Fashion / Archana Kochhar Debuts Ahimsa R??ama At New York Fashion Week

Archana Kochhar Debuts Ahimsa R??ama At New York Fashion Week

Fashion Sep 14, 2015

by Meaghan Elizabeth

On Sunday, September 13, Indian designer Archana Kochhar debuted her Spring/Summer 2016 collection – Ahimsa R??ama – at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, New York.

Kochhar – who selected ANOKHI12 for her North American debut earlier this year – returned to the continent to take part in FTL MODA’s New York Fashion Week showcase and tradeshow – on through September 17.

Ahead of her runway presentation on Sunday, Kochhar kicked off her NYFW debut with an exclusive collection preview on September 10. Actresses and former Miss India participants Natasha Suri and Simran Kaur Mundi joined Kochhar in unveiling the first look from Ahimsa R??ama.

_{^{Image source: Archana Kochhar}}

The collection, which is part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Make in India” Campaign, “draws its inspiration from the principles of Ahimsa which means non-violence,” Kochhar explains. Created exclusively from Ahimsa, or ‘Peace Silk,’ Ahimsa R??ama was produced with the adoption of eco-conscious and environmentally-friendly practices. Kochhar’s decision to work exclusively with this unique silk means her textiles are created and woven with silk threads that are extracted without killing the silkworm in the process. Her latest collection also works to empower and improve the livelihoods of local women weavers through the provision of enhanced wages.

_{^{Image source: _{^{Archana Kochhar}}}}

Ahimsa R??ama blends the traditional and the contemporary, east and west. Kochhar’s intricately detailed gowns are composed of a simple colour palette, consisting of beige, ivory, and rose gold. The colour and texture of each individual woven textile is dependent on the mulberry leaves that the silk worm consumes, remaining true to the natural colour of the fabric and making each garment one of a kind.

archana_kochhar_spring_summer_2016_new_york

_{^{Models wait backstage at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal ahead of Kochhar's Spring/Summer 2016 presentation.

Image source: Instagram}}

Kochhar’s latest collection favours embroidery, fabric texturing techniques, and the featuring of Swarovski elements in the creation of silhouettes inspired by the metamorphosis of a silk worm to a silk moth. In a press release about the Ahimsa R??ama pieces, Kochhar notes this influence: “…this transformation has inspired me to incorporate hundreds of tiny butterfly’s wings which I have created and binded [sic] together in a form of an intricate textural embroidery.”

^{ANOKHI MEDIA's President/CEO Raj Girn was at the premiere to lend support to her friend Archana.}

We look forward to watching one of Bollywood’s favourite designers continue to gain recognition in the North American market – and can’t wait to see what she creates from her unique Ahimsa silk textiles next.

_{^{Feature image source: www.lehren.tv}}

Meaghan Elizabeth

Author

Meaghan Elizabeth is the founder of Fashion Savage and works as a fashion blogger and social media consultant. With a Master of Arts degree in the social sciences and over eight years of professional and academic writing experience, Meaghan brings a u...

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Archana Kochhar Debuts Ahimsa R??ama At New York Fashion Week

by Meaghan Elizabeth

On Sunday, September 13, Indian designer Archana Kochhar debuted her Spring/Summer 2016 collection – Ahimsa R??ama – at Vanderbilt Hall in Grand Central Terminal, New York.

Meaghan Elizabeth

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