Source: The Stitch Times, April 2009
Fashion Everywhere
The five day long affair was all about the fashion, styleand the latest in trends for the forthcoming season. The Autumn-Winter '09 weekkick-started with the happening and appealing collection of an accomplisheddesigner, Nitin Bal Chauhan, who left the message of dark sombre moods andglobal slowdown with an apt title 'Condition apply-II'. The neutral shades werethe talk of all five days with designers Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rohit Gandhi andRahul Khanna, Raghavendra Rathore, Yuvraj Siddharth Nagpal, Gaurav Gupta, amongothers, unveiling dim and moody collections to show their awareness of thetimes. "The neutral shades might be apt with the present timings butpersonally, I've always liked black and the grey shades," summed Rathore.
Several other collections despite slump were high onexuberance and very colourful which included designers like Ritu Kumar, Pankajand Nidhi, Ankur Modi and Priya Modi, Rehane, Sonam Dubbal, Kavita Bhartiya andJenjum and Jasleen. While a number of designers played with the tints of placidblue, dark pink, vibrant orange and burgundy, the others preferred to stick tothe traditional tones of red, maroon, yellow and green. "I feel thevibrant colours play magic when the mood is sombre around. Also, fashion is allabout the colours with designers working on varied hues," opined RannaGill who partnered with designer Rina Dhaka and Fiama Di Wills to showcase aspecial collection titled 'Nature Meets Science'.
Designers like Prashant Verma showcased as artisticrepresentation of the Greek narrative of robust and mighty male aggression andits fascination with perfection. Titled 'Meat'- the outfits were all aboutpower dressing and aggression. The utterly exotic and high on drama show byManish Arora, brought the beauty and vibrant colours of 'Jungle' live on theramp. Models carrying the sitting monkey hand-bags were exceptionally creativeand were highly appreciated.
Most of the designers were high on wearability and presenteda collection with a lot of Indian silhouettes and sari. Satyapaul's 'Maya' wasa beautiful portrayal of an illusionary life, comprising the contemporary andtraditional attires. Designer duo Swapan and Seema showcased a women's wearrange that combined femininity with power and success. The amalgamation ofWestern and Indian ethnic wear was very much visible. Another designer ReynuTandon and duo Ashima and Leena Singh showed their proficient technique ofheavy embellishments, sequins and beads mostly in the Indian silhouettes.
The fashion week was not completely about the feminine linesalone, as there were a couple of designers who exclusively presented the men'swear range. Rajvi Mohan, the debutante of the previous season presented neatand clean cuts in menswear with a wide range of fusion of colours. On the otherhand, Manoviraj Khosla's collection was all chic and sporty reflecting acomplete menswear wardrobe. Designer SiddarthaTytler's collection fashioned anamazing impact on the audience with a combination of basic and trendysilhouettes with great detailing. Designer Manish Malhotra, this season too wasinvolved in designing the complete look of the Kolkata Knight Riders, whichdictated the fusion of glamour and sports on the ramp.
The Grand Finale
The event culminated with a bold demonstration of gold and glitter. JJ Valaya's luxurious collection 'Kingdom of Love' brought the premier event to an impressive close. JJ's signature tailored jackets, jodhpurs and bright tops worn with detailed skirts, like the royal clothes of kings and queens were showcased on the ramp on the final day of the event. "The collection was all about moving from negativity to positivity." said a visibly pleased Valaya, post show.
Young Talent
This was for the first time that the fashion week saw a third show area, exclusive for the young upcoming talent at the venue. This platform not just worked as the moral booster, but also offered a beautiful poolside view. Designers like Preeti S Kapoor, Abdul Halder, Rajdeep Ranawat, Parvesh Jai, Nikhita Tandon, Ritesh Kumar got the fantastic opportunity to showcase in this exclusively area. "These initiatives will encourage young designers to participate even if they can't meet the expense of a slot (a slot costs upwards of Rs.1 lakh)," says Sunil Sethi, President, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI).
For the first time, the last day of the event was booked especially for the buyer-designer meetings and order placements.
The Fashion Business
The fashion weeks in India might have become the leading calendar events but the bottom line still lies in the fact, how much of revenue it could generate. As expected, the slump has taken its toll on the fashion industry too, with buyers playing safe and sticking to their regular designers and experimenting lesser with the newer ones. Though figures on the business generated at the five day event are still being gathered, Sunil Sethi, the President of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) said that there was a mixed response. "Some designers managed to get good business while for some, it was lower. What is important is to see that the buyers could make a strong presence which, happened. Some of them reduced their budget while others stuck to the same." said Mr Sethi.
For established designers like Rina Dhaka, Ranna Gill, Rohit Gandhi-Rahul Khanna, Ashima-Leena, Shane-Falguni and, Raghavendra Rathore, it was business as usual as their respective buyers placed good orders with them. Middle East, UK, and Australia have proved to be better markets for Indian designers. "The new buyers have shown a good interest and the buyers from US stores like Anthropologie are back which indicates the revival in demand." said Rahul Khanna. "Business has been quite good and there were no order cuts for us. Our regular buyers from the Middle East liked the collections and we expect a sizable order as, keeping the market condition in mind, we have worked on lowering our prices," said designer Leena Singh.
Another designer Niki Mahajan said that she was satisfied with the amount of business generated as apart from her regular buyers she received serious business enquires from new buyers as well. "My regular buyers seemingly have reduced the quantity but I have got a good response from Japan and Hong Kong," Mahajan said. The seriousness in business and the value for money is certainly on top of the agenda for the buyer from all over, domestic and international.
Business Confirmations
Japanese buyer Tomoko Inuzuka placed order with her favourite designer Manish Arora. She also admired the collections of Kavita Bhartia and Namrata Joshipura. David Schneider from Portugal and Dever has confirmed orders with their regular designers like Ranna Gill, Rina Dhaka and Rohit Gandhi- Rahul Khanna. This time Schneider has also added two new names in the list-Rajesh Pratap Singh and Manish Arora.
Designer Duo Hemant and Nandita seemingly had good sale this season, while designer duo Ashish Viral and Vikrant disclosed that the buyers' response was 'not very encouraging' this time. "The buyers seemed to be taking no chances as they preferred to go for the established designers'. For the first time, even my regular buyers are negotiating hard on price." Vikrant said.
With a constant change in the Indian fashion bazaar, the story of fashion weeks is getting interesting with each passing day. The concept of multi fashion weeks with major cities being the venue seems to be favouring the designers, whether they are new or established. The apparel business, slowly but steadily, shall be seeing more of confirmations from buyers and more of participation by the designers, in seasons to come. It is the time now to watch the shelves of the international stores like Harrods, Selfridges and, Fifth Avenue where, the Indian designers, more or less, are getting a successful placement!
Originally published in The Stitch Times: April 2009
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