Fashion Week Blog

By Vishakha Kumar

At a time when people blog to even express the way they like their morning tea I thought it would be exciting to write about my experience of the Fashion Weeks ever since I entered this industry. The days preceding the Fashion Week especially two weeks just before the event commemorates are unparalleled in terms of madness and frenzy. There are always last minute changes, modifications, suggestions and several great ideas that spring out of the blues and the whole team is driven by some supernatural energy to make things happen. Nothing can prepare you for the job other than being at the job of putting up an event that has to match international standards by all accounts.

There are many things that excite me every season like the opening show, the last show of the day, late nights at media centre when journalists are arduously trying to file the story of the last show, sleepless nights, queries pouring in from all quarters, requests for extra passes, the constantly buzzing mobile and the everyday coverage of the event. One of the few things that put me off is the issue of sorting front rows. For me each media person who enters the venue is special and as a person who deals with media on a day to day basis I despise segregating media on the basis of the publication they represent. I wish someday there are only front rows and everyone who attends Fashion Week is a VIP.

The saying goes that if wishes were horses beggars would ride but sometimes seemingly eccentric and impossible to implement thinking at the last minute just turns around the event. Every season we pledge to be more organized to ensure that there is no last minute crises but ideas seems to find a secret key and open doors suddenly during this phase. Once again the tempest has begun to gain momentum and the team is gearing up for the fashion frenzy to take over.

By Sumeet Nair

Aware of the many questions, issues and speculations being raised of late, I was hoping to bring to light the Delhi Fashion Week stance for your understanding.

Subjectively speaking, and I quote, “Innovation is the ability to see change as an opportunity, not a threat”. With the Indian fashion industry in its prime, blossoming in all of the seven seas – innovation and change is inevitable and perpetual.

When each Week identifies with its respective ideologies and forte, why force a unison when the two can thrive individually. In any industry, competition is perceived as a mandatory ingredient in inducing success; however it has been belittled in the case of our fashion industry.  Competition is the whetstone of talent; it motivates, it inspires, it simply ensures one’s best efforts. Thus having two fashion weeks does in fact generate more opportunities, more options for budding designers and dual platforms for our country’s talent. The competition serves as grounds for both events to be better prepared, more creative, more specialized, setting even higher standards for one another. With the fierce cause of having to prove themselves, having two fashion weeks only opens more doors, breeding greater growth, opportunity and innovation. Even the customer is more powerful because he/she has options to choose from. So why not embrace the two bodies and their respective niche rather than focusing on the supposed politics behind it all.

Today Delhi Fashion Week continues to stand firmly with its convictions of promoting the most creative talent and creating a luxury platform that will strengthen the case for making India and Delhi authentic fashion destinations. Quoting the respectable Minister Mr. Shankar Singh Vaghela while he was addressing the press at the Fashion Design Promotion Council’s launch, ‘…there should be multiple fashion events in different cities in India’ – this is the way forward. We will work towards translating this vision into a reality.

Conclusively, I agree with our peers, too much time has already been spent contemplating the question of one fashion week or two - the spotlight needs to urgently be brought back onto the nation’s talent and the young creative minds, rather than the speculative bickering.

Excerpts from a blog written by Sumeet Nair for Vogue India.

You played a critical role in the formation of the FDCI in 1998. How has the Indian fashion industry evolved since then?

A decade ago, the Indian Fashion industry comprised of a few designers who were catering to a very select clientele.  There was a small market for designer wear and like wise there was almost no awareness about Fashion as an “industry”.  In 1998, designers for the first time were persuaded to organize themselves under the umbrella of the Fashion Design Council of India, a not for profit organization that was to address the needs of the industry.  In 1999, Zubin Sarkari and I wrote the first plan of a fashion week and then contacted IMG to execute the plan for FDCI in 2000.  Over a period of time this changed the face of Indian Fashion and opened up a whole new pret market in India.

The last 10 years have seen the Indian design industry taking shape and emerging as an industry to watch out for in times to come.  However, over a period of time the needs of the industry have also changed.  The time is ripe for designers to take their big leap in terms of business collaborations and other such mutually beneficial business initiatives.  This is necessary if they want to keep up with the growing competition and market forces.  The role of an industry body should also change and evolve and that is why a group of designers have recently announced the formation of the Fashion Foundation of India, a body that will not restrict itself to doing events but will look at other initiatives that will take the industry to the next level.

What are the changes you would like to implement today?  What should designers focus on?

