Whistling Woods International (WWI) School of Fashion presented a creative showcase of its final year graduating students – Aiyanna 2021. The 5th edition of the fashion graduation showcase witnessed creativity and innovations being brought to life, where along with fashion and style, fabrics, cut, silhouette and embellishments were honored and appreciated.
While the student work showcase ranged from Avant-garde to Indian Wear to Evening Wear to even smart Street Wear, the highlights of this year’ Aiyanna 2021 were the incredibly unique factors students brought into their collections. From designing and producing 100% compostable & sustainable t-shirts, the revival of Batik with natural dyes, contemporised traditional embroidery to detailed and precision-oriented menswear and encompassing the essence of Goa in the garments through revival of Kunbi, this year’ collection showcased at the fashion graduation show wasn’t just about fashion on ramp but bringing a change towards sustainable trends, practices and future.
The showcase of students’ work witnessed talent joining hands with technical expertise to present a gamut of wonderful creations by the graduating batch of BA in Fashion Design. Bringing forward the uniqueness of the immensely talented young budding designers, this year’ edition was based on the theme, Beyond Stillness. Inspired by recent times and the willingness to keep moving forward, the design collections featured in Aiyanna 2021 were based on the element of life – Earth, Water, Air & Fire. The graduating batch of students further brought forward their creativity in the form of editorial photoshoots, fashion films, presentations, and research projects.
Appreciating the students, Rahul Puri, Head of Academics, WWI said, “Thank you all for extending the support to our students of the graduating batch of WWI School of Fashion 2021. It feels amazing after what we all have gone through. The last 18 months have been hard for everyone. I am grateful to the students and faculty for showcasing their creativity, talent. Undoubtedly one can add that the star are the students, who have been diligent, passionate, to put together the showcase and highlight their vision, capabilities, and creativity.”
The collections and projects were highly appreciated by eminent industry experts, who constituted for the jury panel this year. The jury comprised of fashion journalist, author and consultant – Meher Castelino; couturier, Shahab Duragi and fashion stylists, Pranay Jaitly & Sounak Amonkar, who are also the Co-founders of the brand, Who Wore What When. Basis the collective decision of the jury members, awards for the following categories were presented to the students – Most Innovative Collection – Nishka Minda, Best Styling Project – Ayona Roychoudhury, Best Research Project – Divya Sanjay Aggarwal, Most Commercially Viable Collection – Shagun Pawan Mandora, Most Creative Collection – Hemanshu Umesh Deokar, Best Textile Innovation – Bhavi Nilesh Gosar and Marcy Randolfina Gomes.
“It was such a pleasure judging the latest collections by the graduating students at the Whistling Woods International School of Fashion. I have been on the jury several times in the past but what was amazing about these graduating collections was the fact that the students worked under very difficult conditions and yet produced such wonderful work. The inspiration, execution and careful thought given to sustainable fashion and the present global climatic condition was kept carefully in mind. I congratulate the students on their wonderful work and wish them all the very best for the future”, said Meher Castelino, veteran fashion journalist & consultant.
Whistling Woods International was established with a vision to be an institute that encouraged collaborative learning and Aiyanna 2021 brought this vision to life. The fashion graduation showcase was a collaborative effort. School of Fashion joined hands with School of Filmmaking (Cinematography Department), School of Music and School of Event Management to make Aiyanna 2021 a huge success.
