The Murjani Group brings the label to India.

Watch out for French Connection popularly known as FCUK! For here comes the first international brand from the UK and it is all set to steal the hearts of Indian men and women when it launches in April 2007. The snappy men's and women's line with its cool styling will appeal to the fashion conscious of the country. From the classic raincoat to colorful art deco prints on a tulip dress, to a jumpsuit, the women's wear line moved smoothly with a timeless universal appeal for buyers. , If one was to judge by the thunderous applause the collection received at the end of the show, the FCUK label will certainly appeal to a cross section of men and women of all ages with its simple timeless clothes.

The Abduction of Psyche by William Bouguereau pushed the imagination of Swapnil Shinde to come up with a collection that was feminine, yet classic with just the right amount of embellished touches. Swapnil worked with diverse fabrics of romantic colors that ranged from chiffon, shimmering georgette and satin Lycra, brocade, cotton and linen as well as suede, which was used for jackets as well as trims for the dresses, giving a trademark detailing to his dresses of elongated sides of skirts. Swapnil’s blend of the classic and the contemporary for his creations will give a modernized line to his buyers.

Anand Kabra’s collection ‘The Orange Scarf 1927’ was woven around a beautiful multi-orange hand painted swirl and cube design, which appeared discreetly throughout his collection. The garments varied from dresses, pinafores, skirts, blouses, jackets and even saris, which were tastefully embellished. He presented saris in innovative drapes like setting the pallav through the placket of the jacket or teaming them with a jacket, or adding just a faint shimmer to the borders. Working predominantly with silk, chiffon and twill, Anand’s creations were a pleasant blend of classic yet contemporary silhouettes.


Narendra Kumar visualizes the men of modern liberalized India in some of his very interesting and creatively styled clothes. Detailing was visible in every garment from faux lapels to elongated button holes with grey silk piping, to three-button jackets with shimmer on the side, velvet shawl collars, quilting for long jackets, silk pullover sports jackets, and trimming with leather and rivets. Making a surprise appearance on the ramp with his models, Narendra Kumar proved that his clothes are for men and not only the models as he ended his showing with a statement—the clothes are the stars.

Rahul Mishra and Firdos Samar presented their perfect Autumn/Winter sonata of fashionable black and white garments for men and women inspired by the game of chess. The Chess collection revolved around black and white with just a hint of brown and navy, featuring checks and solid bhagalpuri fabrics in houndstooth and tweed weaves. The silhouettes were more 70s in nature with an accent on shoulders for both men’s and women’s wear.

Abhishek Dutta’s label, ‘Adnormal’, was a collection of contradictions on all fronts—whether it was fabric, styling, color or patterns, they all fell together in perfect harmony. Garments were replete with zany attitude, lots of patchwork, embroidery and detailing that pushed the styling limits to the maximum for men’s and women’s wear. Here was grunge fashion that had a lot of kitsch, but it worked very well for Abhishek’s collection created for the masses, classes and youth who now have a collection that will suit their sartorial requirements.