RUBINA’S RADAR | JIO WORLD PLAZA OPENS IN MUMBAI

November 3, 2023November 23, 2023Leave a comment

NOVEMBER 1, 2023

Ahead of its opening on November 1st, 2023, Isha Ambani, Executive Director, Reliance Retail Ventures Limited, alongside her parents, Mukesh and Nita Ambani, hosted an extravagantly appointed preview of the Jio World Plaza at the Bandra Kurla Complex in Mumbai on October 31st. The Jio World Plaza’s nothing like India has ever seen, and it stands to change the landscape of luxury in India in a manner most indulgent, aspirational and consumeristic. Cartier, Dior, Rolex, Giorgio Armani, Saint Laurent, Gucci, Balenciaga, Valentino, Bottega Veneta, Burberry, Muji and Samsung are just some of the 66 luxury brands housed in the glimmering plaza, vying for your attention and your bucks, but of course. Tiffany & Co, Rimowa, Saint Laurent, Valentino, Versace, Bulgari and Pottery Barn marked their presence at the plaza, and in India, with their very first stores in the country. For culinary indulgences, coffee and sweet conversations, there’s the Parisian Laduree and the Italian Armani Cafe. Looking at the expanse of the space spread over four levels and the signages of brands, you can’t not think, jio luxury jio! Prior to the opening of JWP, luxury brands were compelled to open stores in hotels due to a dearth of quality retail space in the country. But thankfully, the plaza has called in the death of the archaic, hotel-housed luxury store model in India. The raison d’etre for the Jio World Plaza was best expressed by Nita Ambani, at the opening affair, “We want to bring the world to India and take India to the world.”

Jio World Plaza, Mumbai | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

The Cartier store, inaugurated by brand ambassador, Deepika Padukone, has the headlining space of 2500 square feet right at the entrance of the plaza. The rents at JWP are commensurate to the luxuries on offer, and the square footage of space, but naturally. Christian Dior’s Indian arm, Christian Dior Trading India has leased a space of 3317 square feet in the plaza from Reliance Industries for upwards of INR 21 Lakh a month, the rental of which is based on the minimum monthly guaranteed sum or net revenue share, contributions ranging from 4% to 12%, whichever is higher, as reported by Reuters. India’s 1.4 billion population is the largest in the world and real estate consultants, Knight Frank, estimate India will have 1.4 million millionaires by 2026, 77% more than in 2021, as the economy continues to grow. India’s per capita income as of 2023 is INR 1,92,000 ($2,300) and the country has more than 800,000 millionaires. These millionaires, who make up only 0.06% of India’s total population of 1.4 billion, are ready to flash and splash their cash on all things expensive, but not necessarily luxurious. After all, an expensive price tag is a hashtag to immediate Instagram fame and validation for some, and a discreet buy for connoisseurs of luxury.

Shloka and Akash Ambani, Mukesh Ambani and Radhika Merchant, ©Ranveer Singh, ©Isha Ambani and ©Nita Ambani | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

This is the third Reliance extravaganza of 2023 celebrating the international worlds of art, fashion, sports and culture in India. The Nita Mukesh Ambani Cultural Centre (NMACC) multi-day opening gala on April 1st, the 141st International Olympic Committee (IOC) session with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in attendance at the Jio World Centre on October 14th and the Jio World Plaza opening on October 31st has had Indians entranced with the sheer scale of the build, both physical and fiscal, and the glamour power attached to them. The entire Jio complex, including the Jio World Garden, Jio World Drive and the Jio World Convention Centre, took about 13 years to build.

