Ekta Solanki wins Collection of the Year at the 2010 International Asian Fashion Awards

Designer Ekta Solanki won the award for Collection of the Year at the 2010 IAFA Awards. I previously blogged about the partywear collection Ekta showcased at one of the Asiana Bachelors search events, for this IAFA she showcased her striking bridal collection:




Here's Ekta Solanki herself backstage with model Hammasa:

Fans of this collection take note - Ekta Solanki is holding an end of season sample sale on the weekend of the 14th and 15th August in London, with outfits starting from £200. See flyer below for further details, or visit the Ekta Solanki facebook page
Many thanks to photographer Rafyl and Ziggi Studio for use of these photos.

Ziggi Studio wins Best Male Fashion Designer at the IAFA Awards 2010

The newly launched International Asian Fashion Awards (or IAFA) took place earlier this month in London. The aim of the awards was to "honour the incredible success of Asian fashionista’s and pioneers within the Asian Fashion industry". With 10 awards up for grabs, would-be nominees were required to go through a rigorous application process and a panel of judges, including actress Laila Rouass, Radio 1 DJ Nihal and Mani Kohli of Khubsoorat Collection, eventually decided winners for the following categories:
* Best Newcomer in Fashion Design
* Best Make-up artist
* Best Fashion Accessories
* Best Wedding Collection Designer
* Best Male Fashion Designer
* Best Female Fashion Designer
* Outstanding Contribution to the Fashion Industry
* Life Time Achievement
* Collection of the Year
* Boutique of the Year

I'll be posting photos from the catwalk show which was held during the awards ceremony, starting off with winner of the Best Male Fashion Designer award: Ziggi Studio.


I've seen a lot of the Sherwanis by Ziggi Studio at various fashion shows and each time there's something new and interesting. I love the richness of the fabrics and perhaps it's something to do with Ziggi's impeccable styling of his collection, but these outfits really *look* unique and special. Any groom wearing one of these outfits would stand out and depending on his bride's choice of outfit, maybe even outshine her!!

A first for any Ziggi Studio collection I've seen was the decision to put his outfits on some female models for a change, and I think they looked just as good on the girls as they did on the guys. What do you think of these looks below?




I thought I'd end with a photo of Ziggi, in one of his own designs of course, collecting his award:
Many thanks to Rafyl from Rafyl.com and to Ziggi Studio for use of these photos.

Onitaa at Asiana Elite Bride Show

Designerwear retailer O'nitaa showcased collections by Pakistani designers Nickie Nina and Anjana Bhargav. Photo credits go to Ziggi Studio

Nickie Nina:

It was all about long flowing layers with these outfits, as is the current trend in Pakistan. I liked how they used traditional shades of red mixed with blues and purples in the first two outfits, almost like a modern twist on the usual bridal look.

Anjana Bhargav

They provided a real infusion of colour with the Anjana Bhargav collection and these outfits instantly pop-out at you with their shimmering shades of gold.

Onitaa are based in London and recently won the award for "Boutique of the Year" at the International Asian Fashion Awards. Look out for photos from that event coming soon on asianfashionblog.co.uk!

Neeta Lulla for RCKC at the Asiana Elite Bride Show 2010

Indian cinema costume designer Neeta Lulla (the woman responsible costumes in the film Jodhaa-Akbar - a look that has inspired many brides) designed this collection for London based RCKC.
Many thanks to Ziggi Studio for these photos.





I love the mixture of colours in these outfits, although I think the style of the teeny-tiny short tops might be a little too revealing for the more modest brides out there!

Asiana Elite Bride Show - Jewellery by Amrapali

Jewellery house Amrapali showcased their collection of precious gems and jewels on the catwalk at the Asiana Elite Bride Show. Photo credits go to Ziggi Sutdio.



They decided to showcase pieces really made a statement. I think some of the heavier pieces like the two above are a little bit over the top but they fit in with the tribal theme they were going for in this show.

