This year’s New York Fashion Week showcased Indian designer Kanika Jain’s collection Blue Jean Baby. Jain shares with us her journey and memorable moments from the show

Kanika Jain’s recent show at New York Fashion Week (NYFW) is another example of a fashion designer making it big on the international fashion scene. Her collection, Blue Jean Baby, is an amalgamation of materials, techniques and sensibilities that are dear to her. In a candid interview, she shares with Patriot, everything that went into the making of her show.

Can you please share your brand Kanelle’s relevance in India and abroad. What is the individual voice of the label that you believe is important in today’s day and age?
Kanelle holds a significant place in the field of fashion through the type of work we do. The language we speak at Kanelle, through our designs, is meaningful and unique. Every collection has a story to tell that makes each piece of clothing expressive in its own way. From the creation of textiles to the artworks we do on them — all these explain the hard work that goes behind creating the collection. With the consistent incorporation of separates in my collection, each piece is very relevant in terms of its value and usage in today’s time.

Tell us a little about your collection ‘Blue Jean Baby’? How did the name come about?
‘Blue Jean Baby’ is a song by Elton John and what better could be the name of my collection than this, as the entire collection is made out of denim material. It is a season-less collection inspired by the feminism of Lady Diana. The clothes have a subtle nod to timeless 80’s fashion but constructed with modern aesthetics. The use of textiles has been a major reason for the collection to be season-less and the styles of the garments made it effortless. Thus, it justifies the name given.

Please share with us how did the collaboration with Flying Solo come about and your experience of working with them?
Team Flying Solo selected Kanelle to showcase our collection at the NYFW and gave us this great opportunity. The whole experience was extremely exciting. We all worked as a team along with other designers showcasing their work and had a very exciting and fantastic show.

What inspires you to do what you do today — be it in your design language or having your own clothing label?
A lot of my work is inspired by nature. I love to travel and incorporate a lot of my thoughts and sensibilities in my work. It is so exciting to see the vision of my ideas come to life at every stage of the process of creating a collection and that is what keeps me going.

How did the idea to showcase at NYFW come about?
As mentioned earlier, it wasn’t a planned approach. Team Flying Solo had selected us to showcase our collection at the NYFW.

Can you describe at length the entire ambience on the day of the show day? Please illustrate what is the energy a few hours before the show while everyone is working hard towards getting everything in place.
This question reminds me of the crazy time we all experienced before the show. From the day of the fittings to the final day of the show, it was truly incredible. The day of the show was very crucial for all of us designers. It was absolutely mind boggling to see the madness that was happening back stage. There were so many people there, from the multiple makeup artists to the models to the dressers and assistants to all of us designers. The entire space appeared to be brimming with energy and excitement. And the moment the show started, it was unbelievable to see the rush that was there backstage. But as soon as the show finished, there was great sense of satisfaction and fulfilment that we felt, knowing that we put up a spectacular show.

Please share the contrast between a fashion week in India and the one you experienced at NYFW. Is there anything they can learn from each other?
There isn’t much of a difference in the shows that happen here in India from the one in New York. Our fashion weeks in India are as professionally organised and as crazy as that of NYFW. The process of any fashion week is primarily the same and India is in no way different from the one that I experienced at NYFW.

What is your favourite memory from the show?
The most memorable moment of this entire experience was when I went to the main stage right before the show and took a moment to believe that Kanelle will be a part of NYFW.

What next from Kanelle?
Next will be a launch of our Spring Summer 2019 collection and we are hoping to receive wonderful response for the same.