Thaindian News

Mumbai, Aug 15 (IANS) There will pret and couture collections from top notch designers and there will be a fair share of glamour and glitz. But the main focus of the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) Winter/Festive 2011 opening Tuesday will be on business opportunities as the canvass has become bigger with buyers from Germany, the US and Japan also participating this year.

The fashion extravaganza will run Aug 16-21 and special arrangements have been made to provide a bigger platform to boost business.

“In an endeavour to drive the business of fashion and meet the demands of ever increasing buyers, The Source, the business hub at LFW will be completely revamped. This season will see an increase in the number of designers exhibiting as well as designer and buyer related activities throughout the day,” Anil Chopra, CEO of event organiser Lakme Lever, told IANS.

The organisers are also looking forward to an increased number of buyers at the event this time around.

“We cater to a fair mix of international as well as domestic buyers. Every season we have buyers coming from across the world, including a lot of buyers from the Middle East. Due to similarities in our culture, the work of Indian designers has always been appreciated and is popular in the Middle East.

“This season we will also see buyers from Germany, the US and Japan along with the Middle East along and many domestic buyers,” informed Chopra.

The event, to be held at Grand Hyatt will witness a line up of 87 designers, including Rohit Bal, who will be opening the LFW with an off-site show at the Tote, JJ Valaya, Wendell Rodricks, Rina Dhaka, Narendra Kumar, Nachiket Barve and Neeta Lulla, among others.

Manish Malhotra has been roped in for the Grand Finale and he will be interpreting the new cosmetic range Lakme Absolute.

“We have many new initiatives this season. In line with international fashion weeks and for the first time, we have a unique preview area called the Talent Box at the The Source, where stall designers will be showcasing their collections in short preview shows.

“Along with that, this season, one designer will be selected by a special jury of prominent members from the fashion fraternity to represent India at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week Autumn/Winter 2012 in January 2012 (in Berlin). LFW will not only support the selected designer in presenting the runway show but will also ensure that the opportunity is leveraged effectively in representing Indian fashion internationally,” Chopra said.

Finally, when it comes to fashion, Bollywood can’t be far behind. Like every season, this LFW too is expected to have Bollywood names either as showstoppers or as the front row audience.

“We are a Mumbai-based fashion week, so Bollywood and glamour is an integral part of the entertainment industry in Mumbai. Since a lot of our designers have friends from the industry so we can expect a few of them attending Lakme Fashion Week,” said Chopra.