21 models emerged as winners at the Plus size auditions held by Lakmé  Fashion Week and aLL-The Plus Size Store

Mumbai, 23rd June 2017: India’s premier fashion stage- Lakmé  Fashion Week and the pioneers of Plus Size Fashion in India, aLL-The Plus Size Store, hosted plus sized model auditions at the St. Regis, today. The winners will walk for the second edition of India’s plus size fashion show at the upcoming Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017.

aLL-The Plus Size Store is collaborating with ace designer Wendell Rodricks who is designing aLL –The Plus Size Store’s Autumn Winter 2017 collection which will be showcased at Lakmé Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2017 and will be later available in stores. The collection will be chic and classy, designed to meet the fashion needs of the plus size customer.

The jury comprised Curvy International model and Body Positive Advocate – Liza Golden-Bhojwani, Fashion Designer – Wendell Rodricks, Head of Business, aLL– The Plus Size Store – Rajeev Singh, Fashion and Lifestyle Consultant – Neeraj Gaba and Vice President and Head of Fashion, IMG Reliance – Jaspreet Chandok.

Over 300 participants from across the country came in to audition. 21 winners were chosen to walk the ramp for the show, of which 17 were women and 4 were men.

The panel of experts chose the winners after three competitive rounds.

The winners were given an exclusive mentoring session by Liza Golden-Bhojwani, where she spoke about body positivity, choosing fashion basis body type and her journey from a size 2 model to a plus size model.

Liza Golden-Bhojwani commented, “I am honoured and thrilled to be part of an event like  Lakmé Fashion Week Plus Size Model auditions for aLL – the Plus Size Store that champions body positivity. It was amazing seeing such confident men and women of different sizes showcasing not just their bodies but their personalities too.”

Wendell Rodricks added, “It is always a great experience to be at Lakmé Fashion Week. Judging the plethora of participants today was great fun. The winners chosen were a great mix of different sizes who had varied personalities and walked with absolute poise and confidence. I am delighted to be with aLL – The Plus Size store this season at Lakme Fashion Week. ‘Fashion democracy’ is my strong belief. Fashion should be for everyone; no matter age, colour, size or shape. At the aLL show I intend to break all the myths about colours and shapes for voluptuous figures.”

Hetal Kotak, CEO, aLL, The Plus Size Store said: “We are overwhelmed to see such a heartening response to the auditions.With such a fabulous turnout this year, we expect our second runway show to be bigger and grander than last year. At aLL – The Plus Size Store, we’re always looking at bringing a fresh and trendy collection for our consumers and our association with one of India’s leading designers, Wendell Rodricks exemplifies it.”

Purnima Lamba, Head of Innovation, Lakmé said, “We are proud to celebrate inclusivity and recognize that beauty is boundless and unique. Lakmé as a brand has always believed in complementing women with different styles and personalities, and this is also reflected through our diverse product launches.”

Jaspreet Chandok, Vice President and Head- Fashion, IMG Reliance Pvt. Ltd, said: “I think it’s a fantastic first step towards greater inclusiveness in fashion. We’re elated with the response received today and look forward to seeing the winners walking the ramp with panache and confidence. Creating collaborations between retail stores and designers also enhances the business of fashion by reaching out to a larger consumer base and we are very happy to have enabled it with aLL –The Plus Size Store and Wendell Rodricks.”

Follow #aLLplusLFW17 for further updates

The Winners of the Plus Size Model audtions are:

Kezleen Kohli; Aanchal Tirodkar; Dipti N Bharwani; Preeti Patel; Shilpa Sinha; Sneha Shashikant; Neha Parulkar; Kinjal Shah; Aditi Nikhil Muni; Hetal Vinod Pakhare; Danielle Singh; Akshata D Shenoy; Prerna Adsul; Fizah Khan; Veronica Campbell; Kajol Dongre; Urvi Vyas; Kais Sundrani; Ashish Makani; Rajat Khanna; Prince Khurana