Domestic demand to lift Fashion Week spirit

There will be many firsts to the three upcoming fashion weeks — the Delhi Fashion Week, Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week and Lakme Fashion Week — scheduled for later this month.

The Delhi Fashion Week and Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week will be held in Delhi during 19-24 March and the Lakme Fashion Week will be held during 27-31 March in Mumbai.

To begin with, the Rs 500-crore fashion industry — which was growing at 25 per cent per annum till last year — will see its growth slow down, according to an industry expert. Despite the gloom, however, the industry is expecting increased attendance from buyers in West Asia and a robust domestic market to save the day.

 

“The domestic and West Asian markets are still showing robust demand. In fact, buyers’ participation from West Asia has increased by up to 30 per cent this year,” says Sumeet Nair, president, Delhi Fashion Week.

In its 10th year, the Lakme Fashion Week is getting recognition from corporates as diverse as auto (Audi, Skoda), logistics (DHL), alcohol (Tiger Beer, Carlsberg, Chivas), and technology (Dell, Samsung, HP). “Like Bollywood and cricket, fashion is now finding a connect with diverse brands across telecom, auto and technology, as they come to increasingly associate with the industry,” says Vikram Raizada, vice-president and head of fashion, IMG, an event company that organises the Lakme Fashion Week.

To add glamour to the high-attendance event, Barbie who made her global debut at the New York Fashion Week earlier this year will now walk at the Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai. Indian designers will now dress Barbie, who has in the past been dressed by designers like Cartier, Gucci, Galliano and Versace.

Another first this year, marking the integration of India with global fashion, will be international model Naomi Campbell walking the ramp for hotelier Vikram Chatwals ‘Mai Mumbai’ initiative at the Lakme Fashion Week. The proceedings from the show will be used to help the victims of the 26/11 attack on Mumbai and to demonstrate that the city is “open for business.” Campbell has also roped in her designer friends Roberto Cavalli, Carolina Harrera, Versace, YSL and Isaac Mizrahi to showcase their designs here. The designs will be worn by Indian celebs and Bollywood personalities, along with Campbell.

However, compared to last year, the three fashion weeks are struggling due to the retail industry downturn as industry experts worry whether the registered buyers will actually buy and even if they do, there is fear that the volumes will be low. Additionally, the breaking up of the fashion weeks from two events, each being held twice a year (four fashion weeks), to three events each being held twice a year (six fashion weeks) has also fragmented buyers, designers and sponsorships.

To beat the downturn, however, the Lakme Fashion Week has maintained its rates of last year. The show has also moved from its south Mumbai venue of NCPA Grounds to the eastern suburbs at Grand Hyatt Hotel. Besides, it has allowed registrations for designers not participating in the show to open stores at the venue. Yet, participation and sponsorship remain at the same level as last year at 73 designers and nine major corporate sponsors.

The situation is similar at the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion week. It has rolled back its participant rates by 30 per cent. It’s also giving young designers a chance to participate with a separate showcasing by the poolside at the cost of booking one room at the venue which, during the day, would double up as a store.

“These initiatives will encourage young designers to participate even if they can’t afford a slot [a slot costs upwards of Rs 1 lakh],” says Sunil Sethi, president, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) which organises the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.