Reality show brings out the best in young designers

New Delhi, Feb 25(IANS) Ever thought of wearing men's underwear as a t-shirt, a shirt as a dhoti or a pair of pleated jeans as a head gear? The young designers at the preliminary round of reality show 'Let's Design' showcased these and much more.

'The whole idea was to show how a man's garments could easily be converted into a female outfit using some creativity. I wanted to do something different and I am sure that I have succeeded in doing the same,' Archit Singh, a designer who created the unisex outfit in just eight hours, said here Wednesday.

The young designers showcased their wares at the regional round of 'Let's Design', a new design-based reality show organised by the Cotton Council International (CCI) of the US in partnership with the lifestyle channel Zoom.

The show is being organised to discover untapped fashion talent in the country.

The organisers received around 600 applications from all over India out of which they shortlisted 100 candidates to showcase their collections in the regional round that took place in Mumbai, Bangalore, Kolkata and Delhi respectively.

'Out of these 100 candidates, only 16 selected students will come down to the capital to shoot for the reality series,' India representative of CCI Sachit Bhatia told IANS.

'The response has been phenomenal and we are planning to take this initiative ahead in the coming years as well,' he added.

The budding designers took inspirations from themes like global warming, recession, pub culture, and many more and were at their creative best.

A panel of judges, designers Anjana Bhargava and Gaurav Gupta and Bhartiya International vice president Anita Chester were impressed by the young fashion designers.

'Their garments are very innovative and it is a must watch for the designer fraternity. They are so confident and very creative also,' Bhargava said.

During the reality show, four of the 16 participants will be eliminated. The last 12 will showcase their two garments in the grand finale March 7.

The winner will get a cash price and an opportunity to work at WGSN - a fashion forecaster company in Hong Kong.