Bollywood celebrities ousted from WLIFW ’11

Bollywood stars will no longer hog the limelight at the

Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WLIFW) ’11, to be held in New Delhi from April 6-10. This time the show is set to be a no-star show. With the talented designers and their models as a medium of solid representation across different geographical zones, fashion experts feel that there is no need for Bollywood actors to walk the ramp. Nearly 28 of the top 30 participating designers confirm that no Bollywood stars will showcase their collection as showstoppers, citing the serious-fashion-over-celebrity-presence logic.

Many designers have been up-in-arms – using the social networking site Tweeter – against the current trend if film celebrities using the ramp to promote themselves and to bring more glamour into the event. Designer Manish Malhotra tweeted, “Having a showstopper at fashion week is not a trend anymore.” Others from the fashion fraternity agree and are determined in their decision to keep the so-called glamour quotient out from serious fashion events, starting with the WLIFW. “Fashion shows are meant to be about fashion and not Bollywood entertainment”, says Delhi-based designer Gaurav Jai Mehta.

Although the presence of Bollywood stars might ensure more turnout, it does not help to boost business in any way. It is Asia's biggest trade event focused on the business of fashion spread over five days with the main aim of offering prolific business opportunities and Bollywood stars have a miniscule role here. “No buyer will book any collection just because Aishwarya Rai walked the ramp. It’s ultimately only about the clothes and creativity,” says designer Zubair Kirmani. Anita Dongre feels the trend puts a lot of pressure on young designers. Ritika of designer duo Gaurav and Ritika says purists always remember a show for its designs, and not for the star that walked at the show.