Mumbai, Aug 22 (IANS): The Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2019 Day 1 was shared by newbies as well as veterans of the Indian fashion industry. While several young designers made their debut with this edition of LFW, others celebrated their years-long journey.

Six upcoming designers -- Sahib Bhatia, Gaurav Singh, Ankita Srivastava, Akanksha Aggarwal, Manjushree Saikia and Stanzin Palmo -- from different parts of the country showcased their contemporary collections, inspired by regional traditional wears, on the LFW ramp with the Gen Next show.

New designers -- Him Kumari Gurung and Amandeep Singh Dhesi from Chandigarh, Deepali Jain from Hyderabad, Sangeeta Aidasani from Jodhpur, Chitra Singh from Kanpur and Rushikesh Bhivsane from Nasik -- also marked their entry into the fashion world with the show 'Launchpad' by the Inter National Institute of Fashion Design (INIFD).

On the other hand, designer Payal Singhal marked 20 years in the industry. Actors Shibani Dandekar and Farhan Akhtar turned showstoppers for the designer. "I kind of grew on the runway. Lakme Fashion Week and I complete 20 years together. We have grown together. It's very nostalgic for me," Singhal said.

Ace designer Amit Aggarwal also launched his luxury pret collection called 'Flux' with cricketer Hardik Pandya and actress Lisa Haydon walking the ramp as showstoppers. Aggarwal, known for engineering recycled products in his garments, has this time tied up with R-Elan - Reliance Industries' petrochemical segment - to create the grandeur pieces in fluid, free flowing fabrics.

Designer Pallavi Mohan label 'Not So Serious' created the 70's charm with her collection 'Simply Studio 54' with actress Esha Gupta closing the show.

The day also saw collections by labels 'a half Full CURVE' by Rixi and Tinka Bhatia, Vineet Rahul by Vineet Kataria and Rahul Arya, Rara Alvis by Sonal Verma and Saaksha & Kinni on the runway.