©Karisma Kapoor Jio World Plaza, Manish Malhotra and Rubina A Khan, Nora Fatehi, ©Alia Bhatt and Janhvi Kapoor | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

The JWP opening saw a theatrical fashion show, The New Order of Style, choreographed by Aparna and Anisha Bahl, showcasing eight designers, with 21 showstoppers, 40 performers and 120 models on the second level of the plaza, with an opening address by Isha Ambani, the hostess of the night. Manish Malhotra’s Bombay Bordeaux collection was fire and desire in bold colours and styles, with Karisma Kapoor working a red haute sari suit on her lithe frame, and Janhvi Kapoor, Nora Fatehi and Karan Johar walking the show for him. Abraham & Thakore’s collection was an artistic smorgasbord of delicious monochromatic blacks and whites. The original model mould and butt bold, John Abraham, walked for Satya Paul by Rajesh Pratap Singh. Miss Supranational Asia 2022, Ritika Khatnani walked for Ritu Kumar’s beautiful collection, as did Sara Ali Khan for Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, and many more beautiful ladies and gents walking for the designers. But can there be a fashion spectacle in Bombay without Ranveer Singh? Evidently not, and his runway appearance elicited roaring cheers from the guests as he walked in a bejewelled black dhoti and blazer at the end of the showing. Singh then went on to turn compere for the evening, bringing in Nita Ambani’s 60th birthday (November 1st) with effusive praise for her beauty, elegance and visionary work. She wore a gold Kanjivaram saree to the opening, made by master artisan, Somadas. Known as a Kanchi Pattu and woven in the korvai style in pure silk zari, from her yet-to-launch Swadesh initiative by the Reliance Foundation, the sari was an ode to India’s master craftsmen. Seated by Kokilaben Ambani, Mukesh and Nita Ambani, Akash and Shloka Ambani, Isha Ambani and Anand Piramal, Anant Ambani and Radhika Merchant, were Katrina Kaif, Alia Bhatt, Kareena Kapoor, Pinky and Sanjay Reddy, and many more guests. Everyone looked fabulous and happy with the fashion theatre, culinary delights, late night shopping, open bars and the high ceilings.

Laila Lamba, Malaika Arora, Poonam Bhagat and Shalini Hinduja | Photographed by Rubina A Khan

FIVE THINGS I LOVED AT THE JIO WORLD PLAZA OPENING:

The red carpet photo ops are held inside air-conditioned confines, with no one breaking into a sweat literally, with melting makeup, guests and photographers alike.
Isha Ambani in Dior (she changed a few times through the evening – she does own the plaza after all!) Alia Bhatt in Gaurav Gupta and Malaika Arora in Alaia were the black beauties of the night.
The basil and cinnamon ice cream and the Laduree macarons.
Ranveer Singh’s sincere compering skills in a colloquial style that held the attention of the attendees.
The plaza itself and that the evening was orchestrated flawlessly and impeccably with the most genteel and polite staff. I mean, even the security dogs barked politely!

Let the Reliance Return on Investments (RROI’s) begin as Reliance is here to play as you pay!

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author. The © ahead of a name is the copyright of the subject in the photograph and not shot by Rubina A Khan.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

RUBINA’S RADAR | BILLIONS ARE FASHIONABLE

October 26, 2023November 5, 20233 Comments

OCTOBER 27, 2023

It is you and your skin, that makes fashion visible and desirable, with or without clothes caressing your person. And who knows skin better than Kim Kardashian who turned billionaire with Skims, and billions are fashionable! The success of Skims for women made her launch Skims Men on October 26th with a fabulous campaign featuring pro athletes to add a few more billions to her skin game. Her billionaire sister, Kylie Jenner, posted an affordable Hi with Khy, her new clothing line that will retail vegan leather coats priced at $198 November 1st onwards. Meanwhile, Indian fashion will be celebrated with regal ease, in the palaces of Jaipur this November, with the sound of clinking glasses of Glenlivet and Royal Salute adding to the allure of the night.

LOS ANGELES: Skims changed the shapewear game for women around the world, making its founder, Kim Kardashian a billionaire. As of July 2023, the valuation of Skims, headquartered in Los Angeles, California, stands at $4 billion. And Kardashian wants more, stretching her seamless sights and tights on men. Skims Men dropped on October 26, with a campaign featuring pro male athletes – Brazilian soccer player Neymar Jr. (Al Hilal SFC), American footballer Nick Bosa (San Francisco 48ers) and Canadian basketball player, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander (Oklahoma City Thunder). There are three collection for men, “designed for your best performance” as it claims, in cotton, stretch and sport, that includes underwear, tees and tanks and socks in her trademark soft and comfortable fabrics. Prior to her Skims era, Kardashian could never find shapewear to match her skin tone, making her dye the limited ones available with tea bags and coffee in her bathtub before her red carpet appearances. This vacuum in the market prompted Kardashian to create Skims with business couple, Jens and Emma Grede in 2019 with underwear, shapewear and lounge clothing for women in multiple hues to match every skin tone around the world. And, Skims for women has been a fitting, body hugging success since, as will be Skims for men, in all likelihood.

