Pantaloons Femina Miss India South 2010

The much awaited grand finale of the prestigious beauty pageant Pantaloons Femina Miss India South

has been announced amidst a glittering star-studded ceremony at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre. The panel of judges comprising former Miss World Diana Hayden, actors Jagapathi Babu, Hansika Motwani and Ileana, cricketer Mithali Raj, designer Rehane Yavar Dhala and Head of NIFT , Hyderabad, Malini D selected winner and two runners-up from among 11 stunning beauties who made it to the finale.

Nicole Faria from Bangalore was crowned the winner of the PFMI South 2010. Krithika Babu from Bangalore and Pooja Hegde from Mangalore were crowned the first and second runners-up respectively. The winner enters directly into the top 10 of Pantaloons Femina Miss India 2010

The winners were crowned by Zara Shah, PFMIS '09 second runner-up, Ragini Dwivedi, PFMIS ‘09 first runner-up and Faith Pandey, Pantaloons Femina Miss India South ‘09. All three beauties were dressed in stunning evening gowns by Shravan Kumar.

The gala evening started with the contestants walking the ramp in spectacular creations by Pantaloons.

Rehane presented the second round with her utterly feminine collection Grushenker, Spring /Summer 2010 . Shravan Kumar presented an extraordinary collection for the third round, called the Ingebore Exotica which had a series of traditional Indian sarees, with a flavour of exotic wildness.

Southern stars Vedhika, Meeranandan, Poonam Kaur, Poonam Bajwa, Kamna Jethmalani, Nikita and Bindu Madhavi presented breathtaking performances during the event. Zahid Shaikh Head Marketing, Pantaloons said, “PFMIS is a unique pageant that scouts for beauty and talent in South and Pantaloons with its significant presence across South India is proud to be associated for the last three years with the pageant.”

Source: Times of India News

Aloe Vera Sarees- Handloom Sarees with a Difference!

You might have heard about aloe vera gel for skin care or aloe vera extract for health care but you would have never heard of sarees made of aloe vera! After being used for giving magical glow to  Cleopatra's skin and medical wellness to Alexander ages ago, Aloe Vera has landed right into the wardrobes of Indian women in the form of sarees!

Weavers in Anakaputhur suburb of Tamil Nadu are experimenting with aloe vera fibers to make colorful sarees. Till now, these weavers were making handloom sarees from traditional natural fibers like cotton and silk. However, with the increasing prices of yarn, they started finding other options for making their sarees. First they used banana fibre, and now they have started using fibre from the Aloe Vera plant. “Sarees made from Aloe Vera fibre are in demand. Weavers today are earning well,” as told by Sekar, the President of the Anakaputhur Jute Weavers Association.  What more? These are very cheap saris as compared to the traditional handloom sarees. They can be bought in as low a price as 700 rupees though in Tamil Nadu only. Hopefully, these sarees will soon be available in other parts of India and world too!

Aloe Vera Textile in Other Parts of the World

In the western countries like Germany and Spain, Aloe Vera enriched clothing is in the initial stages of development. It has been claimed that aloe vera in garments prevent aging of the skin; rejuvenate skin cells: and keep skin free from microbial infections. Dermatology tests related to the textile applications of these fibers were conducted by a research university in Germany. Presently, these garments are manufactured in Barcelona, Spain. It is mainly used for manufacturing inner garments, stockings etc. due to the claimed additional functions like absorbing bad smell, and providing anti-bacterial features. Looking at the initial stages of development of garments from aloe vera, the achievement of Tamil Nadu weavers is really commendable as they are making full fledged embellished sarees with Aloe Vera!

Indian Women & Embroidery Touch New Global Heights

Indian Fashion, particularly said, traditional Indian fashion has touched new international heights. Karnataka's kasuti (embroidery), which is used to embellish the Kanjeevaram Sarees and Mysore Silk Sarees, will now be seen on western outfits in the boutiques of Amsterdam and London. Not only India's cherished craft of embroidery has gone global but our women- the rural women of India too have gone global with the help of their art. These western clothing with Indian touch will be designed and tailored by women of Hubli, Karnatake, India.

Maharashtra-based NGO Mann Deshi Foundation (MDF) has joined hands with Holland-based NGO Satara Foundation to popularize the traditional form of embroidery. Not only the foundation conducts training in tailoring and kasuti but it also trains the poor women in making hand-embroidered folders, pouches, saris, jeans, tops and newborn baby suits. Although, the main aim is to empower women, it is taking Indian fashion to the international levels through new roads. This will help the women of low income group in earning a steady income by creating international market for their products.

The Dutch volunteers from the prestigious Amsterdam Fashion Institute are training 15 women on the intricacies of western outfits. These women were earlier trained in tailoring by MDF who plans to set up a production unit in Hubli. The NGO will then export the designer clothing to the Netherlands and London. They will be marketed with the help of NGOs and fashion institutes. Now, this is called fashion with social cause!