It’s a big day for fashion designer Anjali Phougat. Her brand - Designer Dream Collections - made a big grand debut at Paris Fashion Week. The fashion week is one of the biggest fashion events across the globe every year, and to be able to debut there is definitely something that every fashion designer dreams of.
Sharing her excitement Anjali Phougat says, “It was a big moment for us. Bringing Indian fashion to Paris was really thrilling and I was eager to showcase our culture through various themes. This collection was part of my Ascension Chapter 1, which I recently launched at New York Fashion Week. For Ascension Chapter 2, we focused on Third Eye Awakening, inspired by the Shivratri festival. We used blue colour to symbolize this, and all our dresses and gowns featured third eye embroidery, blending elements of both Eastern and Western styles.”
She goes on to say, “I was passionate about sharing our culture, as awakening is a universal concept, not tied to any specific religion. The response to our collection was fantastic. One of the big reasons for this was having a great team, including two female designers. One specializes in silver handcrafted jewellery and showcased her work at the event. We also featured Oceana an Indian brand known for designing clutches.”
Anjali Phougat also shares one of the most fascinating facts of the fashion week for her. She adds, “I had the opportunity to have the designer’s 73-year-old mother walk the runway—a first in the history of Paris Fashion Week for an Indian designer. Our showstopper was Abhay Verma, accompanied by Payal Mandewalkar who is not only a winner of the Mrs. South Asia World pageant 2021 but also serves as my brand ambassador.”
“Manya Pathak, a well-known TV actress from Zee TV's Delhi Darlings, opened the show, setting the tone for the audience with her grace and beauty. Even the Getty photographer, who has covered over 300 shows, remarked that ours was truly spectacular. It was a momentous occasion for me and my team. Abhay, a rising Indian film actor, reached out to our model casting team expressing his interest in walking for the Designer Dream Collection. Recognizing his potential, I’m always eager to create opportunities for Indian talent and provide platforms for upcoming stars. Manya, who has previously walked for me at the Cannes Film Festival, also expressed her desire to walk in Paris Fashion Week. With Payal accompanying Abhay, the teamwork contributed to a successful show. The response was overwhelmingly positive, and while I'm thrilled with the success, I'm also taking a moment to let it all sink in,” she concludes.