©Neymar Jr and Nick Bosa for Skims Men

JAIPUR: Jaipur, a UNESCO world heritage site since July 2019, really seems to be in step with fashion this holiday season. The city is hosting not one, but two fashion shows on the first weekend of November and on the same date, in its historical and walled confines. There’s the Rewild fashion fundraiser show by the House of Anita Dongre, founded in 1995 by Anita Dongre and her siblings, Meena Sehra and Mukesh Sawlani, taking place on Saturday, November 4th at the City Palace. It is jointly hosted by designer Anita Dongre and Princess Diya Kumari of Jaipur and her daughter, Gauravi Kumari, with a brunch the following day. In line with Dongre’s belief that “the opportunity to lead a dignified life should be accessible to all, from people to animals,” the Anita Dongre Foundation has collaborated with the Nature Conservation Foundation in Mysore to raise funds to preserve and protect the Earth’s wildlife, their focus being elephant welfare and conservation in India. And, a mere six kilometres away, a capsule fashion show at the Rambagh Palace will see designer Rajesh Pratap Singh, exhibiting his collection on its grounds the same evening, along with other designers. Interestingly, Dongre’s show is being held at the City Palace, and the Rambagh Palace show on its grounds, both palaces belonging to the divided royals of Jaipur. It’s Pernod Ricard for the win in Jaipur this season, celebrating fashion with their scotch whiskies – Glenlivet at Dongre’s fundraiser and the befitting Royal Salute at the Rambagh show. Royal Salute has been a part of royal history for over 70 years, given it was created on June 2nd, 1953 to honour the coronation of the late Queen Elizabeth II of England, and named after the ceremonial 21-gun salute fired from the Tower of London to mark royal occasions. Royal Salute has been a part of Pernod Ricard since 2001.

Anita Dongre (Photo by Rubina A. Khan/Getty Images)

MUMBAI / BALI: He’s Indian, he’s Goan, and he’s been a Bombay guy for a while now, but come November, he’s all set to become a Balinese guy. Chef Dane Fernandes, Executive Chef of the JW Sahar Mumbai is moving to the Westin Nusa Dua Bali, Indonesia in November, both hotels under Marriott International, the world’s largest hotel chain. Marriott International generated approximately $20.77 billion in revenue in 2022 worldwide. Fernandes is all about food, especially hyper regional fare, that he learnt to cook from his grandmother in Goa. Anyone who works with him learns the art of innovation and patience, no easy feat in a hot and busy kitchen. Once the youngest Executive Chef for Marriott Asia Pacific at 29, he abhors boredom as much as he adores a late night workout. Fernandes plays ball, runs marathons and works out as much as he works in his kitchens creating delicious foods, leading a team of over 200 people.

Chef Dane Fernandes, photographed by Rubina A Khan

“I am leaving for the Westin Nusa Dua on November 9th, and I am hopeful and excited. I’ve always loved embracing cultures and I feel that moving to Bali will be a spiritual awakening of sorts for me, where I will be able to connect with my inner self. I am really looking forward to cooking with the fresh produce in Bali and the quality and range of ingredients that are available in the country. I hope to create new dishes and flavours, mixing Indian and Balinese culinary styles. But what I am looking forward to most is eating authentic Indonesian food,” says Fernandes, who might just take up running through paddy fields by dusk as his daily workout fix over enclosed gyms in Bali.

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 In Mumbai

May 9, 2023June 25, 2023Leave a comment

Mumbai is where the fame and glamour games are at, but since March 2023, an almost impossible party métier seems to have been set in basalt by the city, upon itself. The bar was raised irrevocably by the magnitude and magnificence of French fashion house, Christian Dior’s pre fall 2023 runway show held at the Gateway of India on March 30, so much so that no one remembers or wants to remember ABCD – A Before Christian Dior era! Mumbai shows no signs of tailing off the money shots any time soon, with Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 shaking up the city’s May calendar with its beguiling arrival.