Wedding TV Asia's Asian Wedding Designers series - watch it online now!

Wedding TV Asia is one of the Sky channels available in the UK which you might not have come across, nestled around the 200s (channel 267 to be specific) in between a whole load of other random channels, it's understandable that you might have missed it!

I tune in every once in a while and some of their shows are really insightful and I can imagine they'd be useful for any bride-to-be who needs planning help. One program in particular which caught my attention was the show "The Asian Wedding Designers" which is a 20-minute-long focus on a specific asian bridalwear/groomswear designer! I've just discovered that episodes of this show are available to watch online so here's links for you and a summary of each!

HSY via Imani Studio episode - Pakistani designer HSY talks about his collection from the comfort of UK based HSY stockist Imani Studio. I don't know about you, but for me I find it interesting to see/hear how the "big name" designers talk about their collections. For example, I didn't expect that American accent of his!


RCS episode - menswear specialist RCS feature in this episode and talk through what a customer can expect from their store.


Mani Kohli's Khoobsurat Collection episode - Mani Kohli herself talks about her beginnings in fashion, does a little bit of name-dropping and walks us through her pristine looking London store!


Charmi Creations episode - Charmi talks about the inspirations behind her bespoke range of designs. (I like the fusion style green gown 18 minutes in)


[this video isn't available to view online anymore] Kiran Khan episode - Kiran Khan shows us her design studio in Burton-on-Trent and explains her vision for brides.

Raishma at the Asiana Elite Bride Show

London-based Raishma were another of the catwalk exhibitors, shopping for some new rich clients, at the 2010 Asiana Elite Bride Show. Their collection had traditional bridal red shades, but these were a lot more similar to western-style wedding gowns with big dramatic skirts!
Many thanks again to Ziggi Studio for use of these photos.






I do recall many years ago I visited Raishma showroom on Green Street in London, after seeing their designs in Asiana Magazine and Asiana Wedding. Perhaps it was the way I was dressed, or my age at the time but I can say it wasn't a very comfortable browsing experience and I definitely felt a "snooty" vibe in there!!

Having said that, a friend of mine did purchase her wedding lehnga from there was was very pleased with it...I guess like a lot of asian retailers they're only after "serious" customers *note to all shop owners/designers, be nice to all your customers/store visitors cause a first impression can be a lasting impression and that person you made a bad impression on might end up running her own fashion blog one day!

I'd love to hear your experiences with Raishma, leave a comment!

The Asiana Elite Bride Show - Menswear designer Vanshik

Here's the first set of photos from the Asiana Elite Bride Show, I've already expressed my opinions on the whole "eliteness" of the show, so let's get straight onto the outfits! A big thanks to Ziggi Studio for use of these photos :)

I thought I'd start with india-based menswear designer Vanshik. There were two distinct looks to their collection, a dark "smouldering" look with shorter jackets and just a slight hint of colour, and then your more traditional groom sherwanis in light whites.



I like the rich textures of the fabric, like this shiny dark red jacket. Also loving the addition of the bright coloured waistcoat in the second pic below:





Now onto the more traditional groomswear, which although is the traditional "look" these are by no means ordinary looking. Vanshik do custom tailoring and you can tell these have been well-made:





For more details on where you can get this collection in the UK, get in touch with Ziggi Studio who will be able to assist :)

Rajas and Ranis - asian occassionwear for children

I blogged about options for brit-asian childrenswear for weddings at the start of 2009 and one of the online retailers I highlighted, Rajas and Ranis, have now opened an offline retail store.



Based in Preston, the store has their latest designs of lehngas, churidar suits, shalwar suits and sherwanis, all carefully designed for their young wearers.

Below are some of their most popular girls choices from this season. They also have some of last seasons outfits available to buy in their sale section.



What do you think is best for children to wear at weddings/parties? Do you think it's worth putting them in pretty outfits like these, or do you think the clothes will inevitably get ruined cause children like to run around?