Kids show for first time at LFW Winter/Festive 2014

The Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2014 will be held Aug 20-24, and will feature a children's fashion show for the first time, organisers said here Monday, adding that the shows this time will be "bigger and better".

LFW Monday unveiled the list of 86 designers and 17 sponsors who have come together to present the best of the fashion industry. The show this year will be at a new venue, Hotel Palladium.

Designer Masaba Gupta will open the fashion week along with Amit Aggarwal.

This season will see some of India's celebrated designers like Manish Malhotra, Varun Bahl, Vikram Phadnis and Anita Dongre among others.

Malhotra, who will showcase his collections at the grand finale, said his bridal collection will be "modern and stylish".

"Lakme is like home for me. This place is extremely fair and has a mix of established designers and new designers. This is going to be very special and my collections are not going to be out and out bridal. They are going to be modern and stylish," Malhotra told reporters during the curtain raiser of the fashion week.

Purnima Lamba, head of innovation at Lakme, said: "Manish Malhotra's collection inspired by Lakme Absolute Gloss will stay true to his dramatic Bollywood persona. His collection will reflect glossy colours of the season in an opulent style that will take centrestage at the Lakme grand finale."

For the first time, there will be a children's fashion show.

Hamleys, in association with Barbie and Hot Wheels, will host the first of its kind fashion show where 20 children aged between six and 12 years from across India will take part.

Jabong.com has come onboard this season as the associate partner.

LFW will also showcase the best of Pakistani fashion on the Indian ramp.

Malhotra, who will also be designing for his showstopper, Bollywood actress Kareena Kapoor, said: "It's been two years... after two years, I will be designing for Kareena at Lakme..."