*MUMBAI, INDIA – MAY 06: A general view of the music stage at the Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 Event on May 06, 2023 in Mumbai, India. (Photo by Rubina A. Khan/Getty Images)*

The fourth edition of Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023, called the Kaleidoscope of Time, was held on Saturday, May 6th in Mumbai at Snowball Studios in Worli. Time as a construct cannot be contained, but it can certainly be felt, such was the ubiquitous theme of the haute summer night. Oscillating between the then and now, the alluring blue-hued night reiterated the universal infinitude that today’s new is tomorrow’s vintage through fashion, art, music and food in a manner most luxurious.

Five virtuosos played host in previous years at Chivas Alchemy, expressing themselves through the five senses of Sight, Sound, Smell, Taste, and Touch, but this edition had eighteen this time around, dix huit being the magic number of the award-winning Chivas 18 whisky blend.

The night was separated by rooms, each echoing the spirit of the artistry exhibited in it. Eleven design minds, ranging from established Indian designers to emerging ones, showcased their fashion genres through live installations in the main room, ably complemented by the art on the walls, a very busy bar and of course beautiful people like Malaika Arora, Arjun Kapoor, Rahul Khanna, Pulkith Modi, Kunal Kapoor, Narendra Kumar, Rajesh Pratap Singh and so many more at the party. There were almost a thousand people in attendance! The second area had an art installation with a bar right by it and a mezzanine bar above. The third room was where the party was really at with an edible centrepiece and culinary experiences par excellence by Ekaa Mumbai, Koko and Eat Drink Design. Chef Niyati Rao of Ekaa Mumbai is a culinary genius! The live musical act by Delhi businessman Ajay Bijli, and his band, Random Order, had everyone singing and dancing to his dulcet sounds – he’s got some pipes – and DJ Masha from Belarus turned up contemporary beats on her turntable, with yet another open bar led by mixologist, Giovanni Depergola from Dubai. Four open bars raising the party bar in Mumbai!

The interpretation of the night was yours, and yours alone, whether you loved the vintage, heritage vibe or the modern, hedonistic one. Everything in Mumbai is now evaluated in an AD (After Dior) parameter and that’s a tall order in itself, and I think that Chivas Glassware Alchemy 2023 was a wicked success making it one of the top three events in the city so far – it was mounted and orchestrated on a lush scale, with an attendance as bold and seductive as its whisky blends!

Disclaimer: Any part of the content on the rubinaakhan.com website cannot be reproduced without prior permission and crediting the website and the author.

©Rubina A Khan 2023

FDCI’S India Men’s Weekend 2023 Commenced With A Runway On The River Mandovi In Goa

January 16, 2023May 23, 20233 Comments

The first edition of the India Men’s Weekend 2023 curated by the Fashion Design Council of India was held on January 14th in Goa at a location most unwonted, yet astoundingly beautiful – the state’s former largest prison, Aguada Central Jail. The India Men’s Weekend showcased the works of eleven Indian designers with six ensembles each – Rajesh Pratap Singh, Abraham and Thakore, Varun Bahl, Abhishek Gupta, Arjun Khanna, Ashish N Soni, J J Valaya, Manoviraj Khosla, Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna and Shantnu and Nikhil and Rohit Bal’s Alexander jeans for men.

The jetty of the Aguad Port and Jail Complex in Sinquerim turned into a runway on the river Mandovi’s calm, turquoise waters, with a ball of fire setting the blue skies ablaze with its molten glory, making the India Men’s Weekend show the first of its kind to held in a jail in India. Talk about a crime of fashion that no one could be imprisoned for! Some of the clothes on the runway maybe, and their respective designers!

