Proud moment! Indian creators Gaurav Taneja, Ritu Rathee Taneja to walk the New York Fashion Week

Heralding a massive coup for the homegrown content creator community, celebrated Indian couturière, Archana Kochhar has roped in leading social media influencers of Indian origin as showstoppers for her fashion outings at New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week. 

Delhi-based husband-wife duo, Gaurav Taneja and Ritu Rathee Taneja of Flying Beast fame, will be joined by Mumbai-based lifestyle influencer Aashna Hedge to walk the runway at New York Fashion Week while Mumbai-based entertainment influencer Nagma Mirajkar will walk the runway at London Fashion Week, setting the stage for increased representation of Indian influencer presenters at global platforms. 

This creative confluence will not just mark not the debut of these Indian social media stars at an international fashion week but will also mark the very first time Indian social media influencers are being integrated on the main runway in the history of New York Fashion Week and London Fashion Week.

Other American social media influencers show stopping at New York Fashion Week include TikTok's favourite ‘it’ girl Mckenzi Brooke and actor-musician teen sensation Gavin Magnus who will be walking for one of the world's youngest self-made multi-millionaires and child reality TV star Isabella Barrett.

Kochhar’s London Fashion Week showcase presented by Clearpay will be conducted in association with the British Fashion Council and Vivz World Fashion Week on the 17th of September 2022 at Hyatt Regency, London - The Churchill while her New York Fashion Week showcase will be hosted in association with The SOCIETY on the 11th of September 2022 at Hall Of Mirrors. 

Kochhar who had roped in film actress Sunny Leone and acid attack survivor Reshma Qureshi for her first-ever New York Fashion Week showing, will be the only fashion designer to be handpicked from India to support the Make In India campaign that was launched by the Hon’ble Prime Minister Of India, Shri Narendra Modi in 2014 at both of these reputed fashion weeks this year.

Gaurav Taneja and Ritu Rathee Taneja of Flying Beast state, “We are extremely excited to be making our international inaugural fashion innings at New York Fashion Week as the first content creator couple from India. It is an honour to be handpicked from the Indian content creator community to represent India on the world stage. It's so heart-warming to see such great reception and this association truly showcases the advent of the content creator community in recent times. We hope our participation in his runway will open up many more avenues for the influencer community of India." 

Nagma Mirajkar states, “This showcase for me is all about celebration of womankind as I’ll be walking the ramp for India’s first female designer selected to champion the Make In India initiative at London Fashion Week. I am grateful for this opportunity where I can celebrate Indian heritage and women empowerment together.”

Aashna Hegde states, “New York Fashion Week is the most iconic event of the fashion world and this feels like a ‘dream come true’ moment for me! I have been an ardent fashion enthusiast and have always wanted to bring to the fore my experimental fashion persona on the global stage. It’s such an honour to represent the Indian fashion community on such a global stage and help leverage the cause of sustainability.” 

Archana Kochhar states, “I’m very excited as this is my fourth showing at New York Fashion Week and my first-ever showing at London Fashion Week. In today’s technology driven era, social media influencers pose as powerful thought leaders in the world of entertainment and fashion. Their equation with the community at large is highly nuanced and hence, just like actors, musicians, and sports stars, they too enjoy a massive fan following as role models. Each of these content creators will promote and propel the cause of vocal for local on a world stage for the very first time.”

Kochhar’s London Fashion Week collection ‘Lé Gehna’ will put a spotlight on emerging bridal trends of the contemporary world. A striking medley between artisanal Indian embroidery and western silhouettes, the collection will be a vibrant showcase of royal hues, avant-garde cuts, and seamless textures.

On the other hand, her New York Fashion Week collection ‘Jharokha’ will highlight the importance of sustainability in fashion. A marriage between traditionally hand loomed fabrics and inimitable western silhouettes, the showcase boasts of a burst of colours and abstract designs. The collection will primarily focus on handmade locally-grown textiles with a low carbon footprint curated by women weavers from the interiors of the state of Madhya Pradesh.