Former Miss India Liza Verma-led fashion show Jashn rocks Toronto

Fashion brain and former Femina Miss India, Liza Varma teamed up with locals Sharad Lall Mathur and Rajiv Malhotra, to bring together the best in fashion design, models, and global expertise. Top gun fashionistas Anju Modi, Shyamal and Bhumika , Satya Paul, Pallavi Jaikishan, Vikas Makhija, Jainee, Prarena Grover and Mohey-Manyavar creations from India along with Mississauga-based designer Diinesh Ramsay, Arpan Vohra from the London fashion scene, Rozzy Surii- a familiar face in the Canadian Fashion weeks of Vancouver and Calgary- plus many more graced the spectacular event.

The three-day fashion extravaganza opened with a beautiful gala evening filled with dance, music, food, and entertainment keeping true to its name Jashn – meaning a celebration. Apart from the elegant runway shows, this splendid affair had exhibits by luxury wedding planners like Vogue Wedding Company and luxury jewelry brands Art Karat and Red Dot amongst many others showcasing their designs and services throughout the weekend.

This event, one of the first of its kind aims to bring in the world of South Asian designers not just for a fashion show but to further Indo-Canadian ties and meld fashion industry with global business opportunities.

As Designer Shyamal put it “the bridal collections we showcase brings India to the world in the form of craft or couture with a sensibility to the Western world- it is a kind of fusion”.

Designer Anju Modi, whose single mission is to revive and revisit traditional textile arts of weaving, embroidery in gold and silver and bring it back to the younger generations said “Tradition and culture is a base and it moves on to evolve as per the civilization – there are no boundaries – it is global desi look which is comfortably rooted in timeless traditional craft like zardozi and zari work. It is artistic, a kind of poetry in design; smartly done with minimal touches to appeal to the generation”.

Anju Modi is best known for her work in the film Baajirao Mastani which won her the coveted Filmfare award for Best Costume Design in 2016. Her bridal collection showcased in Toronto was replete with rich traditional art embroidery in gold and silver and in luxurious hues of sunrise and sunset which transported the audience to an era of maharajas and maharanis – it made you feel like a princess and one could see the passion the designer has for detail in textures weave, and embroidery.

Designer Arpan Vohra, from the London fashion world, brought the modern touch to his stunning collection of prêt and bridal wear with modified lehengas, Anarkalis, and Dhoti Salwaars – a true wearable fusion of East meets West with a light and fresh new look.

The weekend of high fashion ended with stunning presentations by Mississauga-based Designer Diinesh Ramsay and the grand finale by Shyamal and Bhumika.

Diinesh Ramsay’s quintessential wedding collection for elegant brides and grooms was really well-received and applauded. The theme was flowing long lehengas and saris adapted for the modern bride with lots of sparkles, heavily beaded and sequined work on materials which lent to a lot of movement with each step. His collection for menswear was replete with dhoti Salwaars and sherwanis with rich embroidery in luxurious textures especially made with today’s grooms in mind. The collection was fit for royalty!

The much-anticipated finale by Shyamal and Bhumika was an ethereal forest-themed collection. The colors mimicked a beautiful forest ranging from light fern green to dark emerald greens and floral inspired hues of peaches and pale pink. The gorgeous outfits just lightly floated by, shimmering with light touches of gold or silver sequins, embroidery and handwork all inspired by nature. The result was a breathtakingly beautiful bridal collection. Audible sighs and gasps were heard as each of the models walked the ramp.

We congratulate the entire team who brought this unique designer fashion event and truly look forward to another bigger Jashn (celebration) next year!