The basic requirements for any industry are the product, the demand for that product, and finally the ability to take the product to its target group.  The Indian Fashion industry has the creativity and talent but lacks professionals who can run businesses for designers and focus on these core issues.  There is also a certain level of hesitancy amongst the designers to separate the business aspects from the creative aspects and get business professionals to run their businesses with greater efficiency and expertise.  The Fashion Foundation of India will help facilitate such business partnerships however, it is up to the individual designer to envision for themselves how they would like to forge ahead.  Any organization or industry body can only play the role of a catalyst and it is for the designers to take the initiative and move forward.

Secondly, today I see greater relevance of private-public partnerships to move our industry forward.  Government support is important for an industry to flourish and we are keen to explore such options.

Where does the Indian Fashion industry stand on the global fashion map?

India today is home to extremely diverse talent and creativity that can match and exceed global standards.  Also, India has craftsmanship that needs to be celebrated and nurtured.  We need to give designers training, backend support, and an appropriate platform that can match up to their level of creativity and accentuate their inherent design capabilities.  The missions of the Fashion Foundation of India and Delhi Fashion Week are attempts in that direction.

I strongly feel that in order to create awareness about Indian fashion we need to create a calendar week that has many fashion related activities going on simultaneously enriching the week.  This week must become important on the world fashion calendar if we want to position India as one of the important “Fashion Destinations” on the world fashion map.

What made you collaborate with Indian designers to form the Fashion Foundation of India?  Going ahead, what are your plans for young and veteran designers?

There was a need for an industry body to consolidate and strengthen the industry.  The Fashion Foundation of India is an inclusive, dynamic body with focus on capacity building and support for the business initiatives of all its members.  It will help diversify the present set of talent we have and grow and consolidate the industry.  This was an initiative by several designers to move the industry in the right direction in a non political manner.

The Fashion Foundation of India has been formed with a special focus to help the creative and talented designer, whether young or old.  The Foundation will work closely with designers to understand their needs and bottlenecks and endeavor to provide customized solutions.  As a part of its initiatives, the Fashion Foundation of India will work towards furthering the business interests of each designer by giving assistance such as soft loans / grants based on proposals made by each design house (we have recently released a grant to two of our young designers - Varun Sardana and Gaurav Gupta - covering their participation costs for the Tranoi fair in Paris).  The Foundation will also help in developing infrastructure to enhance the business capabilities of designers.  It will actively research the industry through its Research and Analysis Cell, and commission studies to bring forth various aspects of the fashion industry.  It will set up a legal cell to assist design houses in matters including IPR, licensing, contracts, and arbitration etc.

How would the FFI highlight the crafts of India?

I’m glad you asked this question as this will be one of the thrust areas for the Fashion Foundation of India.  We will undertake design and developmental activities for the industry, improve sourcing and manufacturing, upgrade technical skills, work on development and sustenance of craft based skills, developing infrastructure, providing grants and soft loans.  We believe in the incredible craft and craftmanship we have in India and need to celebrate and nurture it.  These are the core beliefs of the Fashion Foundation of India.

By Hindol Sengupta

I know what you are saying - why do we need so many fashion weeks? And who cares so much about clothes anyway other than wannabe socialites?

And anyway, shouldn’t all of us be thinking of our jobs rather than fashion?

So when Sumeet asked me write a blog for the Delhi Fashion Week, I thought let me look what happens to the business of style at a time of slowdown. Essentially, in the world of business we define commodities as essential and non-essential commodities.

Fashion, luxury and all its other accompanying elements falls under non-essential commodities. One would think that a time when everyone is tightening their wallets, non-essential commodities, especially fashion and luxury would be the hardest hit. As it so happens, that it not quite true.

For instance, if you look at the history of luxury, the only time it has really been affected is during the Wars and that too due to the non-availability of materials, not slowing demand.

What happens in the world of luxury and high fashion is that demand at the highest level is fairly inelastic. Remember somewhere, someone, even in a bear market or recession whatever you want to term it, is making money, and that often goes into luxury.

As the head of Sothebys recently said - earlier they used to hunt down the hedge funds guys, now its the oil-men, next might be the commodity growers (as opposed to traders).

Now where does India fit in in all this? Can there be an Indian paradigm of luxury and fashion?

While researching for my new book, Ramp Up, on the business of fashion, I thought of a story I had read long ago, a story about the French king Louis XIV who really gave France the idea of luxury. The Sun King defined everything chic that we now associate with the French.

Never before had excess, elegance, refinement and decadence got the kind of display that it got during his reign (1660 to 1715).

One of the Sun King’s most talked about decisions during this time was a plan to beautify Paris using scores of very expensive imported white swans.

