Let the show begin - The Hindu

Article published on March 20, 2007

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The Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week begins this Wednesday

CHOCO-CHIC! A model in an Abraham and Thakore creation

With 120 stalls, 87 designers, 59 models and 42 ramp shows, the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) that begins in New Delhi this Wednesday promises to be bigger and better. With successive editions, WIFW has attracted some of the biggest international buyers. To be held at Hotel Ashok, the fashion week brings with it the hopes of the industry and the curiosity of the public.

While it is a trade event with a business-to-business agenda, its glamour quotient is indisputable. For designers it is the platform to reach buyers. For buyers, it is a single-window of access. For students of fashion, it is a knowledge bank. And for young models it is a ramp to success.

Rathi Vinay Jha, Executive Director, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), summarises its essence: "This is the only fashion event in the country which focuses on the business of fashion."

Brand appeal

Noted designer Rana Gill says the fashion week is important because "it's great branding." But more than that, it is about designers "putting themselves out there, year after year, to prove their mettle." Chiara Nath of Satya Paul says to her and fellow designer Puneet Nanda, it is the spirit of the event that is important. "We look at the show in a spirit of camaraderie, without a critical eye." She adds, "From an artistic point of view, we see it very positively."

The week has significance beyond retail and business. "The Fashion Week means a lot to us, we definitely look up to it," asserts Shivan Bhatia of NIFT, Delhi. Bhatia is also the winner of "The Debut", a national talent search instituted by Wills Lifestyle for students of fashion. While students' collections are not showcased during the Week, Bhatia says that he and his friends try to work as helpers and volunteers backstage.

Harmeet Bajaj, fashion consultant and former faculty of NIFT, supports Bhatia. "While it is a trade event that has nothing to do with students, it is important for motivation and inspiration. It is something students look up to. It is finally a knowledge bank." To underscore the learning aspect, WIFW also conducts a fashion quiz for students, conducted by Siddharth Basu. While WIFW is a forum for established designers, a new category "Hi-5" has been introduced this year to nurture and promote newer designers, namely Ameet Sikka, Neetu Gupta, Samant Chauhan, Shubhra Choudhury and Zubair Kirmani.

Prospective trends

Since it is a Fall/Winter collection, the usual colour suspects of charcoal, cappuccino and chocolate will prevail. The designers promise knits, layering and thicker fabrications. Bajaj predicts, "Most of our designers follow international trends. This season will be about volume and architecture. It's about fabric details." Will there be a reduction in embellishments as dictated by Western tastes? While Rohit Bal's collection might use minimal embroidery, Bajaj says with a laugh, "India can't ever shift away from embellishments. And after all... Fall/Winter means Diwali!" While there will be buyers looking for cleaner silhouettes, there will also always be a customer for bling.

With The Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai immediately following the WIFW, is there a problem of surfeit or is it simply healthy competition? Vinay Jha of FDCI asserts, "With an event of such scale and repute, which focuses on the business of fashion and provides opportunities to participating designers like no other - we see no competition. We occupy different spaces."

Bajaj, on the other hand, believes that another Fashion Week leads to fragmentation in a fledgling industry. Designers seem to have tired of the divide and treat it with an "I don't care attitude".

NANDINI NAIR