Silai School Women At Lakme Fashion Week 2018 With Their Mentors

Eight selected USHA Silai School women entrepreneurs got a chance to learn and work under the guidance of different designers. Designers Soham Dave, Sayantan Sarkar, Amit Vijaya and Richard Pandav, and Sreejith Jeevan along with USHA Silai School women curated a collection for Lakme Fashion Week 2018.

With the black sewing machine as the central source of his inspiration, designer Soham Dave, conceptualised a collection to honor the human-powered sewing equipment that has been a tool of livelihood for many rural women in India.

Soham Dave, who is also the lead designer at the SEWA Trade Facilitation Centre and Director at Showroom J - a buying and retailing house, taught his group of USHA Silai School women the art of producing simple yet trendy garments.
Abstaining from using electricity to produce his label, Soham Dave's collection for the USHA Silai label emphasised on the skills of the artisans which according to him is the main essence of a label.
A design graduate from NIFT, Kolkata, Sayantan Sarkar created a collection for the USHA Silai label that showcased heavy use of block prints and wild batik-designs.

Using cool and calming colors, the collection exuded a sense of freshness which is perfect for Indian summers.
The collection Sayantan put together with his team of USHA Silai School women included dresses, jackets, pants and summer tops all of which were created with the distinctive 'Sayantan Sarkar' style, a label that caters to prêt as well as couture lines for men and women.
Taking inspiration from the quaint architecture of Puducherry, Sreejith Jeevan, a design graduate from the National Institute of Design, conceptualised his collection to incorporate the ethos of the tropical state.

Using block-colors in contemporary styles, the designer brought onto the runway the tropical essence of Puducherry. Creating a timeless style emphasising the spirit of the city, his collection embodied the modern women in India.
Training and encouraging the women in his USHA Silai School cluster, Sreejith, put together a successful collection which received rousing response from the attendees of the Lakme Fashion Week 2018 in Mumbai.
Soham Dave, Sayantan Sarkar, Sreejith Jeevan along with the USHA Silai School women, took a bow at the Lakme Fashion Week 2018 in Mumbai where their collection received massive applause.