Features: Magazine | Literary Review | Life | Metro Plus | Open Page | Education Plus | Book Review | Business | SciTech | Friday Review | Young World | Property Plus | Quest | Folio |

Indian couture travels westward

Indian designers are making their presence felt on foreign shores. A dekko at the growing vogue

MAKING A HEADWAY Left, a model in an Ashish Soni outfit at the New York Fashion Show. Right, a model sporting a Manish Arora outfit showcased at the London Fashion Week

If somebody were to write the history of Indian fashion, 2006 would be marked as the year when Indian fashion got wings. Around a dozen Indian designers have participated or are expected to participate in fashion weeks around the world this year. In the month of July alone Ritu Beri and Kiran Uttam Ghosh are participating in Paris Couture Fashion Week and Rome Fashion Week respectively.

Manish Arora has already shown his work at the London Fashion Week for the second year running, and come September, Ashish Soni, who debuted in the tents at the New York Fashion Week last year, would this time get to show his work on the main ramp. Besides these, 10 designers have got a ticket to participate in the IMG-organised fashion weeks, courtesy their participation in the Lakme Fashion Week, which is also organised by IMG.

These include Sabyasachi Mukherjee for New York, Narendra Kumar Ahmad and Nandita Mehtani for Sydney, Manish Malhotra, Priyadarshni Rao and Surily Goel for Los Angeles and Sonam Dubal for Melbourne.

Multiple facets

In the past too, designers have participated in fashion weeks abroad but the cases have been few and far between. Analysing the sudden surge brings out multiple facets. For some India is the toast of the world at the moment and this reflects in the number of invitations. "Bollywood is being shown in Germany during prime time," analyses Narendra Kumar Ahmed, who was fashion editor of Elle India before turning a designer. Highlighting the economic aspect, Narendra says India is being seen as the knowledge hub and the world wants to see how it reflects in clothes. "In a way designers are riding the wave created by the IT intelligentsia. India is no longer just the centre for sourcing embroidery. They now want to feel India." Indeed, Kiran Uttam Ghosh didn't have to depend on the largesse of the Indo-Italian Chamber of Commerce for the invite, as has been the case in the past. She says she was invited by Altaroma, the organiser of Rome Fashion Week, directly after seeing her India Fashion Week collection. Ashish says the invite from New York didn't come by chance. "I was working in that direction for many seasons by participating in London and Paris trade shows. It was just that something as big was not happening."

From the strictly fashion point of view, Sabyasachi, who has earlier shown at Milan Fashion Week says, "The world is moving towards personalised dressing. There are no trends as such. Soon fashion forecasts are going to be redundant. In such a scenario Indian fashion is expected to find greater acceptance. New York is a fast city where people like sporty clothes and I have to make certain changes to suit the mood, but nothing big. It is going to be an extension of what I showed at Mumbai." Avers Ashish, "My customer is a globetrotter. I can't speak different languages in different hemispheres."

Points out Narendra, "Indian designers have taken to western clothing in a big way in the last few years. A close look at the fashion weeks shows that the ratio between western and ethnic clothing is 80 to 20."

Image building

Showing on foreign shores is also an image building exercise, even for the domestic market. Relates Manish, "After London Fashion Week, suddenly I have been taken seriously in India."

Narendra agrees, "It is like going out to come in." Sabyasachi feels he takes it as primarily a business exercise, but showing and selling abroad does change perceptions. "My `Nair Sisters' collection was torn apart by the media when I showcased it at the India Fashion Week, as repetitive. But when it was bought by Browns and Selfridges, it was termed imaginative." Ritu says you've got to keep showing on big stages to keep the image going.

Cost factor

Cost has always been a factor that restricted Indian designers from taking the world stage. Showing at an international fashion week means an investment in the range of Rs.30-50 lakhs, which only the biggies could afford.

Sabyasachi says IMG support means that the participation fee has been waived, but he still has to look out for sponsors. "I believe the ministries of Textile and Tourism should support the designers as we are playing a part in making Indian textiles and destinations popular on the world stage."

The Ministry of Tourism did support Ashish Soni last year, but it still remains a case-to-case situation.

As for business, Manish says showing at London helped him get agents all over Europe. "You've got to build on a particular market. If you are invited for one fashion week, try to go to the same week next year." And for now the choice seems to be right, with the Bollywood brigade led by Manish Malhotra and Surily Goel going for Los Angeles known for its razzmatazz.

Narendra feels it is an opportunity to be seen by a large number of buyers. "In the Indian fashion weeks we get a limited number of foreign buyers who buy at the most 30 pieces. Then, those who purchase consignments buy them on the condition that the complete payment would be made if the outfits sell. This is not the case abroad."

Another key area is public relations. A big chunk of money is spent on hiring PR firms. Both Ashish and Manish insist that it is most important to be seen by the right people among the media and buyers. "There are so many designers participating, the chances are, one gets lost in the crowd. Unlike India, there the buyers have 20 shows to watch every day," quips Ashish.

Though Ravi Krishnan of IMG holds that the effort is to take Indian designers to "greater heights", a section feels that the IMG bounty is the result of its ongoing spat with the Fashion Design Council of India on who has got more designers. For now FDCI is leading in terms of numbers. Ashish's switch with IMG from the FDCI-run India Fashion Week to Lakme Fashion Week and giving opportunities to rank newcomers are indications of IMG's intentions. However, designers feel if the fight results in opportunities, nobody should complain. "On the world stage there is no hierarchy," holds Sabyasachi. Still there are some like Raghavendra Rathore who are not much enamoured by this flight of fashion. "It basically depends on one's market and the phase of career one is in. Like I am not at a stage where I need to look for fresh territories."

The fashion juggernaut, meanwhile, will continue in the next year as well when, Rocky S, Anshu Arora Sen and Savio Jon will bridge borders.

ANUJ KUMAR

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail