Delhi remains a great market for designers

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For people who only access fashion weeks via the glitzy images in glossies and major Bollywood presence on the ramp, the fact that behind all the pomp and glamour there exists a strong business motive, might be slightly difficult for them to digest.

Amidst the great fashion divide of Lakme Fashion Week, sponsored by IMG which was just concluded in Mumbai to the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week which will take place in Delhi from April 6-10, buyer fluctuation has always been a talking point. While most agree that buyers find it difficult to visit both closely placed dates, some believe that each has its own set, which looks for a certain factor at each Fashion Week.
We spoke to designers, who have been exposed to both sides to get a more detailed insight into the matter.
Anand Bhushan, who started with Lakme Fashion Week and then moved to Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week last season, believes that it has been established that while Mumbai is a great platform for young designers to showcase their talent, Delhi is where the serious business lies.
“There is no doubt that while Mumbai is heads and shoulders ahead in terms of show quality and presentation, Delhi is the city where there is a huge market. Domestic buyers do travel to both cities anyway, but the ones coming from the Middle East, Japan and Europe, prefer coming to WIFW. And in the end it’s the repeat orders which make a difference, if they come more often then you know your collection is selling,” he said. And Jenjum Gadi of Koga, who had a similar start at LFW, agrees. “You do get taken more seriously if you showcase in Delhi and I would say that buyers are about 80-90 per cent more in Delhi,” he informed.
But many consider it a matter of difference in markets rather than the number of buyers as the focal difference between the two fashion weeks. Kallol Datta, who was invited to present a collection sponsored by the brand DHL in Mumbai and will be showcasing in Delhi reflects that his sensibilities sit very well with the buyers who come to Mumbai. “I showcased a pre-fall collection at LFW, so it only made sense to be showing the fall-winter collection in Delhi, which is also organised at a much larger scale and attracts the larger chunk of buyers. Also, I feel the kind of clothes I make are more likely to be ignored by Middle Eastern buyers and picked up by the ones from London and other European ones, who come to Delhi,” he explained.
Though Masaba Gupta, who has a niche clientele in Mumbai and is still breaking into the Delhi market feels that there is no difference whatsoever between both weeks. “They both cater to completely different markets and Lakme in fact, reported a 40 per cent increase in buyers this year. I wonder why there is an assumption that Lakme has lesser buyers when both markets are equally balanced,” she said.