Indian fashion designer Niki Mahajan is the chosen one who has totally knocked my socks off this week. In a country where homosexuality is still considered pretty taboo, she has chosen to break some ground for the gays by making lesbian love the subject matter of her Fall 2010 collection.
In case you didn’t know, India has a fashion week (Wills India Lifestyle Fashion Week) of it’s very own which may not as get as much national attention as New York or Milan, which is unfortunate — especially in this case. For those of my readers who aren’t privy to Indian culture, this show was pretty much revolutionary in their male dominated and quintessentially conservative country and Niki is a breath of fresh air in the sometimes staunch politics of sexuality there. She certainly took the entire eastern world for a magic carpet ride with her runway show last Saturday.
Can we get a standing ovation for Ms. Mahajan? Is this resonating with all of you? Because it’s huge. Niki puts it best by saying, “I want the world to realize that we should not shy away from accepting the fact that love need not to happen between opposite sex … so we just accept gay people as a part of our society rather than ignoring their presence.”
Mahajan’s Fall 2010 collection pays tribute to an allegedly fictional woman named Lata, and tragically tells the story of the love between her and another woman which cannot be openly expressed because of societal restrictions. Dramatically and naturally depicted for a large and enthusiastic audience, drawing speculation to what is being considered quite the spectacle. What she brings to the table is some hope and at a completely pivotal time in Willis’ growing repertoire.
Politics aside, the garments in Niki’s newest collection are drop dead gorgeous and I’m always into a bit of eastern influence in my widely western wardrobe. Rich in dark fabrics and hand woven silk, I would have basically died to get my hands on even a scrap of the pashmina mini dress.
Flowy tops paired with cropped pants and pendants? Swoon. She had me at hello. What I wouldn’t have done to have been even in the back row at this show. The whole thing was so entirely whimsical. Her eloquent pieces bring a sense of ethnicity while still being quite modern resulting in always classic but up to speed fashion. She’s one to follow, folks.
What do you think of this stand up lady? Eastern readers, how has this affected you in your culture?
