Blenders Pride Fashion Tour unveils the second edition of The Showcase in collaboration with FDCI

New Delhi : Blenders Pride Fashion Tour, a definitive voice in the fashion and design world unveils the second edition of The Showcase in collaboration with Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), with the objective of nurturing talent and opening up a world of avenues.The Showcase has been conceived to become one of India’s leading platform to discover talent across four categoriesfashion designers, shutterbugs, models and content creators.Charting a unique course, The Showcase will catapult the journey of the aspirants, giving them a platform to exhibit their creative expression with Pride. Redefining their career path,the winning talent stand a chance to showcase their work in the next edition of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour.

The Showcase will witness the coming together of thebiggest names in the fashion fraternity as jury members, mentors, keynotespeakers and active fashion promoters. The powerful jury will compriseof stalwartssuch asChairman of FDCI, Sunil Sethi, actor and styleicon, Neha Sharma, design extraordinaire, Gaurav Gupta, leading content creator, Masoom Minawala, celebrity stylist,Shaleena Nathaniand lastly the man with a lens, Bollywood’s leading shutterbug Rahul Jhangiani.Trailblazers of the fashion industry namelyAmit Aggarwal, Anju Modi, JJ Valaya, Namrata Joshipura, Rahul Mishra, Shantanu & Nikhil, Suneet Varma, Abraham & Thakore, Rina Dhaka and Kunal Rawal, will mentor the competing teams during the course of the competition.

Speaking on the announcement, Kartik Mohindra, Chief Marketing Officer, Pernod Ricard India, said, “It is with great pleasure that we announce the launch of the second edition of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour ‘The Showcase’ incollaborationwith FDCI, to co-create an inclusive fashionplatform where wewill nurture future talent. We aim to invite,celebrate and provide a platform to the aspiring talent across the fashion ecosystem. The journey of ‘instilling pride’ will continue to be at the helm of brand’s vision and The Showcase will only reinforce by bringing alive distinctive expressions of ‘Pride’.

Progressing through four phases spread out over nearly two months, The Showcase will intricately weave diverse narratives of Pride such as ‘My Identity My Pride’, ‘My Passion. My Pride’ and ‘My Planet. My Pride’ to unravel a holistic experience. The shortlisted contestants from the nation-wide talent hunt will be divided into teams of four, each from the categories of designers, shutterbugs, models and content creators and given a challenge under the theme of My Planet. My Pride. With the philosophy of Reuse, Repurpose and Recycle at the helm of the platform, the aspirants will be required to repurpose garments sourced from over 60 leading fashion brands & individual labels such as Rohit Bal, Péro,Ashish N Soni, Bodice, Neeta Lulla, Varun Bahl, Gauri & Nainika,Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna, Huemn, Doodlage, Pankaj &Nidhi, among others to encourage the culture of consuming better as a part of ‘My Planet. My Pride’.

The Showcase will also witness multiple interactive sessions addressed by enigmatic personalities such as Sushant Divgikar, India’s mainstream Drag icon and the voice of inclusivity and diversity, veteran model, Lakshmi Rana, a guidepost for aspiring designers, Ashish Soni and finally globally acclaimed photographer, Tarun Khiwal, weaving in the narrative of ‘My Identity. My Pride’ through their journey.

Chairman, FDCI, Sunil Sethi, said, “We are proud to associate with Blenders Pride Fashion Tour for its second edition of The Showcase, and further add to the magnanimity of the property. Credible names in the fashion space, FDCI and Blenders Pride Fashion Tour share a common belief that together we can build an inclusive platform that will give a voice to upcoming talent from the length and breadth of the country.”

Curator, Ashish Soni, said, “India has immense talent and with the combined synergies of the Blenders Pride Fashion Tour ‘The Showcase’ and FDCI, we will be able to curate a platform that will nurture talent across diverse creative fields. This will be a definitive step towards building a more inclusive fashion ecosystem and giving voice to aspiring talent across the nation.”

Actor and Model, Neha Sharma, said, “Having a background in bothacting and modelling,I am very excited to be the jury member of Blenders Pride Fashion Tour The Showcase, which aims to take a progressive step in the fashion arena. The Showcase is truly a-once-in a lifetime opportunity for the aspiring talent and I strongly encourage greater participation.”

Designer, Gaurav Gupta, said, “I have had a long-standing association with Blenders Pride Fashion Tour, and The Showcase is an importantstep forward to nurture the fashion talent of the future. Thrilled to come on board as the Jury member and doing my part in encouraging upcoming talent in the fashion & lifestyle space.”

Celebrity Stylist,Shaleena Nathani, said, “I have always been passionate about dressing up people and I was lucky enough to get the right opportunities to follow my passion. I believe that a platform like Blenders Pride Fashion Tour The Showcase will be a game changer for the industry and will nurture the new and upcoming talent.”

Fashion and Lifestyle Influencer, Masoom Minawala,said, “For the longest, fashion and lifestyle influencers were not considered as an intrinsic part of the fashion ecosystem and not recognised for their creativity and talent. With a dynamic platform like Blenders Pride Fashion Tour The Showcase bringing the influencers& content creators to the forefront, the credibility for the profession will increase manifold and encourage hidden gems across the country to hone their skills.”

Celebrity Photographer, Rahul Jhangiani,said, “Capturing diverse narratives of pride through a unique lens has defined my life. I am delighted to be associated with a platform likeBlenders Pride Fashion Tour The Showcase that recognises the creativity of artists across diverse genres.”

Keynote Speaker, Sushant Divgikar, said, “My life has been defined by following my passion and embracing every facet that makes me who I am. With an inclusive platform like the Blenders Pride Fashion Tour ‘The Showcase’, the talent across the nation will get a chance to embrace their individuality and showcase their craft.”