Fashion overdose spoils the flavour

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Models showcase ensembles by designer Manish Malhotra at the recently conducted Delhi Couture Week

Fashion never fades, it gets recycled. Season after season we see new trends and colour combinations, but what happens when fashion fatigue sets in? At the recently conducted Delhi Couture Week, a lot of designers were complaining about the fashion overdose in the fraternity with back-to-back fashion weeks.

The glamathon across the country started with the Bangalore Fashion Week (July 26-29), next came Mumbai’s Lakme Fashion Week (August 3-7) and finally Delhi’s Couture Week. So, are too many fashion weeks spoiling the flavour of fashion in India or is it good news for the mushrooming designers who feel it’s a positive sign for their business?
Designer Manish Arora, who showcased in India after three years, feels that fashion in India needs to grow as a serious business and not as an extension of the entertainment industry. He says, “As long as the fashion weeks are giving business and clients to designers, there is no such thing as overdose. It’s really good for new designers and the Indian fashion industry. The designers pick their fashion weeks depending on their clientele. For example, I have my clientele in Europe so I always give priority to the Paris Fashion Week. An increasing number of events is not detrimental to designers if the business is conducted seriously and not as an entertainment.”
For designer Gaurav Gupta, regional fashion weeks are not on the priority list and he feels that designers should stick to one big national fashion event. He says, “Couture and pret fashion weeks happen everywhere internationally. However I don’t believe in any regional fashion weeks as I feel they are marketing efforts by various brands. We already have Wills Lifestyle India Fashion week by the official body FDCI, and we should stop doing the other fashion weeks. I feel that the designers should do the necessary shows that make sense for their business.”
However, Designer Madhu Jain points out that due to the increased number of fashion weeks a lot of interesting designers miss out on media coverage. She says, “I feel that that wherever one participates, he\she should get due credit and acknowledgement. Designers always make it a point to showcase their latest collections, and the rise in the number of fashion followers across the cities is a good sign. However, all good designers don’t really get enough coverage these days.”
On the other hand, Delhi-based designer Payal Kapoor, who was in Mumbai for Lakme Fashion Week, mentions that more fashion weeks give the buyers more options. She says, “As soon as one season or fashion week gets over we start working on the next collection. Sometimes media and designers can both lose focus because of too much going on simultaneously. I try to work with my focus on one theme so it’s easy for media and clients to follow up without any distraction.”