AIFW Spring-Summer 2016: Aiming to take 'Made in India' a notch higher

Indian designers, in tandem with Prime Minister Narendra Modi's 'Make In India' initiative and aiming to promote 'Made In India' fashion globally, will present at the Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) Spring-Summer 2016 a gamut of creations using Indian textiles, weaves, crafts and embroidery. The five-day gala begins here on Wednesday.

To be held at NSIC Ground here at Okhla, not only will the opening show by designer Sanjay Garg of brand Raw Mango give a glimpse of contemporary innovation around Mashru textile, the finale show, hosted by Amazon India, will explore creativity around weaves from Banaras.

The finale show aims to bring back the richness and heritage of Banaras and will see 16 designers -- including Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Tarun Tahiliani, JJ Valaya, Abhishek Gupta, Abraham & Thakore, Ashish Soni, Manish Arora and Rajesh Pratap Singh -- presenting three ensembles each.

According to Sunil Sethi, president, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) -- the country's apex fashion body and organiser of the bi-annual AIFW -- India is a huge market for designers, and so, the 'Made in India' brand is something that should be focussed on.

"We have realised that there is a majority of designers for whom India is a main market. Gone is the aspiration when everybody thought that unless they are not displayed in the best of stores internationally, they won't arrive.

"The 'Made in India' brand is something that I have personally started from the beginning of my career, and we are very happy with Indian designers promoting Indian arts and crafts," Sethi told IANS.

Designer Samant Chauhan, who is known in the Indian and global fashion market for revolutionising the delicate Bhagalpuri silk, also feels that there are many designers who are promoting India on an international level.

It's a good change, said Chauhan, and added: "A lot of designers are closely working with traditional craft and weavers. Even we are working on such concepts and use fashion week as a platform for the promotion of textiles."

In all, 115 designers are taking part at the fashion week this time. In terms of business, FDCI is expecting yet another successful year by attracting key buyers from across the globe

"Both Indian and international buyers are coming this season too like always. I believe that FDCI has become the 'Mecca' of fashion. Orders are written irrespective of the change of venue (initially the fashion week was staged at Pragati Maidan) and buyers will still come because it is a must for them," Sethi told IANS.

Some other highlights of the event are internationally acclaimed Indian designer Rahul Mishra's installation from his Paris Fashion Week Spring-Summer 2016 collection on October 11 at the French embassy; and that apart, FDCI is also paying a tribute to late fashion photographer Prabuddha Dasgupta with an exhibition.

There will also be a three-day programme of 'Fashion Forward' talks from Thursday. These will explore design processes, taking up uniquely Indian aesthetics and juxtaposing them in the international context. Meanwhile, designer duo Shivan and Narresh will be showcasing their creations at an offsite show at the Imperial Hotel here.

(Nivedita can be contacted at nivedita.s@ians.in)