The collections, styled by Aizawl-born stylist James Lalthanzuala, brought together three distinct designers from Mizoram—Hannah Khiangte, Lapâr and Escape Engmoia—each working with the Zo puan, the indigenous textile of Mizoram and its neighbouring regions. Held in Mizoram’s capital city Aizawl, the event was a recalibration of what fashion in Northeast India could look like when creatives step out of the traditional notions of what indigenous textile should be worn and celebrated.
The showcase was conceived and curated by Lal Moya, an event curator based in Washington DC. “As a Mizo creative, I have always believed our designers deserve the same level of staging and presentation that you see anywhere in the world. The talent has always been here. What we needed was the platform and the courage to present it properly,” he said.
Photographed by Rachel Pachuau
Photographed by Rachel Pachuau
For decades, fashion from the Northeast has been expected to carry the duty of representation. Clothes had to signify something: tribe, tradition, identity, solidarity. Fashion, in the sense of experimentation or self-expression, was often treated as secondary. What the Aizawl Design Project demonstrated, instead, was a new class of creatives who no longer feel obligated to do so.
Photographed by Rachel Pachuau
Photographed by Rachel Pachuau
