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Leading Indian Designers descend on London for Aashni + Co Wedding Show

Some of the most coveted Indian designers and couturiers descended on the Capital for the UK’s leading, annual South Asian high fashion, bridal and beauty extravaganza, Aashni + Co Wedding Show on Sunday 13thJanuary. The event once again transformed one of the world’s most iconic, luxury venue destinations, The Dorchester, Mayfair into a wonderland of bridal and beauty luxe.

Presenting their latest bridal and couture collections, were both established, A-list fashion houses and the most sought after new-gen talents. Showcasing alongside them were the leading names in fine jewellery, accessories and wedding/ occasion services. Participating clothing brands were: Manish Malhotra, Anita Dongre, Rahul Mishra, Gaurav Gupta, Shyamal & Bhumika, Abhinav Mishra, Amit Aggarwal, Anjul Bhandari, Astha Narang, Gaurang, Jayanti Reddy, Punit Balana, Ridhi Mehra and Mrunalini Rao.

Speaking at the event, Bollywood and celebrity designer Manish Malhotra said, “It’s been overwhelming, as always, but this time it’s even more overwhelming. It’s always nice to meet people who are so excited about meeting you, getting to know you and knowing your work. They know of you and they know of your work but seeing it so closely… for me it’s never about the sale, it’s always about meeting the people and connecting with them and knowing what they like and don’t like.”

Anita Dongre said, “It’s just begun and it’s hectic already. There’s been a lot of people, clients of mine who I would normally otherwise not get to see. I think this is wonderful, Aashni puts a great show together with some great talent.”

Gaurav Gupta said, “It’s always so exciting to meet such excited clients from all over the UK and some parts of Europe as well, people who have actually come down to the show. Everyone is coming here with dreams of beautiful outfits for their weddings and it’s such a great experience.”

Jewellery and Accessory brands exhibiting at Aashni + Co Wedding Show 2019 were: Ahujasons, Emmy London, Jaipur Gemsand Khanna Jewellers.Wedding Service exhibitors comprised: Ambreen, Chakra, RWS London, Shaan MU, Emmy London and The Wedding Design Company. The luxe backdrop of The Dorchester was further transformed through floral styling and production design by Zita Elze, an award-winning artist, designer, teacher, creator of the Living Embroidery Bridal collection and design consultant.

Style council was provided during the day through a series of masterclasses with some of the most prominent names in fashion and styling, makeup artistry, wedding planning and the fashion and beauty blogosphere. These comprised a masterclass with designer and couturier, Sabyasachi;a masterclass with industry experts, Bollywood celebrity makeup artist, Shaan Mu, and influencer, Diipa Khosla; a masterclass with Vandana Mohan, The Wedding Design Company – the wedding planners behind the recent celebrity wedding of Bollywood couple, Deepika Padukone and Ranveer Singh; and a panel discussion with fashion influencers Shraddha, FashionForRoyals and Kavita Cola.

India’s most prominent couturier Sabyasachi said, “It’s wonderful! Aashni and me are friends. I couldn’t exhibit today because I had a lot of pre-fixed agendas, so I decided to come back in some capacity and we decided to do a masterclass. It’s lovely to come back to London because you meet so many friends and fans, it’s almost like an annual reunion and I wish Aashni all the best.”

Bollywood celebrity makeup artist Shaan MU said, “It’s my second year at Aashni + Co Wedding Show and I am so excited to be here. I’ve got my masterclass with Diipa Khosla and I’ve already started giving people my magic foundation, so it’s going crazy.”

Influencer Diipa Khosla said, “It has been absolutely amazing, beyond what I expected to be honest, because I had never been to one of the shows before, this is my first one. The amount of people here, the designers, everything looks magical so thank you for having me.”

2018 being the year of the Bollywood celebrity wedding, with A-list actresses Sonam Kapoor, Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra tying the knot in true Bollywood grandeur and style, inspired brides-to-be had the opportunity of shopping the collections and bridal trousseau’s of some of the leading fashion designers for the Bollywood fraternity at the show.

Event organiser Aashni Shah Doshi said, “Every year we try to up the ante and this time being the 5thyear running was reason enough! I think this has been one of our best ever show. The installation put up by Zita Elze is so stunning, so simple and so beautiful. It’s been amazing to have our old exhibitors back and a few of the new ones introduced. The addition of masterclass was particularly exciting to put together. it’s a total package for the brides and visitors in attendance.”

Photo credit: Dash Photography & Amrita Tanna