Sustainability NOW: Fashion and Design Innovations in a Conscious Age

Ekta Rajani is a stylist, design and creative consultant with over 20 years of work experience. She has worked closely with the Indian magazine industry, celebrities, designers, brands and retailers. She was Fashion Director at Grazia India, a leading monthly women’s fashion and lifestyle magazine in India, part of The Times Group and was associated with them for seven years. (December 2010 – March 2018). Prior to that, Ekta was the Fashion Editor of Harper’s Bazaar India, part of the India Today Group, also one of India’s leading fashion publications. (2008-2010). Her positions in the past have also included a managerial role for Design & Merchandising at BE, a multi-brand retail boutique launched by Raymond Textiles and Retail India. (2001-2004). Within the film industry, Ekta was a key member of the styling team headed by Rita Dhody, for the highly acclaimed award winning movie “Fashion” written, directed and co-produced by Madhur Bhandarkar. She was instrumental in styling the lead actors Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut. (2007-2008). In her role with magazines, she has styled many celebrities and has also been involved in styling editorials, print campaigns, TVCs, fashion shows and consulting on brand/ design projects and creative direction for various clients based on their requirements. Her independent work has been carried by online platforms like Contributor Magagine and Harpers Bazaar India. Her personal leanings champion India inspired contemporary design. She also explores growing sustainable shifts in design thinking in the lifestyle space, focused but not limited to fashion.

Vaishali Shadangule is founder and creative director at Vaishali S, a brand committed to creating wearable art forms out of handwoven textiles. Since the inception, the brand has been committed to handloom weavers and worked with over 900 weavers and explored 14 different techniques of weaving from various Indian states. Having left home at a young age, Vaishali realised her passion to pursue her dreams and the importance of empowering women in a community still deeply rooted in patriarchy. Although Vaishali had left home never to look back again, she remained deeply rooted in her traditions. Hailing from a small town in Madhya Pradesh, known for its traditional crafts – textiles had always been an important part of her life. Combining traditional handwoven textiles and craftsmanship to produce unique, sustainable and contemporary products for global consumers has always been her vision. They consciously choose to work with female artisans and weavers across the country, thus empowering and enabling them to make informed choices that progressively enrich their lives. 80% of their weavers are female. Vaishali S is also known to revive and adopt dying handloom weaves, and one such case is that of the ‘Khunn’ weave in Karnataka. Having stumbled across this colourful weave worn by local women, Vaishali struggled to find the handwoven weave as most weavers had switched to the power loom. Upon finding just a few surviving weavers who still hand wove the fabric, she decided to adopt the remaining 40 looms to support the families and promote the weavers by providing them a continuous livelihood. Vaishali visits her weavers and works with them at the loom to create and design the woven fabric from scratch. She says she can see weavers breathing life and soul into a fabric as they develop it. In 2011, Vaishali S label debuted at Mumbai’s Lakme Fashion Week. She displayed garments made from Chanderi and Paithani handwoven fabrics that had only been used in India to make saris. Since then, she has launched several collections through New York and Milan fashion weeks for the last five years; introducing her unique sense of design globally. Apart from garments, the brand has forayed into the home decor and interiors segment with luxury lighting and handcrafted design, continuing to reinvent the use of handwoven textiles and techniques to create unique and contemporary ranges of products.

Darshana Gajare is a Sustainability Enthusiast Leading Sustainable Fashion initiatives at IMG Reliance across its various IPs - Lakmé Fashion Week, Circular Design Challenge and SU.RE. In her role, she works with a diverse set of stakeholders including the United Nations, various ministries, NGOs, leading sustainable fashion designers, agencies and retail brands. In the past, she has run her own enterprise, Fairtrunk - advocating ethical fashion & lifestyle and headed communications for Fashion Revolution India.

London born and raised, Sujata Assomull was the founding editor in chief of Harper’s Bazaar India. Having worked at ELLE India, Indian Express and Verve, she also has been the communications director of Gucci, Bottega Veneta and Jimmy Choo in India. She has worked as an image consultant for projects for Raymond Group and Lakme Beauty Salons. Accomplished on both sides of the fashion divide, Sujata moved to Dubai almost five years ago as the consulting Fashion Editor of the region’s first English daily newspaper, Khaleej Times. Her family have been rooted in the city for two decades. Currently, Sujata contributes to the region’s leading newspaper Arab News as well international trade digital platforms such as Business of Fashion and Vogue Business and is the contributing editor of Vogue India. Moderating and speaking at fashion events in Dubai she is an advocate of mindful fashion, and also curates unique bespoke experiences for luxury and fashion brands. Sujata Assomull is a sought after moderator and speaker at many fashion events. Used to addressing a global and diverse audience, having moderated and spoken at platforms in England, India and the Middle East. She has also been a guest lecturer at National Institute of Fashion in New Delhi, and ESMOD in Dubai as well as a guest on BBC World’s “Talking Business” segment on how Indian fashion is going global. And like most journalists has made the cross-over to webinars and virtual hosting have moderated panels for Amsterdam’s Fashion For Good and Indian publishers Roli Books. Fall 2019 saw the launch of Sujata’s first book, “100 Iconic Bollywood Costumes” outlining a key visual history of Indian cinematic fashion.