Thaindian News

New Delhi, Aug 14 (IANS) The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), the premier interface between designers and the industry, said Thursday it would host the inaugural Couture Week at Mumbai aiming to return traditional Indian wear to the runway. “The Couture Week is the property of the FDCI. We are very happy to have got a sponsor. A lot of work is being done to ensure the success of the event,” FDCI president Sunil Sethi told IANS.

“It is the sponsor who has picked the 12 designers that will showcase at the event,” Sethi added.

IANS had erroneously reported Wednesday that the newly-floated Fashion Foundation of India would conduct the event. Privately-owned infrastructure developer HDIC will sponsor the event.

Fashion impresario Sumeet Nair, a former executive director of the FDCI, will be the consultant to the Couture Week. Nair’s bitter parting with the Council in June had stoked fears that this could split the fashion fraternity down the centre.

Such fears have now been set at rest.

Explaining the concept of the event, Nair said: “Over the years, traditional Indian garments have all but disappeared from our fashion shows. More importantly, the craftsmanship that Indian artisans are so well known for seems to have taken a back stage. We need to revive this.”

“We’ve noticed that if designers showcase Indian garments at fashion weeks, they are criticised because of the impression that such events are meant to display only prêt collections,” Nair told IANS.

“There is also the feeling that buyers who attend fashion shows are essentially looking at foreign markets and thus would not react to Indian designs,” he added.

The format for the new event will be completely different from the FDCI-organised Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW), two editions of which are conducted every year. There will be just two showings a day with no grand finale and no associated events.

However, the 12 participating designers will be encouraged to hire a suite in the Grand Hyatt hotel where the Couture Week will be staged to conduct negotiations with potential buyers, Nair said.

Designers Ritu Kumar and Rohit Bal will open and conclude the Couture Week. Tarun Tahiliani, Anamika Khanna, Abu Jani & Sandeep Khosla, Pallavi Jaikishen, Suneet Verma, Ashish Soni, J.J. Valaya, Manish Malhotra, Varun Behl and Manav Gangwani are the others who will showcase their collections at the event.