The spirit of fashion and the stories it encompasses were under the spotlight at the recently concluded FDCB Bangladesh Fashion Week 2023
How we wear our clothes tells countless stories of who we are, who we’ve been, and who we want to be. Behind our choice of fabric, colour, texture, and fit are memories, emotions, and ideals that we share in code. Fashion is an art, a deep form of expression that may often be difficult to put into words but is meaningful and full of feeling. The spirit of fashion and the stories it encompasses were under the spotlight at the recently concluded FDCB Bangladesh Fashion Week 2023. Recognised as the most prestigious fashion event in the country, it brought spectacular collections from 18 FDCB Members and exciting creations featuring six visiting designers from India. It brought together fashion designers, retailers and luxury stakeholders on one platform.
BFW 2023 was a fantastic confluence of storytelling and a sustainable approach to fashion. It was the manifestation of the vision that the president of the FDCB, Maheen Khan has been relentlessly working on for two decades to execute.
With the aim of raising environmental awareness, Bangladesh Fashion Week 2023 was centred around the theme ‘Wear clothes that tell a real story of people and planet.’ Sustainability and slow fashion were at the heart of this fashion event. Over the years, the Fashion Design Council of Bangladesh (FDCB) has been pivotal in preserving the local heritage with the artisanal community. BFW 2023 was a fantastic confluence of storytelling and a sustainable approach to fashion. It was the manifestation of the vision that the president of the FDCB, Maheen Khan has been relentlessly working on for two decades to execute.
The first collection was presented by Chandana Dewan, who enacted a story inspired by the Mangal Shobhajatra. The colourful collection put forward some Sarees and Punjabis made out of cotton fabrics with patchworks of different auspicious symbolic idols. It was followed by Gunjan Jain’s queue, one of the designers participating in the show from India. Under her label ‘Vriksh’, the collection titled ‘Flamingo tribe’ represented saris handspun and handwoven in luxurious textures of indigenous tussar and mulberry silks, highlighting the highly skilled weaving traditions of Jala (extra weft) and Ikat (resist tie-dye) techniques of India. Gunjan won the UNESCO Heritage Award and Vogue Designer of the Year 2016. Her collection celebrates womanhood and its uniqueness.
Nawshin Khair, Managing and Creative Director of the fairtrade brand Aranya presented her ‘Orange Bloom’ collection. With this line, she has explored how to fuse a hot dye bath and wax-resist dye to introduce patterns in pink and white. The inaugural day was also highlighted by unique designs from Afsana Ferdousi, Rifat Rahman, Tasfia Ahmed, Sadia Rupa, Iba Mallai, Imam Hassan, Tanha Sheikh, Rimi Nayak and Kuhu Plamondon.
The second day of the show was highlighted by Maheen Khan’s collection, which engages with artisans in interactive creative ways to enhance the artist in them, creating pieces of work seen on the cusp of design, craft and art. Revisiting and rethinking traditional crafts and hand craftsmanship, using natural materials and fabrics working with traditional artisans from different areas in Bangladesh, were her focus across lines. Other designers of the day also included Sharukh Amin, Paromita Banerjee, Tenzing Chakma, Rukhsana Esrar, Madhuri Sanchita, Lalthelenmawai Chenkul, Lipi Khandker, Kamrul Hasan Riyad, Faiza Ahmed, Soumitra Mondal and Shaibal Saha.
FDCB Bangladesh Fashion Week 2023 was organised by the Fashion Design Council of Bangladesh, powered by Apex, and driven by Hyundai Bangladesh. Community Bank was the banking partner of the event. The two-day event was supported by Buy Here Now, MTB, Streax, Maya, Ujjwala Care, and Natura Care Limited. Shera Digital 360 was the organising partner of the event. ICE Today was the magazine partner of the event while Hotel The Way Dhaka was the hospitality partner, and Aloki was the venue partner.
Photographs: Courtesy of FDCB