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Split at the seam

Updated on: 30 December,2009 01:27 PM IST  | 
Shweta Shiware |

Shweta Shiware longs for Retro, for a time when the Indian fashion industry was one, and fashion week meant a unified, country-wide celebration of style

Split at the seam

Shweta Shiware longs for Retro, for a time when the Indian fashion industry was one, and fashion week meant a unified, country-wide celebration of style

It's an ugly paradox of 2009. Designers complaining about their inboxes being jammed with invitations to participate at multiple fashion weeks scattered across various Indian cities. The misplaced gusto has won India a desperately-seeking-disparity status. A country, which until 2000 didn't have a single fashion week, has splintered into cliques clashing hair irons to bag the best names in design, make-up and modelling.

The current status: six major style events every year -- 2 fashion weeks by Lakme in Mumbai, 2 Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Weeks in Delhi, a once-a-year Mens Fashion Week in Delhi, and the HDIL Couture Week in Mumbai. Pune is soon set to join Chennai, Hyderabad and Kolkata in hosting its own fashion week. The sum of the mayhem -- ten fashion weeks, every year. "What next, Bandra Fashion Week?" scoffs Kolkata designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee.

Just a decade ago, in December 1998, 30-odd fashion designers came together to form the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), a non-profit organisation that would promote and address the needs of the Indian fashion industry. Sumeet Nair, board member and spokesperson for FDCI, writes in his blog: "In 1999, Zubin Sarkari and I wrote the first plan for a fashion week and then contacted IMG to execute the plan for FDCI in 2000." Amid bickering, backbiting, a Mumbai-Delhi rift and designer Pallavi Jaiskishen alleging that Mumbai
designers had been sidelined, India witnessed its first event with 33 designers including veterans Rajesh Pratap Singh, Ritu Kumar, Ashish N Soni, Manish Arora, Monisha Jaising, Anamika Khanna, Rina Dhaka and Ranna Gill, participating at Lakme India Fashion Week in Delhi. That was in 2000.u00a0u00a0Cut to 2009 -- we haven't evolved. Egos continue to clash in combat, successfully taking away the spotlight from design.u00a0u00a0u00a0

The future, predicted by Goa designer Wendell Rodricks
2029: there might be 20 fashion weeks

Indians have a nose for moneymaking businesses, and there's enough black money to be put to good use. Fashion not only ensures quick visibility (thanks to all the media attention) for construction companies and jewellery brands, it also gives them easy proximity to all things glamourous.
I've heard there are plans for an Ahmedabad Fashion Week too, and the investor is willing to put down Rs 50 crores for the project. Any seasoned industry insider knows that bearing the cost for the 10 best fashion editors in the country, movie stars, models and make-up artists, takes just about Rs 10 crores. The rest of it is likely to go into an organiser's pocket. I don't want to idealise or sound stupid, but fashion weeks are about the naach-gaana. It's a circus of money, egos and page 3 pandering. And designers will participate in any fashion week that gives them moolah.u00a0
After ten years, I bet the number will double to 20, and each event will survive. Of course, it's not a healthy trend. It will turn into a local party. It's good news for some: make-up artists, models, choreographers, event managers and some designers. They can now choose what suits them.
But Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai and Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week in Delhi will continue to hold the reins of respectability for serious designers, international buyers and media.

A photo file of moments
When India sparkled on the international runway
Manish dresses Katy Perry, Lady Gaga
2009:
Katy Perry (extreme left) wowed the paparazzi and fans, arriving at the MTV Japan Video Music Awards in an eccentric but chic Manish Arora creation -- a monochrome peacock print dress paired with nude cutoutu00a0 booties. At the MTV Europe Awards, she once again arrived wearing a quirky merry-go-round skirt and corset by Manish. Enough to grab eyeballs! (Left) At the 2009 Grammy Awards, a very pregnant M.I.A. (Maya Arulpragasam), a Sri Lankan rapper, sported a wacky blue dress by Manish.
Lady Gaga joined the Manish Arora fanclub sporting a space age-meets-retro outfit from his Circus collection, for Fabulous Magazine in April 2009. Later, she was spotted wearing a metallic synthetic leather dress from the Manish Arora Fall 2009 collection. She paired the embellished dress with mesh tights and sandals. Once again, the flash bulbs caught the popular singer wearing Manish-styled shoes in Asos magazine.

Lakshmi rules Paris

2007:
Bangalore model Lakshmi Menon first walked for iconic Parisian luxury brand Hermes in October 2007. She's stuck on, and moved on to runways in New York and Milan. Not only has she walked for A-list designers Carolina Herrera, Diane von Furstenberg, Michael Kors, Ralph Lauren, Givenchy, D&G, and Stella McCartney and Vera Wang, she became the first Indian face of Hermu00c3u0083u00c2u00a8s, replacing Daria Werbowy. And we are not even getting into reams of editorial work with Vogue India, France and Allure magazines.u00a0

The image that says it all

This image from Mumbai designer Narendra Kumar's collection showcased at Lakme Fashion Week in 2008, could perhaps work as a visual representation of the current state of the Indian fashion fraternity: split, battered but putting on a quasi-brave face because the show must go on.
Way back in 2006, Narendra had decided to come up with a novel mode of protest when he wasn't allowed to participate at both, Delhi and Mumbai fashion weeks, due to a clash between organising committee members on both sides. Models walked the ramp, gagged, sending the photographers in a tizzy as they clicked row-after-row of sexy women walk in with their mouths bandaged. pic/pradeep dhivar

Hermes salwars

2008: India inspired topnotch international luxury names Zegna, Hermes and Canali, who designed their global ad campaigns around our heritage. Zegna now stocks Guru jackets, a take on the Bandgala. Hermes head designer Jean Paul Gautier presented a range of drape-inspired creations for Spring/Summer 2008.

Oscar fever
2009: A gawky girl from Mumbai's distant suburb struck gold with Slumdog Millionaire. Freida Pinto wore a sari-inspired, off-shoulder gown by John Galliano at the Oscars held this year. She is now the face of Estee Lauder. pics/ AFP

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