The Hindu Business Line : A week of fashion and opportunity

If there's one thing that the upcoming Lakme India Fashion Week says about the country's fashion industry, it's this: With a wealth of skill and talent, it's only a matter of time before Indian trends and colours grace the world ramp.

It's not that time of the year as yet, and the colours of last season haven't even faded in our minds, but the Lakme India Fashion Week is already underway with just a week to go. The fifth edition of the event, which usually happens between July and August each year, will now take place in April.

And even the fact that it will have to compete for media attention with the general elections going on at the same time doesn't seem to bother the fashion industry. So, come April 27, India's design community will be out in full force flaunting their creativity, models will strut their stuff, the existing Page 3 people will be fighting for the front row, the wannabe celebrities will be on the phones arranging passes, and the media will be in full attendance, not wanting to be left out of any action.

Who would have thought in 2000 that a common event revolving around a profession driven by huge egos and people famous for their "individuality" would stand the test of time? When the International Management Group (IMG), the world's largest sport, lifestyle and entertainment marketing company, was roped in by the newly-formed Fashion Design Council of India to conceive, organise and market India's first fashion week, many an eyebrow was raised. But, today, the LIFW has come of age, thinking international and aligning dates to match the global fashion calendar.

"From this year, we plan to make the event biannual for fall/winter and spring/summer collections. This year there will be 57 designers participating in LIFW, which has become the platform that encourages the business of fashion, awareness of fashion and infuses new and fresh talent in the industry," says Vinod Kaul, executive director of FDCI.

What started out with all-round scepticism has not only survived but thrived over the years as a platform for Indian designers to showcase their talent and as a marketing opportunity that attracts the best brands, as a one-stop shop for the retail industry. Not to mention a non-stop seven-day media madness.

Let's talk about the Indian designers first. More than the big names, the event has come as a godsend for many a new designer who would otherwise have had to struggle to break the barrier. They have effectively used the LIFW ramp to get a quick start in their journey to fame. The event has provided small upcoming but promising designers a high-profile avenue, where in one shot they can target the right audience as well as gain instant popularity through the immense media attention that the event attracts. Aki Narula, Malini Ramani, Anshu Arora Sen, Sabyasachi Mukherjee... the list of designers who owe it to LIFW is only growing.

This year we have seven first timers in Varun Bahl, Shane Peacock, Nainika Karan, Vidhi Singhania, Dabiri, Namrata Joshipura and Narender Kumar.

Though the platform is a great one it doesn't mean that the newcomers are really raw. Namrata, a NIFT graduate, launched her line in 1996 and spends her time between New York and New Delhi and currently sells to over 80 specialty stores in the US. "I will be showing a complete western wear and fusion women's wear collection, with the use of naturally inspired shades like beiges, browns, greys and black," she says.

For the fashion design industry, once ruled by few names that sold bridal outfits to the rich and the very rich, the new names, faces and styles are more than a breath of fresh air. "Fashion only becomes fashionable if it is accessible. You have to have people wear your clothes for them to be fashionable," says Narendra Kumar Ahmed, a first-timer at LIFW.

His "Chai by Narendra Kumar" line for women at this year's fashion week will be "feminine, fun and functional." The focus has moved to prêt (ready-to-wear) and designers are very wary of fashion writers who do not lose any opportunity to tear into clothes with total disregard for the big labels. You have on the one end the media-shy yet very popular Rajesh Pratap Singh showing his "dark, serious look... limited to the dark and deep shades of brown, greys, blacks, blues and of course white" while the celeb-around-town Malini Ramani, who is basing her women's collection on the "magic of Rajasthan".

As an event, the LIFW has now grown into a sponsor's dream. Lakme, the title sponsor for the first three years, renewed its association for three more years in 2003. Seven sponsors either renewed their contracts or signed on newly, all on three-year agreements. They include top line brands such as Hyundai, Foster's, Sony Entertainment Television, Hutch, and Seagram. This year Dior watches have already signed on.

While Lakme will continue with its beauty salons and workshops, Foster's will host a live big screening of the F1 on the Sunday before the week begins. Foster's also plans to hold beer-and-barbeque sessions with designers and their invitees after their respective shows, apart from a preview photo shoot with designers on the day before their show.

For IMG, which handles all commercial aspects of this mega-event, the success of LIFW has become a case study on how sponsorship as a marketing tool can bring great value to a brand. "In a very bad market, we managed to increase the sponsorship money. Sponsorship of LIFW and the leveraging activities around it has helped the brands associated with the event to derive immense benefit. IMG, through its global expertise in fashion, has consistently ensured that the event is organised to match international standards and it is reflected in the amazing success and status it enjoys," says Ravi Krishnan, Managing Director, IMG/TWI South Asia. Worldwide, IMG owns New York Fashion Week, Los Angeles Fashion Week and commercially represents London Fashion Week, Milan Fashion Week, and the Sao Paolo Fashion Week.

For the retail industry, the week is a hub of activity. According to the FDCI, in 2003 the week attracted approximately 400 buyers across 212 companies from both domestic and international markets. This comprised retailers, exporters, buying agents, and corporates. "Though the major chunk of buyers (84 per cent) were domestic companies, there was an increase of 70 per cent in the number of international companies that participated, including buyers from France, UK, US, Dubai, Singapore, Hong Kong and Germany. FDCI has moved the event to April this year following feedback received from international buyers, and expects the positive response from the industry to surpass last year's figures," says Kaul.

In the last few years, the retail industry has grown and fashion designers are beginning to corporatise themselves. In 2003, the LIFW generated business worth Rs 30 crore. Apart from the prêt lines, designers are also getting big time into corporate-related business such as designing uniforms. All this augurs well for the industry and LIFW and FDCI can very well take credit for initiating and then giving momentum to the process.

The involved participation of all the stakeholders — designers, sponsors, retailers, media — has culminated in making LIFW the most important event in the annual calendar for everyone associated with the fashion industry. It is also, slowly but surely, changing the way business will be done by designers. India has a very mature design industry with a wealth of traditional skills and it is just a matter of time before the trends and colours of India grace the the world ramp.

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