The iconic 15th year of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour came with a path-breaking format with a special exhibition curated by FDCI along-with designer Ashish Soni. This travelling exhibit was showcased in four cities, Kolkata (22nd Jan), Hyderabad (1st Feb), Delhi (15th Feb) and Mumbai (22nd Feb) based on three significant themes – Craft, Identity and Blend.
The BPFT fashion extravaganza culminated with a larger-than-life finale, ‘The Pride of India’, in collaboration with FDCI, in Mumbai, with 15 leading designers. It included Abraham & Thakore, Abu Jani-Sandeep Khosla, Anamika Khanna, Anju Modi, Ashish Soni, Gaurav Gupta, JJ Valaya, Manish Malhotra, Monisha Jaising, Namrata Joshipura, Raghavendra Rathore, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rohit Gandhi+Rahul Khanna, Suneet Varma, and Schulen Fernandes for Wendell Rodricks. Though it was Priyanka Chopra Jonas, who made heads turn, as she worked the ramp in her favour. The show began with a tribute to the late Wendell Rodricks by FDCI Chairman, Sunil Sethi and Bollywood heartthrob Priyanka Chopra Jonas. Live music by singers Sukanya Chattopadhyay and Deveshi Sahgal, set the rhythm of the night, along with the aerial act by Omaggio Performing Company.
Interestingly at the Exhibit, an artistic display of over 100 iconic pieces from India’s most renowned names brought forth the visions of each guru and his thought process in terms of shape, form and patterns, making it a classic ensemble, which has withstood the perils of time and tide. This mammoth task was executed deftly by the FDCI, with a careful selection process to make it a befitting part of the tour with a museum-like exhibition showcasing the ensembles of the country’s top designers that represent their brand’s DNA. The highlight of the event in each city, this year was also the Style Forum where a panel discussion brought out the hidden and meaningful facets of the design world powered by the Fashion Design Council of India.
