Now an exclusive Men’s wear Fashion Week by FDCI in July

Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) has announced the dates for the first ever fashion week for men’s wear, scheduled from July 10-12. This takes up the number of the assorted fashion weeks held across Mumbai and Delhi, to eight. Sunil Sethi has explained his decision to segregate men’s wear from the mainline prêt shows by saying, “We did not want to dilute the event. Besides, menswear is a different genre and needs equal attention. We have put it in sync with other menswear weeks internationally to ensure that the dates don’t clash”. Designers already doing extensive men’s wear lines, like Rocky S, Manoviraj Khosla, JJ Valaya, Varun Bahl, Manish Arora, Ashish Soni, Raghavendra Rathore and Arjun Khanna, have shown enthusiasm for the new week and in all 30 designers have already responded. The venue for the event has not yet been declared and FDCI is reportedly going to get a new set of patrons for this event.

FDCI announces dates for India Fashion Week A/W 2009

Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) had declared that the schedule for the new edition of India Fashion Week will be from 20 – 24 March, 2009. However the name of the venue and the sponsors is yet to be decided. The previous Fashion Weeks have been held at Pragati Maidan, but Sunil Sethi, President FDCI, is ambivalent about this venue. Reportedly, an upcoming luxury hotel around Delhi is being considered. Sunil Sethi has been quoted to have said, “Yes, we are considering different places for the next fashion week’s venue. It might be Pragati Maidan, and it might not. There might be a change because the designers’ individual clients did not find the place up to the mark. However, we still maintain that for a business-centric event like the fashion week, Pragati Maidan suited our requirements.” Also in the air is the question about the sponsor of the next fashion week, in view of the contract with Wills having come to an end at the last fashion week. FDCI will disclose the names of the sponsors shortly.

Lakmé Fashion Week A/W 2009 dates & venue announced

Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW), a joint initiative by Lakmé, the cosmetic brand and IMG, the leading fashion weeks and event producers, have announced that Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW), Fall–Winter 2009 season will be held from Friday, 27th March to Tuesday, 31st March ’09 at the Grand Hyatt Hotel, Mumbai. This comes exactly three days after the similar FDCI held fashion week will conclude in Delhi.

French honors for designer Ritu Kumar

Veteran designer and revivalist Ritu Kumar has been bestowed the prestigious French award, ‘Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres’ (Knight of the Order of Arts and Letters) in recognition of her contribution to Indian fashion. The award ceremony was held at the French embassy in New Delhi since Ritu Kumar had declined to receive the award in Paris. French Ambassador Jerome K. Bonnafonte presented the award on behalf of Christine Albanel, French Culture and Communication Minister. The French ambassador said, "The award is a celebration for Indian textiles and fashion community. France feels that India is one of those countries where fashion is taken seriously." A 15 minute documentary chronicling Ritu Kumars professional journey was screened before the award ceremony. Some of the other Indians to have received this prestigious award are actor Shahrukh Khan and painter Anjolie Ela Menon.

Fashion helps fight Cancer

The Indian Cancer Society and Lakme are organising an event, ‘Fashion fights cancer’, in Taj Palace Hotel, New Delhi on 21st December, to raise funds. Sabyasachi Mukherjee will showcase his collection at the event and some of the garments will be auctioned. The proceeds from the auction will go towards replacing the equipments used by cancer patients.

Britney Spears coming to Manish Arora’s circus

Manish Arora, whose carousal dress from his ‘circus’ line made news when Kate Perry wore it, might have another celebrity donning a costume from the same line. As per reports, Britney Spears, whose global tour titled ‘circus’ is likely to take off in spring 2009, has shown interest in his garments. Whether she will purchase a dress eventually is not certain. Manish Arora has reportedly said, “Yes, I have sent some pieces to her and my agents are working on it.” He also said, “I think most pop stars and their stylists attend the fashion week at Paris and probably my Paris show caught their attention.”

Tarun Tahiliani’s green blanket for the pachyderm family

Designer Tarun Tahiliani was invited to take part in Conservation Couture 2008, which was an art, fashion and conservation mélange, where thirteen international designers designed blankets for life-sized topiary elephants. Tahiliani’s blanket, made of silk dupoin, depicted the tree of life as a metaphor for the fragile ecosystem and showed elephants in a continuous procession forming the border of the blanket. The initiative, which took a good 140 hours to make, was rewarded when the blanket fetched the second highest price at the auction that was held for the Elephant Family charity fund and was picked up by Sarah Ferguson, the Duchess of York. This was a first for India and Indian designers, to be put in the same league as Alberta Ferretti, Diane Von Furstenberg, Carolina Herrera, Tommy Hilfiger, Calvin Klein and many more.