A colony was created on a tiny island opposite the Cours-la-Reine promenade and swans put there for visitors to gape at even as they took in the chic of the promenade. This, along with high fashion, suave cafes and elite hair stylists, would add to the appeal of the French capital as the center of the world of elegance and luxury.

Some critics objected that the polluted waters of the Seine flowing through a clogged city were just the place where swans should not be.

Louis XIV, of course, was undaunted and years later the swans (some died but many survived) became that one extra dash of panache to what had already become the style capital of the world.

There is a great lesson for Indian fashion in this story. It is the lesson of how to create value during adversity.

I believe the future lies in India creating unique value propositions using our skill set, heritage and intellectual capital.

We do not, should not, attempt to play the mass manufacturing game like China. We do not want to be the Underwear Capital of the world.

In a time of slowdown, we can provide the highest quality and charge a premium price which will still be a value for money product compared to Western price points.

That is our unique contribution and of value-add, our White Swan as it were, and that will see us through a slowdown.

(Hindol Sengupta is the author of India’s first book on the fashion industry, Indian Fashion, Pearson PLC ‘05. His new book Ramp Up - The Business of Indian Fashion is out this month.)

By Vineet Bahl

Vineet Bahl - Delhi Fashion Week

Delhi is home for me. I started my fashion training here and when I returned from Nottingham after further specialization, my first internship and job was in this city. Later when I launched my label, this city became my business base too.

However it has taken me three years to show here! After numerous showings in Bombay, Sydney and odd in store promotions in Paris & New York I am finally showing in Delhi. I can t describe the feeling- thrilling and a sense of home coming.

Thrilled because its home turf I am showing to and nervous because I hope it is received well. Being my first time in Delhi, I am showcasing a retrospective line, which has pieces from my previous 5 outings in fashion weeks in India and abroad.

Ever since Delhi Fashion Week has happened to me, I am constantly asked or quizzed why DFW and why not other platforms for a Delhi Debut or with 3 fashion weeks, will it kill the market.. When I see and interact with my fellow peer group in designing fraternity, I can feel the change. There is a sense of camaraderie that was totally missing earlier. I have some great friends and besides hanging out together we ideate and brain storm on certain fronts. Of course this is so because we realize that everyone has different fortes and specialization and that everyone has his/her place under the sun. There is no room for insecurity to set in.

I see DFW in this context as an ideal platform to showcase, as it is an even keel for all participating designers, where the common lingo is of talent and creativity and nothing else matters.

Why designers need to get ahead of trends

By Shefalee Vasudev

Editor, Marie Claire

Shefalee Vasudev

Working from a small corner shop in Shankar Market in New Delhi is Harphool, a burly, and barely smiling fallwalla. He started his business stitching falls and sequins on saris, doing neat peecos, making gold tassles on pallu edges, till a designer “discovered” him. Soon, Harphool’s business boomed. His speciality? Stitching on old benarasi brocade borders to new saris, transposing grandma’s laces from torn chiffons to new crepes, putting bronze mukaish, old stones and pearls on dupattas and fabrics that have been dyed or blockprinted by the designer. Harphool has begun learning the tricks. “Antique?” he asked once letting me into “designer secrets”. The long and short, he says, is affordable, old, second hand chic turned into “reinvented” garments.

Antique. Vintage. Or what fashion editors would call Retro. Reinvention–one of the biggest trends of recent times is actually one of the best examples of how subcultural trends are turned into marketing opportunities. Also, how despite the many seasonal war cries that create din and noise in fashion, it’s actually the past that’s become trendy. We now want antique jewellery, old lace, velvet and satin blouses and embroidery that’s “luxury” because it’s no longer available. Paris-based fashion journalist, Mark Tungate’s interesting book Fashion Brands hit the nail on the head of this trend when he wrote “The search for originality, combined with a growing excess of global brands has driven a worldwide increase in demand for vintage clothes.”

What we can see all around us in the madness of newness which obligingly alters every six months is that “being current” is an old-fashioned trend. It’s certainly not original, you are not going to be the only one to wear the purples and blacks, the gowns and dresses, the laces, tartans or architectural ensembles.

If the past can be trendy, how about a slice of the future?

If designers can overcome the bipolar seasonal slavery of current trends and give us what we will want (and need) 5 or 10 years later, there might be some truly innovative collections in store. Since no one, not even the consumers know what we will want in the time to come, fashion can become a futuristic mentor, because besides style, it may end up indicating who we will be in the next decade.

Designers need to really forecast. Not only for Spring Summer 2009 but for 5 or more years later. There is nothing as original as future. And nothing sells better than tomorrow.

Any takers?