India maybe the hub of craft, textiles, and sustainable practices from times immemorial but when it comes to western fashion it is a newbie having entered the global fashion week race in August 2000 when the first Indian version Lakmé India Fashion Week was held in New Delhi organised by the triumvirate of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), Lakme and IMG (International Management Group). Indian designers, many trained in the west, were eager to show their creations to the fashion hungry audience who already had an appetizer of fashion since 1987, when the first multi-designer store Ensemble opened in Mumbai, followed by a blitz of fashion houses around the country.
PART – 1
PROFILE OF A FASHION WEEK – THE BIG FOUR AND INDIA
New York Fashion Week 1943
So, what is the profile of a fashion week and how do the Big Four in the world describe their portfolios? The definition of a fashion week according to Google – “A fashion week is a fashion industry event, lasting approximately one week, where fashion designers, brands or “houses” display their latest collections in runway fashion shows to buyers and the media. These events influence the upcoming fashion trends for the current and approaching seasons.”
The oldest global fashion week is probably the New York Fashion Week started in 1943 by Eleanor Lambert, press director of the American Fashion Industry’s first promotional organisation, the New York Dress Institute. This was followed by another fashion expo called The IGEDO in 1949 in Dusseldorf, Germany, by Willi Krönen. The IGEDO stands for Interessengemeinshaft Damenoberbekleidung and was primarily aimed at women’s outerwear. The IGEDO, which expanded into the Collection Premiere Dusseldorf in the 1990s and Collection Premiere Moscow in 2003, offers a mix of fashion for men, women and kids.
IGEDO 1949
Milan Fashion Week Missoni show in 1966
The Milan Fashion Week brought Italian fashion in the forefront in 1958, followed by the Paris Fashion Week in 1973 and finally the London Fashion Week in 1983.
The Paris Fashion Week is divided into three distinct categories – men’s, women’s and Haute Couture, with each category having two shows per year. The Milan Fashion Week’s profile is Prét-a-porter, while the London Fashion Week is considered a clothing trade show with over 250 designers.
Manish Malhotra, 2001 LIFW
JJ Vallaya, LIFW August 2001
Anamika Khanna LIFW 2001
Coming to the Indian fashion week that started as Lakmé India Fashion Week in 2000 then split into two in 2006 – the FDCI continued to happen in Delhi and Lakmé India Fashion Week organised shows in Mumbai. The FDCI Fashion Week changed its name according to the sponsors that started with Wills Lifestyle and then went onto Amazon and Lotus Makeup, while Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) maintained its name with bi-annual shows. Both were projected as ready-to-wear trade events for men’s/women’s clothing, while haute couture had a separate annual showing by the FDCI.
PANDEMIC SHIFT
With the onset of the pandemic in 2020, fashion saw its worst months as artisans, designers and the textile industry saw a tragic recession. Yet, two online fashion weeks were held by both parties in October 2020. Eventually, business and better sense brought the two warring parties together. After fifteen years, in March 2021 the two factions joined hands again, with a new tag – Both heads of the fashion weeks were very excited with the renewed partnership when Sunil Sethi, Chairman, FDCI, and Jaspreet Chandok, Head – RISE Worldwide issued statements of great hope.
DIRECTIONLESS
However, the profile of the collaboration as far as fashion categories are concerned is a little vague. Is the biannual expo aimed at the Ready-to-Wear, Diffusion or Bridge collections for men and women? Or is Haute Couture allowed, even though there is a separate annual couture week organised by FDCI? Is it a trade event to promote Indian designers and textiles?
The LFW x FDCI expo held in March 2023 in Mumbai for only four days not five had a mixed line-up of designers with the mandatory one day for sustainable fashion as well as the Circular Design Challenge show. So, will the joint fashion week promote sustainability aggressively or will it be just a day long exercise?
Also, what exactly is the profile now of this two-partner fashion week? Will the fashion week concentrate on a more B2B or B2C category, since the Stockroom started by FDCI in October 2021 to help designers during the pandemic is now a regular event?
B2B OR B2C?
Yashodhara Shroff of Ffolio, Bengaluru
For buyers the LFW x FDCI still appears to be the best event for tracking new designers. Yashodhara Shroff of Ffolio, Bengaluru, which started in 1990, feels, “Fashion weeks are a very good idea as they bring so many designers under one roof, makes the business of fashion much more cohesive and easier to conduct. It provides an easy access for both designers, buyers and others who may have an interest in the business of fashion. Marketing and promotions bring a thought process and becomes directional.” For Yashodhara most of the buying it is through direct contacts since the store has been in this business for 32 years, much before fashion week started in India. “But for new entrants in the business, a fashion week would be a big help,” she adds.
