The 71st Miss World which was held at a gala evening in India after 28 years at the Jio Convention Centre saw Archana Kochhar being appointed as the official designer for the event where she dressed up contestants from all the 112 countries with an innovative collection along with jewellery styled by Kolkata’s Senco Gold and Diamonds.
Talking about her experience Archana shares, “I was designing for 112 countries from all over the world. So I kept in mind their ethnicities, complexions and body types. I have taken four different colour palettes. The contestants left it to me and they were very happy to be styled by me. We took care of minor issues at a final sitting with them. I used Ahimsa silk which is silk without killing a single silkworm. This is part of the Make in India campaign. The jewellery for the contestants has been designed and styled by Senco Gold and Diamonds. Their rich craftmanship and global designs definitely put a shine on stage.”
Four collections were showcased inspired from the tribal and regional arts of India like Jamdani, Bandhni, Varanasi Brocade and Kutchi mirror work. The contestants from Asia- Oceania were dressed in floral printed collection. The prints pay tribute to the indigenous flora and fauna of India while integrating geometric symbols from age old Indian Architecture. The contestants from Europe adorned hand woven brocade weaves from Varanasi, handicraft mirror work embroidery from Kutch, and tie-dye technique from Gujarat, and handloom Jamdani fabric from Bengal.
The contestants from Africa dressed in embroidered lehengas and Anarkali sets inspired from Lucknowi Chikankari and kardana beads while the contestants from Americas and Caribbean reflected Bollywood bling complete with Indian jewellery made of ruby, sapphire, and emerald.
Completing the look of the Miss World contestants were the similarly thoughtful jewellery by Senco Gold and Diamonds. Joita Sen, Director and Head of Design & Marketing, for the brand gave further insights about the same. She mentions, “
Archana gave us the brief that she would be doing lehengas, fusion wear, gowns etc. She wanted to showcase the Indian culture as well as the fact that India is equally relevant internationally in terms of fashion. It was an exciting opportunity that she brought to us.” Talking about the pieces that the contestants put on she comments, “We sent around 120 pieces which were a mix of white gold, yellow gold, rose gold, diamonds , polkis, kundas, fusion pieces with pearlto name a few,”
Senco has a legacy of over eight decades and is known to have dressed generations. Joita mentions on being represented at a global platform that, “Heritage and culture is something we are very familiar with. We are now catering to cultures across the country. This is a great opportunity for us to be recognised internationally. Indian jewellery is widely accepted on a global scale and the Indian diaspora is spread across. It’s a great exposure and we hope it will open up international doors for us.”