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.
The Report in two Parts
PART 1
PART 2
DESIGNER DISCIPLINE
Wendel Rodricks at his Kunbi Tribe collectionin sow
How disciplined are Indian designers? When do they start preparing their collections for fashion weeks? What is the concept and inspiration? How communicative are they with the buyers and how punctual and professional are they in their dealings?
These are some of the questions that designers should ask themselves and the fashion week organisers should also ensure that both designers and buyers are professional and organised in their business practices. There have been instances when designers have created a collection in five days because the they were offered a sponsored show at the last minute! Or collections are prepared and then there is the hunt for the concept and inspiration. Or it is the other way round, when the inspiration and concept is changed a day before the show. Fashion information given to the media is sketchy and totally useless and at times the notes comprise lines of poetry or prose and talk about everything except the garments.
Tarun Tahiliani with Shobhita Dhulipalia March 2023
Shahab Durazi.
Fern Mallis
Of course, there are designers who work months in advance and present press notes that are as beautiful as their collections. Tarun Tahiliani, Shahab Durazi, J J Valaya, the late Wendell Rodricks, Monisha Jaising, are some of the designers who not only work hard on their creativity but know how to put in words. Fern Mallis who is widely credited as the creator of “Fashion Week” in New York City in 1993 under the auspices of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA), where she served as Executive Director for 10 years; always advised that to be successful, designers must answer emails, phone calls and be disciplined if they want to succeed and have a long career that lasts for decades and not just months. This is something the LFW x FDCI could consider so that the fashion week shapes the design industry in India, and they are not just organisers of shows and publicity for brands.
To make the fashion weeks more authentic and professional, a final turnover of orders from designers should be tabulated so that statistics are available for buyers and emerging designers who would like to know the level of the event and how it benefits all stake holders.
INNOVATIVE GARMENT CONSTRUCTORS
Gaurav Gupta’s ‘Shunya’ at Paris Fashion Week 2023
Making the audience sit up, think and admire the construction of a designer’s collection is something fashion weeks should aim at. Designers like the late Wendell Roderick was a master at innovative construction. Gaurav Gupta’s Paris showing of “Shounya” in January 2023 along with celeb endorsements of his gowns was a great achievement. His couture creations are admired for their intricate craftsmanship and sculpting techniques yet are stunningly wearable. Amit Aggarwal, the other haute couture designer has carved a niche for himself with his skill in polymer manipulation. Shahab Durazi’s creations are memorable, timeless and meticulously crafted. Tarun Tahiliani’s latest “Sheer Drama” line was a Luxe prét offering in March 2023. It was one that audience wished would go on forever on the ramp. Tarun’s red finale concept sari for Bollywood showstopper, Shobita Dhulipala was “THE” creation of LFW x FDCI. J J Valaya’s “JJV Kapurthala” a bridge-to-luxury collection showcased prints and styles that proved they were a labour of love.
FROM GRASS ROOTS TO GEN NEXT AND CDC
Fashion institutes are making an aggressive move into fashion weeks so on the student front two institutes, INIFD and Pearl Academy have been two shows that are eagerly looked forward to regularly. Fashion institutes however must realise that translating a theme literally on the ramp turns the garments into costumes or fancy dresses. Creativity, garment construction, wearability and value for money are aspects that the fashion industry wants.
FDCI X Pearl Academy Presents First Cut at Lakme Fashion Week
The INIFD Launchpad show started at LFW Summer/Resort in 2019 featured the many students of the institutes branches spread all over India. The “East Meets West” theme this season at LFW x FDCI proved to be one of the best shows of the institute.
The Pearl Academy Delhi started in 1993 with late Dr A K G Nair, Group Advisor, who guided the institute was initially believed to be aimed at providing trained designers for the Indian export Market. The “First Cut” shows by the students were introduced in October 2020 with the Fashion Weeks and gave the students a chance to experience the thrill of the ramp. The latest show “Heart to Earth” was inspired by the current world situation and featured 32 garments by 32 students from the Mumbai, Bengaluru, Delhi and Jaipur branches of the Academy.
The next step from an institute show is the GenNext show introduced by LFW in 2006, which now has a list of 202 designers some of whom have ended up being global award winners.
“I Was A Sari” by Stephano Funari and Poornima Pande
The addition of the Circular Design Challenge by R|ElanTM since the Summer/Resort 2019 season, brought some good sustainable fashion in the true sense. The first winner “I Was A Sari” by Stephano Funari and Poornima Pande moved to great heights inking a partnership with luxury giant Gucci to launch “Now I Can” a training initiative to teach women free embroidery skills.