Falguni Zhaveri of Fuel
Falguni Jhaveri of Fuel, Mumbai launched in October 2003 states, “As a buyer fashion weeks are very important to us as we get to see the next season’s collections by designers under one roof and also there is a sense of what the new season will look like as we are seeing the work of so many designers together. In addition, certain trending looks come across when you see many designers looks together. Fashion weeks will stay in India as long as they make it a more serious business event and give more importance to the designer/buyer fraternity,” Falguni buys 40 per cent from fashion weeks and rest directly from designers but the pandemic has changed her buying pattern for some time but now things are back to the pre-Covid levels.
Aparna Badlani, Consulting Creative Director – AZA fashions
Aparna Badlani, Consulting Creative Director – AZA fashions feels, “As a buyer, a fashion week is very crucial to me. It allows me to view collections from designers under one roof, makes my planning and buying for the season a lot easier.” Aparna sees a great future for fashion weeks as there is a lot of talent that requires a platform and since India is trending the world over, it’s time to shine.
Buyers are glad that the pandemic is behind them, and shopping has returned to normal and they look for trends, colours and looks for the coming season at fashion weeks.
On the B2C front, the Stockroom sale on the last day of the fashion week offers nearly 70 per cent discounts on designers’ collections but eager customers who thronged the venue were a little disappointed with the prices, which were still beyond the reach of many. At popular exhibitions like Design One, Bridal Asia and several expos around India, where top designer names participate around India, the sales skyrocket as women rush to do their festive and bridal wear shopping from even unknown labels that are pocket friendly.
CURATING FASHION
At times the primary question asked is, are the designers and collections carefully whetted by the fashion weeks? Since categories are not clearly marked, should the organisers curate the collections before accepting the participation or go for ‘shock and awe’ to attract more eyeballs and Instaworthy collections that are being encouraged along with a host of influencers who are given undue importance, instead of serious commentators?
Schiaparelli Paris Couture Week, 2023
Viktor & Rolf, Paris Haute Couture Week 2023
The Schiaparelli show at Paris Fashion Week in January 2023 hung replicas of wild animals on garments and shocked the audience, while at the Viktor and Rolf show at Paris Haute Couture Week in January 2023, the upside down and sideways gowns were attached to models, instead of worn by them.
Manish Arora’s Carousel-Dress on Katy-Perry
Nitin Bal Chauhan
Taking a cue from the West’s creativity, since western fashion is not something Indian designers can visualise but often follow what the west is doing, it was little wonder that Nitin Bal Chauhan took the ‘shock and awe’ path with his collection called “The Outsider” at the March 2023 LFW x FDCI. A GenNext designer from the LFW Summer/Resort 2007 batch, Chauhan started his fashion journey on a steady path with wearable clothing, but then ricocheted with bizarre head gear and creativity that almost resembled work by amateurs or participants at the Smirnoff Contest, which was a popular one for Indian designers, where quirky, bizarre creativity was awarded. Manish Arora won the second prize in the 1994 Smirnoff contest and then continued on his wildly, crazy, fashion journey that made him fortunately, a favourite with Katy Perry, Lady Gaga, J’lo, Fergie and Rihanna and even got him the Artistic Director post at Paco Rabanne in 2011.
Prashant Verma, Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week-Spring summer 2011,
In the past fashion weeks there have been designers like Prashant Verma who was inspired in October 2010 with death, disease and life when his 12 garments called “The Bhagwad” had prints of tumours, infected organs and skulls. At another show in March 2010, Verma’s “Love Song” collection was a line of 16 pieces with quilted rocks under the fabrics. Designer Varun Sardana’s ten-minute show in March 2010 of 19 apparel inspired by Kathakali dancers, concentrated on makeup and forced the audience to sit on the ground. But while all these collections were great to watch did they turn into business?
Designer Akshat Bansal who won the Meher Castelino Most Innovative Garment Construction Trophy for his ‘Transmuted Anatomy’ in 2013 during the graduation show at the National Institute of Fashion Technology Mumbai, made his GenNext debut for the Winter/Festive 2017 season with his label ‘Bloni’. The stunning white collection of impeccably designed garments was ideal for both sexes. His experiments with marine waste in the following seasons, and his Paris Fashion Week showing called “Preamble” in 2023 swept the designer literally off his feet with accolades. But control over creativity is important and going for extreme concepts will have a limited market of garments that are worn by movie stars and celeb and the apparel could end up as museum pieces, which Akshat may want to think about.
Vaishali S at Lakmé Fashion Week X FDCI 2023
Bloni by Akshat Bansal
Designer Vaishali S has dazzled audiences in Milan and Paris with her skilful art of cording, which is the basis of her collections. Her collection ‘Beneath’ at LFW x FDCI in March 2023 displayed creativity that at times was mind blowing with some unbelievable construction. But when it comes to wearability, she could maybe consider creating more garments like the one Oscar winner Guneet Monga wore for the South Asian Excellence event. It had creativity, construction, wearability and glamour.
PART – 2
