Being Mamma Bear

This time last weekend, I was at Grand Hyatt, Mumbai for Junior’s Fashion Week Mumbai. September 30 and October 1, 2017 were the official dates for the event where around 140 kids were going to participate in a grand showcase of the Autumn Winter 2017 collection by three amazing clothing brands – Marks & Spencer, London, Allen Solly Junior, and US Polo Assn. Kids. You can read more about this in my previous blog post, here.

I was there as a Blogger Associate with Shubhreet from Raising Karma (Blogger-in-Chief), Nayantara from MommyingBabyt, and Mahak from Baby & Beyond as representatives of Mom Bloggers United, the official Blogging Partner for Junior’s Fashion Week.

It was pretty exciting for me, personally, because like many other things I’ve never done or seen before, this was also a first. I had never been away from my child for a whole day (almost 12 hours) and I had never seen a Fashion Show. But last weekend, I did both.

In preparations for the event, I also shopped for new clothes, took my forgotten heels out and spent two almost sleepless nights just wondering in excitement about how Junior’s Fashion Week is going to be. And I no idea that it was going to be much, much more than a fashion show.

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Day 1 – Workshops

Saturday, September 30^th was the day of the workshops where kids were groomed and trained for the main event which was going to happen the following day. Since there were around 140 children participating, the workshops were split into three batches. The Event Director, Jessica, taught the kids how to walk the ramp, how to pose, and was extremely friendly and gentle with the children, which was amazing as she was in charge of training over 40 kids at a time.

I know that the word ‘training’ makes it sound a bit formal and rigorous, but it was supremely relaxing and fun for the children. They were supposed to walk a certain way, stop at a certain point that was marked on the floor, and walk back a certain way, but considering there were children as young as 4 years old, many of them brought their own twist to it and Jessica completely let each one be their own person.

Kids blew kisses in the air, a few older kids walked like models, and some were even shy. But every single one of them could add a little personality into their walk and was only met with smiles from Jessica. It also helped that there was amazing music playing in the background that gave the whole workshop a party-like feel and not like a classroom and it was something that the kids highly appreciated.

Before their hour and a half long training session the kids were first treated to yummy meals. Parents weren’t allowed inside the event hall, so the kids were by themselves, but were taken care of so well. Not only were they fed, they were also escorted by staff members to clean their hands and use the washroom if required. Total celebrity treatment and it was only fair because they were the celebrities.

Watch a behind the scenes glimpse of Day 1

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Day 2 – The Showcases

Sunday, October 1 was the Big Day, and just like the workshop, the main event was also done in three parts. Each batch of kids was first fed (and we eyed their food more than we eyed ours. ;)) and once they were full, they had a practice session both off stage and on stage. The stage rehearsal definitely helped the kids see where they were actually going to perform, so they’re familiar with it.

After that it was time to get ready! Not only did they get to wear some of the most amazing clothes I have seen for kids, they also had their hair done and even a bit of makeup. They even got to wear matching shoes and accessories, and looked oh-so-cute!

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Marks & Spencer, London

The first showcase was the Autumn Winter Collection by Marks & Spencer, London. In the Autumn Winter 2017 Mumbai edition, Marks and Spencer presented a collection that offers a wide range of creatively designed jumpers and bomber jackets in luscious greens, snug blues and bright yellow hues. With the seasonal shift in full swing, this iconic British brand has made layering for the colder days innovative and trendy. The Sweatshirt hoody with ‘keep warm’ technology will keep the body comfortable and warm. The thermals are made of BCI cotton ensuring minimum irritation to the little ones and the chic storm wear coat with its StormwearTM technology is the perfect option ensuring the child is comfortable and stylish when the weather turns chilly.

Read more about the Marks & Spencer, London showcase here.

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Allen Solly Junior

Next up, was Allen Solly Junior, and they introduced three different looks namely, ‘Sport the Adventure’, inspired from military and jungle look, ‘Athleisure’ that includes special fabrics & trim plays and ‘Party Squad’ that’s created specially to cater to special occasions & parties.

You can read more about the Allen Solly showcase here.

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US Polo Assn. Kids

And finally, the title sponsor of Junior’s Fashion Week – US Polo Assn. Kids showcased traditional, preppy and updated looks. The showcased collection offers contemporary elegance, great tradition and a jovial attitude which reflects in the positioning, imagery and experience as a premium brand. Rooted in the brand’s American origin and polo connection, the collection showcases a vibrant play of bright colors along with reds, blues and whites marking the core presence of the brand highlighted with stars, stripes and dot prints.

You can read more about the US Polo Assn. showcase here.

You can see the whole show on Mom Bloggers United’s Facebook Page.

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My Thoughts on Junior’s Fashion Week

I was pleasantly surprised to see that this event was much more than just a showcase of the Autumn Winter collections. For the kids, it was like a picnic, or a dream, really. Every single child I saw was excited to be there and was committed to having fun. For them it was one big party and they made sure they had fun, and so did we.

The most beautiful part of this event for me, personally, was to see even the littlest kids follow instructions so well and walk the ramp like they owned it. And to be very honest, not all kids had that confidence at the previous day’s workshop. Sure, some kids are naturally stage-friendly, but given that this was such a large group with kids from 4 years old to 14, there were some very young as well as a little older kids who were shy.

But if you saw them on Day 2, you wouldn’t be able to tell who was doing this for the first time and who had been doing this all their life. The kids had such an amazing experience and learned so much more than how to walk the ramp. They learnt how to do it confidently. They learnt how do it in front of a large audience. They made new friends, they learnt new skills. They learnt how they can do amazing things that seem scary at first, especially when their parents are not around to hold their hands through it. Most of all, they all learnt how to shine bright like the stars they are.

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JFW will be in Delhi and Bangalore soon. If you wish to enrol your children, do visit the official website for JFW here. Registrations are currently open. Good luck. I am sure your child will certainly enjoy and benefit from the experience.

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I am taking part in The Write Tribe Problogger October 2017 Blogging Challenge.