The Aguada Jail made for a fashionably bewitching scene for the show, and was supported by the Aguad Port and Jail Complex in Sinquerim. The Aguada Central Jail, the largest prison in Goa till 2015, is a part of the famed and impregnable Fort Aguada built by the Portuguese from 1609 CE to 1612 CE. The 17th-century Portuguese structure has been renovated and repurposed since by the Goa Tourism Development Corporation at a cost of approximately Rs 22 crore and is open to the public. It is now a heritage site, that pays homage to the freedom fighters of India, and houses a museum and viewing galleries since the redevelopment. Interestingly, água means water in Portuguese.

The India Men’s Weekend will be an annual event on the FDCI calendar in Goa, and possibly other cities in India December 2023 onwards.

RUBINA’S RADAR – THE UNEDITED LIVE INTERVIEW SERIES

March 30, 2021October 3, 20234 Comments

Hi everyone! On January 20th, 2021, I started a new series of live conversations called RUBINA’S RADAR – UNEDITED – on Instagram and Youtube with couturier Rohit Bal, a legend on India’s fashion landscape. It’s been two months since, and twelve interviews thus far, with some of the most legendary international icons and visionaries from the worlds of fashion, film, sports, luxury travel, business and then some…

There’s more coming up, so tune in every week by following me on Instagram: @rubinaakhan.inc and subscribing to my YouTube channel: World Of Rubina Khan

Thank you! Stay safe!

Love, Rubina

RUBINA’S RADAR | FASHION DESIGN COUNCIL OF INDIA’S QUATERNITY FINALE AT LMIFW SS 2020

October 13, 2019July 2, 20223 Comments

The Spring Summer 2020 edition of India Fashion Week, presented by the Fashion Design Council of India, culminated with a grand finale on the 12th of October, 2019 at the Dhyan Chand National Stadium in New Delhi. Rajesh Pratap Singh, Manish Arora, Schulen Fernandes for Wendell Rodricks and Anamika Khanna made up the finale quaternity that was as disparate a show as it was a rousing one.

All four designers showcased lines that were quintessentially reflective of their unequivocal fashion nucleus. Actor Kangana Ranaut broke Rodricks’ tribal whites and blues, Khanna’s embroidered conglomerations, Singh’s effervescent fluoro pops and Arora’s pink-dominant psychedelic synchronisation, in a black and white number, with leather accessories. Ranaut’s runway strut in the crisp ensemble lent the very coveted Bollywood sheen to the inherent shimmer of the polki diamonds around her neck.

Getting them to close an inclusive week (four days actually!) of fashion together, was spearheaded by Sunil Sethi, President of the FDCI. “I feel it worked out well. It is difficult to please everyone but LMIFW SS 20 was definitely a success. I am very happy,” said an obviously elated Sethi from Bhutan, where he’s keeping royal company with the ruling family of the mountain kingdom.

NEW DELHI, INDIA – OCTOBER 12: Schulen Fernandes, Anamika Khanna, Wendell Rodricks, Kangana Ranaut, Sunil Sethi, Nitin Passi, Manish Arora, Rajesh Pratap Singh and Dipin Passi at the Lotus Make-Up India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2020 Finale presented by the FDCI on October 12, 2019 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Rubina A. Khan/Getty Images)

NEW DELHI, INDIA – OCTOBER 12: Kangana Ranaut at the Lotus Make-Up India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2020 Finale presented by the FDCI on October 12, 2019 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Rubina A. Khan/Getty Images)

Inclusivity, with the hashtag MyFashionMyTribe sent out an assured energy to everyone that fashion is really about you exercising your power to express yourself just the way you are, and want to, without any fear or inhibitions. Every kind of person was celebrated by the designers on the runway in their collections – acid burn victims, curves, transgender… and that is really what the world is rightfully leaning in towards, steadily.

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Here is the FDCI presented Lotus MakeUp India Fashion Week Spring Summer 2020 finale in pictures:

SCHULEN FERNANDES FOR WENDELL RODRICKS

NEW DELHI, INDIA – OCTOBER 12: Schulen Fernandes for Wendell Rodricks’ Zentangle collection at Lotus Make-Up India Fashion Week’s Spring Summer 2020 Finale presented by the FDCI on October 12, 2019 in New Delhi, India. (Photo by Rubina A. Khan/Getty Images)