Calcutta girl wins prize with soft, lively Liva

The Telegraph

The latest Liva Protégé Talent Hunt competition, held recently in Mumbai, threw up a winner from Calcutta. Divyani Mishra, a fashion student from the city, will be able to launch her collection exclusively on The Designer Boutique at Amazon.in.

The event was structured with one fabric, Liva, from Grasim Industries Ltd., a subsidiary of the Aditya Birla Group. It is made from viscose staple fibre, a man-made, biodegradable fibre that is similar to cotton. Unlike other fabrics that are boxy or synthetic, Liva, claim its manufacturers, is a soft, fluid fabric which falls and drapes well. It is 100% natural and eco-friendly.

Dibyani Mishra, a final year student of fashion designing from Global Institute of Fashion Technology, Calcutta, excited with her victory, said that her collection was basically an amalgamation of different art forms into a single art form. Liva, she said, brought fluidity and comfort to her designs.

Over 190 institutes participated in the event. Designers Nida Mahmood (Delhi), Pallavi Singhee (Calcutta), Anand Kabra (Hyderabad), Anshu Arora Sen (Bengaluru), Priyadarshini Rao (Mumbai) and Purvi Doshi (Ahmedabad) mentored the finalists.

Singhee mentored Divyani. “The mentoring sessions were very helpful and my mentor Pallavi Ma’am not only helped me to enhance my designs but also helped me with my silhouettes,” Divyani said.

“Liva Protégé is an excellent initiative which showcases young fashion designers to be mentored by renowned designers and gives them an opportunity to be industry ready,” said Dilip Gaur, business director, Pulp and Fiber Business, Aditya Birla Group and managing director, Grasim Industries.

Commenting on the tie-up with Liva Protégé, Arun Sirdeshmukh, business head, Amazon Fashion, said, “We remain strongly invested in creating the right infrastructure to help c;reate, position and highlight designers/brands to Indian customers. As part of The Designer Boutique at Amazon.in, we want to identify young designers and give them an opportunity to reach millions of our customers, and in turn help us democratise designer wear and make the segment more affordable in India.”