Rahul Mishra: Fewer fashion weeks good for industry

At a time when rising number of fashion shows in India including

exclusive men’s, kid’s and resort fashion weeks is creating a buzz, designer Rahul Mishra feels that instead having so many events round the year, there should be a few quality ones promoting talent rather than entertainment. Known for his contribution to Indian handlooms, Mishra was also featured in a National Geographic documentary. This documentary, made in collaboration with UNESCO and the Ministry of Textiles, explores the rich world of India’s handloom weavers through Mishra’s eyes as he is dedicated to the cause of exploring Indian weaves in the world of high fashion.

Recently he launched ‘Jaama’ and Indian wear collection in the capital at multi-designer store Ogaan. He also plans to add a line of accessories apart from creating a premium mass brand in the near future. Mishra feels that there is a need to have fashion weeks with Indian fashion witnessing tremendous growth in the last 10-15 years but too many, kill the very purpose of promoting India’s strength in fashion.

After making his debut at the Lakme Fashion Week in 2006, Mishra has been participating at several fashion galas, including the bi-annual Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week organised by the FDCI. Earlier these two fashion weeks were the only fashion extravaganzas held and have promoted the best names in Indian fashion industry. But recently, there has been a sudden rise in fashion weeks such as the Chennai Fashion Week, the Bangalore Fashion Week, the Hyderabad Fashion Week, the Kolkata Fashion Week, the India International Fashion Week, the Jaipur Fashion Week, the Pune Fashion Week... et al.