Ajio.com, a curated online fashion and style destination launched ‘#NotWhatIWear’ movement highlighting a social message on the fashion runway with a thought provoking fashion show at the Lakmé Fashion Week Summer/Resort 2017. In the light of many cases of discrimination against women for their sartorial choices, Ajio.com’s ‘#NotWhatIWear’ campaign is encouraging women to make their own choices, sartorial and otherwise and not be judged for it.
With ‘#NotWhatIWear’ campaign, Ajio.com has added its voice to thousands of conversations of this nature taking place across the nation, that it truly is ‘#NotWhatIWear’ that is to blame, but the way some sections of society think and act. The campaign aims to sensitise and encourage ‘inclusivity’ towards one another as well as choices, including the sartorial ones.
The show opened with a powerful thematic audio-visual presentation that set the context, featuring women sporting cardboard boxes, which had on them statements such as ‘I’m wearing skinny jeans. Should I be banned from college?’
What followed was a spectacular sequence that had four models strutting down the ramp in card board boxes highlighted with thought provoking messages. The show picked up tempo when four female and two male models showcased stylish monochrome creations, leading to the four female models dramatically ripping off the boxes to reveal an attractive collection of black minis, off- shoulder numbers and funky cropped tops.
Then came the Work Wear sequence headlined as ‘They told me not to wear this to work’ made interesting by Ajio.com coming out with a fashionable dateline ranging from Fun Filled Mondays to Monochrome Tuesdays, Ethnic Wednesdays, Sporty Thursdays, and Feminine Fridays.
Later, the show had a fun and sporty collection for campus clothing spunkily themed ‘They told me not to wear this to college’, which featured edgy denim shorts, colourful Tees, slinky maxis, and skinny jeans.
It was party time when a mix of western and ethnic wear took to the ramp with creatively draped saris teamed with tube tops, will-power dresses and chic western styles with fusion elements.
The finale had models clad in identical fabrics with thematic graffiti that urged women to express their style freely and fearlessly. The models moved in formation and dramatically turned when the lights went out to reveal a glow in the dark neon sign “#NotWhatIWear” on their clothes.
But the high point of the show was yet to come when the ramp was dazzled by celebrities, RJ Malishka, Mallika Dua and Varun Thakur as they whole-heartedly endorsed the relevant #NotWhatIWear movement initiated by Ajio.com.
Ajio.com’s tagline ‘Doubt is Out’ created a stir on the fashion scene in India last year. For 2017, it is ‘#NotWhatIWear’ that is encouraging conversations around women’s empowerment, helping them express themselves, whether it is their sartorial choices or others.
