WIFW: Where business meets glamour

The 20th edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) which wrapped up in Delhi recently struck a chord once more for being the perfect blend of glitz, glamour and business. Touted as Asia's biggest business fashion extravaganza,

the shows at WIFW had everything -- glamour, craft, embroidery, Indian culture, tradition and drama -- all ingredients that make Indian fashion globally popular.

The list of designers who displayed their Spring-Summer 2013 collections on the ramp was impressive. From Ashish Soni to, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Namrata Joshipura, Wendell Rodricks, Gaurav Gupta, James Ferreira, Manish Malhotra, Suneet Varma to Dutch designers it was an impressive list. In fact, over the years WIFW has shifted focus from being just a runway event to ‘business event’ attracting designers and buyers from across the globe. Most participating designers emphasise on how it has grown to be a solid platform for networking and business. Designers claimed their business increased by over 15 per cent this year owing to the world-class facilities and a single window format made available to buyers at the venue.

As Dutch couturier Jan Taminiau, who participated at the fashion week for the first time, said, “I never imagined a fashion week in India to be so huge. It was impressive and comparable to bigger cities like Paris and London. I can say India is setting the trend. Many of us Europeans will use embroidery in our works now. I think I am going back with some new design sensibilities that are so uniquely Indian.”

Normally, Indian fashion has been picked up by the Middle East and Far East (Bahrain, Saudi Arabia and Japan). This year, buyers came from Europe as well as Latin America. Indian silhouettes, embroidery, fabrics and tribal prints were popular picks. As a first-time European buyer said, “I really liked the mix of designers, the organisers put together. It is so full of India; there is everything that you have heard about the country. I would say maybe they have found their identity and character.”

Designer Renu Tandon, who has been a part of many fashion weeks, averred that “business has never been so good.” She got bulk orders for her embroidered shirts, kaftan dresses and loose silhouettes. She further added saying, “I think we have always been creative but for the first time we have won the game of perception. We have proved that this is a serious B2B event and the objective of taking a lot of pain to put up a show or a stall is to get deals rather than just eyeballs.”

Kitschy designer Nida Mahmood was a huge hit among European and Middle Eastern buyers. “It was not only a surprise but an indication that the world is becoming porous to our kind of creativity in colours and motifs. And all because we had packaged it well,” said Mahmood. Japanese buyer Tomoko, a regular at the fashion gala, praised by the designs on display, she said that she was truly impressed with their collections. Another buyer Nadezda Kuzuvova, from Russia, added that this is the fourth time, they are at the WIFW and the attraction this time, for them was the creative side of some of the new faces.

The five-day fashion extravaganza saw as many as 132 designers, including international names, participate in the fashion gala. On a positive note, Sethi reiterated, “WIFW has always been known for creating landmarks in the fashion world. All the participating designers received accolades for their collections and they are taking orders from buyers from across the world. There are new buyers from many countries including Australia and Japan.”