A change of FDCI president, a rival body and yet another one in the offing, and clashing fashion weeks just when the business was at its best ever boom the cracks in Indian fashion industry are showing. It all 'officially' started when former FDCI bigwig Sumeet Nair stepped out to let successor Sunil Sethi hold the fort after former president Rathi Vinay Jha's tenure completion. Then, a new council the Fashion Foundation of India (FFI) came up as phoenix Nair's second innings. Meanwhile, the 2005 contract breakup with the FDCI led cosmetic giant Lakmé into conducting its own Mumbai-based fashion week, spawning off yet another divide to add to all the chaos. Here's cracking the whole big deal.

Trouble tree
FDCI	FFI
Head: Sunil Sethi Key players: JJ Valaya, Manish Arora, Ritu Kumar, Suneet Varma Also on the bandwagon: Rohit Gandhi-Rahul Khanna, Ranna Gill, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Rina Dhaka, Ashima-Leena, Namrata Joshipura, Manju Bobby Grover, Gauri-Nainika, Shantanu-Nikhil, Varun Bahl, Anita Dongre, Renu Tandon, Anjana Bhargav	Head: Sumeet Nair Key players: Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Bal, Raghuvendra Rathore  Malini Ramani Also on the bandwagon: Anamika Khanna, Gaurav Gupta, Meera-Muzzafar Ali, Neeraj and Alpana, Hemant Sagar, Rahul Redddy, Abhijeet Khanna, Priyadarshini Rao, Jason-Anshu, Atsu Sekhose and Varun Sardana

What went wrong?

The problem is believed to have begun due to a power tussle and fund flow doubts among members of the FDCI, apart from ego clashes among the 160-head strong team. Though different versions are floating around, they mostly centre on complaints of vested interests and groupism that led to a conflict beyond harmonious internal repair.

What ensued?

A change of responsibilities Sunil Sethi took over as the head of the FDCI while Sumeet Nair went on to form an independent body called the Fashion Foundation of India, or the FFI. This further led to designers opting for either of the two lobbies under operation, though no designer has officially parted ways with the FDCI.

What now?

As the FDCI readies itself for the first ever couture week in the country (to be held in Mumbai from September 16 and sponsored by first timer HDIL), the FFI carries on with its independent prêt shows every once a while. Meanwhile, the Indian Fashion Council, a government-proposed body for the promotion of young talent, gets underway with Union Minister for Textile Shankar Sinh Vaghela in the lead. The FDCI is open to working in sync with the forthcoming organisation, says its helmsman. 

In the second series that follows tomorrow, find out what the country's hottest designers think about the fracas, and what can make or break the country's fashion future. To be continued…