Fashion designers Daniel Syiem and Moryca Marak represented Meghalaya at the Celebrating North East India Festival, which took place in Istanbul earlier this month.
Adoryllene D Sawian also belted out a Khasi song at the cultural programme. There was a Meghalaya tourism pavilion where the state highlighted its textiles, art and culture and tourism potentials. The Meghalaya designers presented their collection with traditional weaves and handicrafts of the state. Other states from the region also had their pavilions and designers featured at the festival.
The event was organised by the North East Institute of Fashion Technology (NEIFT), which has been running this festival for 18 years to holistically promote the North East’s tourism, textiles and handicrafts.
Previous international editions have taken place in Washington, DC in the USA and Milan in Italy. This, the 19th edition, was held on September 6 in Istanbul, Turkey in collaboration with the Consulate General of India. Meghalaya’s Director of Tourism, Cyril VD Diengdoh, was present on the occasion.
The India’s Consul General in Istanbul, Mijito Vinito, acknowledged that an event of this nature and magnitude was held for the first time in Turkey and this festival will create opportunities for the weavers and the crafts people of both nations to come together to build up long-term relations.
The state governments of Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Manipur, Meghalaya and the Union Ministry of Textiles were official partners of the event. A strong contingent of 54 members consisting of designers, models, folk artists, entrepreneurs, officials, etc travelled from the North Eastern states to Istanbul for the event.
The 20th edition of the festival will next take place in New Delhi on December 7-8.
