Brands
fbb: WB, Sikkim & AP girls win at Colors Femina Miss India
MUMBAI: India’s most exciting, glamorous and credible beauty pageant Colors Femina Miss India 2017 is underway and continues its talent hunt in at fbb / Big Bazaar at Salt Lake City, Kolkata.
Miss India is the most sought after glamorous beauty pageant in the country that turns dreams into reality. fbb, Fashion hub of India has been the face of affordable fashion destinations in India since 2008. ‘Colors’ is Viacom18’s flagship brand in the entertainment space in India. Jio, the Digital Content partner, enabled it to reach many more fans across India!
The auditions received an overwhelming response witnessing more than 80 contestants participating from all parts of the state. The encouraging response assured a wide coverage of the state, in terms of ‘talent scouting’. These auditions at the fbb / Big Bazaar stores were cheered and supported by fbb customers and the public.
The judge for the auditions included — Priyadarshini Chatterjee – She is an Indian model who was crowned fbb Femina Miss India World in 2016. She is the first to represent India at Miss World 2016 from a North East state. She was born in Dhubri in a Bengali family and was brought up in Guwahati city in the state of Assam. She believes that we all are born with a purpose and as we grow up, we find out what that purpose is. Luckily for her, she discovered early on, that she wants to do something for the community in her hometown Guwahati. She is currently endorsing a number of brands and is face of a number of renowned designers including Sabyasachi Mukherjee.
With a new and improvised format this year, Miss India in its 54th edition will be touring to all 30 states of the nation and to crown 30 state representatives who will then compete for the coveted Miss India crown. The top 3 of West Bengal and Sikkim and the top girl from Arunachal Pradesh have been given a golden ticket to the East zonal crowning ceremony to be held at Swissotel, Kolkata, on 28 March. Here the most deserving candidate from each of the 13 states i.e. Miss India Arunachal Pradesh, Miss India Assam, Miss India Bihar, Miss India Chhattisgarh, Miss India Jharkhand, Miss India Manipur, Miss India Meghalaya, Miss India Mizoram, Miss India Nagaland, Miss India Odisha, Miss India Sikkim, Miss India Tripura and Miss India West Bengal will represent their state at the grand finale which is going to be held in Mumbai in June.
For the very first time, the pageant will host mentors for each zone who will guide the contestants to merit. To take charge of the proceeding for the East Zone we have none other Dipannita Sharma. She enthusiastically quoted, “The girls who are chosen are beautiful and talented. I feel their inherent simplicity is their strength. I expect this strength to come forth and help them forge their path in the pageant”.
The details of the top three winners of West Bengal include:-
• Shivankita Dixit
• Ankita Kumari
• Ruchira Mookherjee
The details of the top three winners of Sikkim include:-
• Roshni Ghimirey
• Prerna Pradhan
• Amela Norku
The details of the top winner of Arunachal Pradesh include:-
• Licha Thosum
The auditions were concluded with the felicitation of the top three contestants, where the fbb / Big Bazaar Store Manager Sankar Banerjee presented a bouquet to each of the winning contestants. India’s leading fashion hub – fbb – has once again partnered this year to be the title sponsor of this beauty pageant. fbb is a premier platform for fashion brands in urban India, and so this association is perfectly in sync with the brand’s objective to make India more fashionable.
Brands
Malaika Arora launches accessories brand Maejoy
The Bollywood star’s lifestyle brand, built with Myntra and Exceed Entertainment, promises aspirational fashion without the high price tag
MUMBAI: Malaika Arora is not the first Bollywood star to put her name on a brand, and she will not be the last. But Maejoy, the accessories label she has launched in partnership with Myntra Jabong India Private Limited (MJIPL) and talent outfit Exceed Entertainment, at least has a sharper pitch than most. The brand drops with 250-plus styles spanning handbags and lab-grown diamond jewellery, two categories that sit squarely in the sweet spot between aspiration and affordability, and lands on Myntra’s platform from day one, putting it in front of millions of shoppers without breaking a sweat.
The handbag range covers the full gamut: crossbody bags, structured shoulder bags, bucket bags, totes, workwear classics, backpacks and clutches, rendered in synthetic leather, raffia, braids, satin, rhinestone and metallic finishes. The jewellery line runs to rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets and tennis bracelets in silver, gold and rose-gold tones, set in 925 sterling silver with IGI and GCI certified lab-grown diamonds. The brand’s guiding philosophy, “The Joy of Being Me,” stakes its claim on individuality and self-expression; its three brand pillars, Authentic, Empowering, Accessible, are the usual suspects, though the lab-grown diamond bet is savvier than it sounds. Lab-grown stones now sell at a fraction of the price of mined ones, and the category is growing fast in India as younger buyers wise up to the arbitrage.
“Maejoy is a labour of love. Throughout my career, whether on screen, in business, or through my personal style, I’ve championed the idea that fashion should be empowering yet effortless. The brand aims to democratise global fashion trends while offering women something that extends the feeling of luxury every day, be it a lab-grown diamond or a perfectly crafted handbag,” said Malaika Arora, founder of Maejoy
MJIPL, the B2B wholesale arm of Myntra, is putting its design and brand-building muscle behind the venture. Suman Saha, chief experience officer and head of house of brands at MJIPL, was bullish on the tie-up.
“Maejoy brings together Malaika Arora’s distinctive style perspective with a strong proposition in the accessible yet elevated accessories space. We believe the brand’s fashion-forward designs and thoughtful positioning will connect strongly with discerning consumers.”
Suman Saha, chief experience officer, head of house of brands, MJIPL
Afsar Zaidi, chief executive of Exceed Entertainment, the talent management firm that helped broker the deal, has worked with MJIPL before and was characteristically direct about what makes Arora an unusually bankable partner.
“Building celebrity-led brands requires a delicate balance of authenticity and market viability. Malaika is a rare talent who commands equal respect as a fashion icon and a savvy businesswoman. We are proud to facilitate this partnership that brings together her creative clout and Myntra’s brand-building excellence,” said Zaidi
Celebrity fashion brands live or die on one question: does the star actually wear it, or is the cheque the only thing they signed? Arora, who has spent three decades as one of Bollywood’s most-watched style references, has at least built a plausible case. Maejoy is live now on www.myntra.com and the Myntra app. The real test, whether shoppers buy the handbag or just the hype, starts today.
