When ACFA design students reinvented six yards of elegance 

By Himanshi Gupta

The saree symbolises our country’s rich culture and heritage. It is not just a style statement but something which marks an Indian identity. Today, saree has evolved into a dynamic outfit that can be worn on every occasion. And that’s absolutely stunning! 

In fact, Oprah Winfrey, Michelle Obama, and several other world-renowned personalities have worn the saree, which was traditionally identified as an attire only for Indian women. 

To give a glimpse of how young students are making this traditional outfit a style statement in modern times, the Design Department of the Apeejay College of Fine Arts (ACFA), Jalandhar held  a saree draping competition themed ‘Reinvent Six Yards of Elegance’. In terms of themes, the idea was to create a unique Boho, Corporate or Red Carpet look.

The competition was organised under the able guidance of Ms. Rajni Gupta, Head of the Department of Fashion Design Department. As many as 25 students from different streams participated in this competition and styled their sarees innovatively and confidently. “Wearing black gives me confidence and my Boho (slang for bohemian) look is inspired by my favourite influencer Kritika Khuraana. I am very confident that the judges will like my look,” declared Vanshika Nayyar.  She had modelled and styled her saree by herself and stood second in the competition.

The judges for the event were Ms. Anjali Dada, who runs an NGO ‘SOCH’ for children with Autism and Ms. Nimisha Kapoor, Head Designer and founder of Pink Parrots. Both the judges were immensely impressed with the young stylists. While announcing the results, they said it was really tough for them to choose the winners and that each participant had reinvented a unique look for six yards of elegance. 

The first prize was bagged by Jyoti, pursuing Bachelor of Design (BD) in Fashion and Textile, for creating the Red Carpet look and was awarded the Free Fashion Styling classes. The second prize was shared by Vanshika Nayyar for the Boho look and Kritika Chawla (BD Fashion and Textile) for the Red Carpet look. Securing the third position were Nitika Paul and Nandani Arora of (BD Fashion and Textile) for the Red Carpet looks. 

In addition to these winners, consolation prizes were given to Jasmine (BD Fashion and Textiles) for the Corporate look and Sudhir (pursuing Bachelor in Design) for the Red Carpet look.

ACFA Principal, Dr. Neerja Dhingra, said the saree is just not a style statement but also represents India’s rich culture and heritage. She appreciated all the participants and congratulated the Department of Design for conducting the event successfully.