FIJI Fashion Week is to host yet another international designer - this time from India.
According to a statement, Joy Mitra, from Delhi, is the latest in this year's international line-up on the second night of FJFW, the LICI Established Designers Show. His trip will be sponsored by LICI with support from the Indian High Commission.
LICI acting general manager Sanjeev Kumar Jan said his company was proud to be associated with FJFW and has invested in a long relationship with the events company.
After graduating in fashion design from India National Institute of Fashion Technology in Kolkata in 2000, Mitra worked with designer Ritu Beri for some time, and then with fashion designer and now hugely successful bollywood costume designer, Aki Narula, for two consecutive fashion weeks.
The multi-talented designer took up teaching at NIFT, Delhi in 2005 and also freelanced for designers like Anjana Bhargav while simultaneously designing collections for the renowned multi-designer store Melange.
Mitra has designed for films, starting of as a costume designer and art director for the critically acclaimed Bengali director Rituparno Ghosh's Dosar in 2006. In 2007, Joy did the costumes for another Rituparno Ghosh film Khela.
He is excited to be at the FJFW, saying the decision to come was instant.
"To begin with, getting to showcase one's collection in an international platform is a huge motivation. Then Fiji has a long association with Indian culture and my collection is about Indian taste, culture and aesthetics. So the decision was instant," Joy said.
An artist at heart, Joy said he was looking forward to the inspiration for more creative works, that he said the visit to Fiji could create.