LFW disappoints James Ferreira

It seems that Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) is continuing to disappoint fashion designers,

new and established alike. This time it is veteran of India’s fashion design, James Ferreira. Delving into the reason why Ferreira is a tad annoyed. The star designer says he was supposed to do an offsite show, but then LFW organizers asked him to pay Rs 8 lakh. Ferreira found it insensible to pay such an enormous amount. They also want to know who the show-stopper would be and which celebs would be on the front row. He feels fashion weeks were earlier about buyers, now it’s replaced by Bollywood. He also added that he believes in following the international fashion calendar rather than the new format LFW has adopted.

According to him garments are not highlighted these days. A fashion week is basically aimed at aiding the business of fashion and bringing one’s talent as a designer on the ramp, rather than who will be attending the show. That should not be diluted. The designer, who is now gearing up to showcase his creations in WLIFW, says, “My creations are based on a tale from Aesop’s fables ‘The Hare and the Tortoise’. I wanted to highlight the issue of endangered species. My collection is an autumn/winter line, which will have prints inspired by tortoise shell and rabbit fur. The colors will range from dark hues like greens, browns, midnight-blues to blacks. The show will be in association with a charity from Italy.” Those in the know say the association is with international fashion designer Stefano Pilati’s charity foundation.

Long before the designer boom in India in the 1980s, Ferreira was a name to reckon with in the business. About 40 years back, James Ferreira opted for a career that was at the time dominated by women. Today, he is amongst the foremost fashion designers in the country.