“Malai” in 2020 by Zuzana Gombosova and Susmith Chempodil
“Malai” in 2020 by Zuzana Gombosova and Susmith Chempodil
The winner “Malai” in 2020 by Zuzana Gombosova and Susmith Chempodil, developed alternative leather from coconut water, while the 2021 winner Satyajit Vetoskar’s label “Bandit” used automobile waste to create bags and apparel. In 2022, Pratush Kumar’s Pieux label won for a collection of garments created from waste material, which has made the label a celebrity favourite because of the very stylish and practical clothing.
STOP THE SHOW
Jennifer Lopez closes Vrtdsvce-spring-2020 i
The showstopper malaise seems to continue at fashion weeks season after season in India. The ‘true worth’ of the event is often judged by the level of Bollywood showstoppers seen. Are they A, B or C grade stars? Are they popular hit stars or newbies trying to get noticed? Can’t a designer present a confident collection without the finale distraction?
Googling online it is surprising to observe that foreign fashion weeks in New York, Paris, Milan and London don’t depend on showstoppers but have the stars and celebrities seated in the front row. The fashion events that pop up for this search are the Indian fashion weeks, where the long list of Bollywood names is proudly displayed.
In the West, the most memorable showstopper ever has probably been Jennifer Lopez who closed the Versace 2020 show wearing the famed ‘Jungle Dress’, which she had earlier worn in 2000 at the 42nd edition of the Grammy Awards. It would be interesting to note here that the ‘Jungle Dress’ was modelled in September 1999 by Amber Valletta for the Spring 2000 Versace show but went unnoticed till Jennifer Lopez wore it in 2000.
So, does a movie star showstopper add value to designers’ collections or distract from them? There have been instances when sponsors have insisted that their brand ambassadors should be the showstoppers, in which case, the designer has little say in the matter.
Shahab Durazi and Aishwarya Rai
There are hard core designers like Shahab Durazi who will always let the clothes do the talking, though he did succumb briefly when Aishwarya Rai, a Longines Brand ambassador, closed his show in 1999 and again for the Marwar show in 2002. He surprised the audience when he had Arjun Rampal as the showstopper for a women’s wear show at the HDCIL Couture Week in October 2020.
Tarun Tahiliani India Couture Week 2019.
Even Tarun Tahiliani has been averse to showstoppers and made a strong statement at the India Couture Week 2019 with his collection ‘Bloom’ that ended with a white, tulle dress and a sticker on the model’s face declaring “Showstopper Chic”. But in March 2018 at the LFW he had Kriti Sanon closing his ‘Tarakini’ collection and again in March 2022 for the FDCI x LFW show. In March 2023 Tarun had Shobita Dhulipala as his showstopper for the ‘Sheer Drama’ collection.
There are seasoned showstoppers who move from one fashion event to the other around the country when the fashion season starts and at times they do model the creations well.
Where the glamour quotient of the fashion weeks has gone south is with the inclusion of influencers or content creators as they are now called. These so called ‘celebrities’ with millions of followers (genuine or bought?) have probably had a latent desire to model but due to physical attributes ended up posing for selfies and promoting themselves on social media. It is a pity that designers put them on the ramp without prior training and don’t give appropriate garments since what is seen on the catwalk is at times an embarrassment not only to the influencer but to the audience as well.
AJ J Valaya’s “JJV Kapurthala”
REMEMBER – IT’S A TRADE SHOW
The B2B aspect of a fashion week is very important otherwise the events would be entertainment or tamashas. Most fashion weeks around the world and in India are live streamed, thereby attracting a larger audience and buyers who may not be able to attend the event physically.
Choreographers in India are excellent, and the overall presentation is world class. But at times, the desire to present drama takes over the concept of a trade show where the collections have to be shown in correct light, preferably white and not distort the colours, fabrics and detailing with coloured lighting. Unfortunately, there were shows like the Abhishek Sharma presentation ‘Dusk’ in October 2022 and again ‘Coral Reefs’ in March 2023 at LFW x FDCI when a spotlight followed the models making it extremely difficult to appreciate the wonderful detailing and extreme surface texturing that Abhishek is known for.
Abhishek Sharma ‘Coral Reefs’ in March 2023 at LFW x FDCI
Antar Agni , LFW x FDCI March 2023
The Antar Agni show called ‘Disquiet’ during LFW x FDCI March 2023 was one of the best collections but presented in Fast Forward mode. Online it was a nightmare to see the detailing, which must have frustrated buyers and viewers.
Fashion will always remain relevant until civil society exists. But in its organised format of Fasihon Weeks, it does reqire steering to remain commercially viable.
