indigo colours.
The fourth queue showcased the collection of Rifat Rahman’s Spring/Summer 23, which represented a fresh look featuring trendy colours. The variation of patterns in his collection gives is versatility for making the dresses wearable on any occasion.
Tasfia Ahmed was the fifth designer of the night. Her collection, “90s romantics” showcased classic pieces flaunting flare anarkalis, cotton sarees, earthy tones with zardozi work, and the beloved old block prints. It was indeed a nostalgia-inducing collection for the audience.
After that Sadia Rupa showcased her collection inspired by postage stamps and hand-written letters. With an intention to capture happy moments, Rupa used jute, linen and check fabrics along with patchwork to set stamps over fabrics. All fabrics are collected from natural sources in Bangladesh.
After that another creative designer from Meghalaya, Iba Mallai showcased her collection. The name of the collection is “Kiniho”, which is an amalgamation of heritage with modern aesthetics. Driven by the idea of “creating responsibly”, the collection has mindfully crafted creations by seamlessly blending Eri silk handcrafted textiles. Every piece of Kiniho tells a story of age-old traditions, ancestral weaving knowledge, and lore strongly inspired by the natural surroundings of Meghalaya. One can see the minute detailing letting the naturally dyed handcrafted fabric have its own space to narrate its own story.
Nawshin Khair, a craft practitioner, cultural connector and environmental advocate came to present her collection “Orange Bloom”. Nawshin Khair is also the Managing & Creative Director of the Fairtrade brand Aranya. She introduces new shades and techniques to highlight Natural dye prints in orange and black. For the first time, she explored how to fuse hot dye baths and wax-resist dye to introduce patterns in pink and white. ‘The Orange Bloom’ collection will take you on a journey of slick silhouettes draped in silk and the evolution of intricacy of geometric patterns with hand-dyed textile prints.
Imam Hassan, a young designer came next with his Resort wears collection 2023. As a responsible designer, he has always been passionate about natural dye and homegrown materials. Eco-friendly clothing upcycled through pleats, patches and hand-stitched embellishments are presented within the realm of contemporary modern design. Natural extracts from catechu, myrobalan and indigo are the soul of this collection.
Tanha Sheikh, the next designer of the show represented his collection titled “Riding the Waves of Life”. Featuring a resort collection, this fashion line celebrates the concept of hope and renewal, capturing the energy and fluidity of the waves with flowing fabrics in ocean-inspired colours. Rough, sand-like materials are paired with watery textures, and accessories feature wave-inspired designs.
Rimi Nayak was the last Indian designer of the night. Her summer/resort 2023 collection titled "Botanics" is heavily inspired by the vibrant and colourful blooms of mother nature and its various unique flora and fauna. The collection is created using natural, sustainable, and 100% plant-based fabrics from LIVA. Using Liva’s fabric with modal technology, each garment is supremely comfortable, breathable, and soft and gives a flawless drape with a natural flow.
Kuhu Plamondon from Bangladesh was the last designer of the night. Her choice of textile was muslin. Representing a beautiful collection of Muslin sarees, Kuhu’s creation represents fluidity and a certain kind of transparency. With simple square and curved lines, Kuhu turned her sarees into a canvas showcasing her creative thoughts.
The 2nd and final day of FDCB Bangladesh Fashion Week will take place tomorrow same time at the same venue. Tomorrow the show is going to feature footwears from Apex and hairstyles by Streax. After that the following designers will present their collections:
Maheen Khan, Sharukh Amin, Paromita Banerjee, Tenzing Chakma, Rukhsana Esrar, Madhuri Sanchita, Lalthelenmawai Chenkul, Lipi Khandker, Kamrul Hasan Riyad, Faiza Ahmed, Soumitra Mondal & Shaibal Saha.
