On June 13th, 2019, Orange County was taken by storm when the first ever millennial-run South Asian Fashion Show took place in Irvine, California. Hosted by two extremely talented women, Neha Varma, and Sonica Patel, the Allure Fashion Show bridged together Pakistani and Indian designs from local designers in Los Angeles to showcase their creativity through a multi-cultural lens.
The event was a fashion celebration catered to millennials laced with lots of glamour and glitz from the moment you entered through the doors. Champagne flowed freely as guests scurried in to reserve their seats; caterers like Surati Farsan, Catering x Sabrina and La Chai Cart served guests with hor d’ oeuvres before the show began.
[Read Related: Aisha Rawji: The Mastermind Behind Fashion House KYNAH]
The show itself consisted of six main designers, one jeweler, and 23 models, both men and women in stunning attire. My favorite part of the show was the incredible production by 3D Sounds—three huge LED screens sat atop the runaway, each displayed original videography of the models showing off different styles paired with colorful lighting and a pop-y soundtrack—talk about a party!
Overall, the show was extremely successful and a crowd pleaser; the hosts did an amazing job of catering to a younger crowd to change the dynamics of a normal fashion show and showcased the latest and an exclusive sneak peek and next season’s fashion trends, patterns, and colors.
I had a chance to go behind-the-scenes and talk to the different designers and learn a little bit more about their style, mission and what fashion means to them. Here are some highlights:
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1. B-Anu Designs
“bAnuDesigns embodies the perfect marriage between traditional elegance and modern romance. Our designs are a fusion of a rich cultural history spanning back to the days of the maharanis, and fashion elements from around the globe throughout history, towards present-day, and peeking into the future as the world flourishes.
Deeply rooted in cultural beauty/aesthetic, our designs represent an ever-evolving style, showcasing classically intricate details using ancient techniques, to create fashion-forward concepts that are truly as unique as the individual wearing them.” – Anu Batra, Founder of B-Anu Designs (@banudesigns)
2. KYNAH
“The mission of KYNAH is to be representative of both Western culture and Indian culture. Before starting KYNAH, I noticed how many South Asian brands didn’t truly understand the women that were born and raised in the West. Hence, KYNAH was created to help create a community of like-minded women who love wearing Indian clothing but were looking for something more reflective of their own personal styles and trends in the West. Our designs feature many Western cuts with Indian flair and we create content and photoshoots that represent the next generation of women—a group of girls hanging out on a lifeguard station in the summer or on the steps of the Met living out their Gossip Girl dreams.” – Aisha Rawji, Founder of KYNAH (@shopkynah)
3. We Wear Us
“Fashion is a way of representing the different facets of my personality to others. Individuals have various characteristics that define them, and the reality is that the cumulative result is vague, at best. Fashion gives me an out—an out that has no bounds, and is not constrained by the limits of our vocabulary! – Diya Varma, Founder of We Wear Us (@wewearus)
4. Manshaa
“Fashion to me is all about finding your own personal style and having the dream and vision to express them to the world around you.” – Archana Vig, Founder of Manshaa (@manshaaobsession)
Other designers included Frontier Heritage (@frontierheritage) and Khushy Designs (@khushyniaziofficial) paired with jewelry vendor Blossom Box (@blossomboxjewelry). Although I couldn’t connect with them backstage here are some of their highlights:
Those were some words from the designers and a photo recap of everything glamour and fun from the Allure Fashion Show, but the fun doesn’t stop here! Stay tuned for Brown Girl‘s exclusive Instagram recap of the event, it’s coming up tomorrow!