International brands hiring Indian fashion school graduates

The cash crunch and meltdown has not been a deterrent for the graduates of Indian fashion schools with international brands giving on-campus placements. Most recruitment are said to be for the ventures in the Middle East countries. Reportedly, the Lals group, owners of many a leading retail brands in the Dubai region, has hired students of Pearl Academy, with a pay package of Rs 10 lakh/annum. Pearl Academy’s group director AKG Nair reportedly said, “Always there has been a demand for design students from international players. But this year, retail majors have also approached us for retail students.” The students of the elite institutes, National Institute of Fashion Technology (NIFT) and National Institute of Design (NID), are more in demand by such retail brands as Landmark Group, Versace and Ikea.

Chanel Mobile art tour hit by economic crisis

Chanel has called off its expensive and much-in-news Mobile Art exhibition in Central Park, which was to have traveled to London, Moscow and Paris after New York.
The prestigious exhibition, designed by Karl Lagerfeld along with architect Zaha Hadid, with the works of 20 contemporary artists on display, had already traveled to Hong Kong and Tokyo before arriving in New York. While the economic crisis was beginning to rumble across the globe, luxury seemed an invulnerable sector. However it did show its soft underbelly with the scenario getting from bad to worse and the people responding negatively to such an excess. While a decision on the prefab structure is yet to be taken, Chanel is considering buying from the artists, their art works which are on display in the gallery.

New promotion for Prada’s Amber fragrance

Prada is now promoting its previously launched women’s scent, Amber, on film. The new advertising campaign is really a graphic animated short film called ‘Fallen Shadows’ created by James Lima. The film advertisement is being screened in 300 designated Italian cinemas, before and after the main movies and will do so until 31st December. A simultaneous campaign in print advertising based on images from “Fallen Shadows” is running in Italian, US and UK based media.

Karl Lagerfeld’s calendar art

The Italian edition of Marie Claire roped in Karl Lagerfeld to be the photographer for their 2009 calendar, which will be packaged in a black box and sold along with the January issue. The delighted Karl did the shoot in straight eight hours, from 8pm to 8 am, with the Czech model Eva Herzigova dressed in couture and portraying a dozen different characters. Lagerfeld, who has worked with Herzigova for nearly two decades, reportedly said, “It’s about how one girl can be every woman. It’s an idea I love.” The calendar is already available in Italy on newsstands and elsewhere in the world in select bookstores since 16 December.

Luella Bartley wins Designer of Year Award

The British Fashion Council selected Luella Bartley as the winner of the prestigious Designer of the Year Award at the 2008 British Fashion Awards supported by Swarovski, held on 25th November at Lawrence Hall, Westminster, London. The other award winners were Milliner Stephen Jones awarded for Outstanding Achievement in Fashion Design in recognition for his extraordinary career during which he has collaborated with fashion designers established and new, as well as creating masterpieces of headwear for other creative industries such as music, film and dance. The Isabella Blow Award for Fashion Creator went to photographer Tim Walker. Jimmy Choo won the Designer Brand category. Christopher Bailey, Creative Director for Burberry was named Menswear Designer for the second consecutive year. The Bespoke Award was created this year and Richard James was the first winner of this award for his contribution to British tailoring. Another first was the Swarovski Emerging Talent Awards for Ready-to-Wear and Accessories, which was conceived by the British Fashion Council and Swarovski to help the emerging talent with financial support and reward. The winner in the ready-to-wear category was Louise Goldin and Nicholas Kirkwood was triumphant in the accessories category.

Pantone Universe Limited Edition Accessories Collection

The Iconic Pantone chip design has been the inspiration for the contemporary limited edition accessory collection of stainless steel and enamel cufflinks and key rings designed by Sonia Spencer for Pantone, the global authority on color and provider of professional color standards for the design industries. Made of stainless steel and enamel for everlasting wear, the limited edition collection includes Pantone Universe Chip Cufflinks and Key Rings in six seasonal trend colors, as well as Reversible Cufflinks in four colors. Pantone will bring out two collections per year, each reflecting the hottest colors of the season. "Pantone is the most influential brand in color, relied upon by designers around the world for inspiration, and we saw an opportunity to work together to develop accessories based on the company's seasonal color forecasts," said British designer Sonia Spencer for Sonia Spencer Designs.

Sotheby’s auctions Subodh Gupta’s jewelry for NSPCC

SOTHEBY’S London had announced that as part of its Important Jewels sale on December 17, 2008, a selection of 10 articles designed by top jewelers and contemporary artists would be offered to raise funds for The National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children (NSPCC), a UK-based organization dedicated to the welfare of children who have suffered abuse. The artists who have designed jewelry for this cause are India’s Subodh Gupta, Indian-born British sculptor Anish Kapoor, the famous Damien Hirst and a clutch of artists and jewellery designers.

L'Oreal heiress faces protests over largesse

L’Oreal’s heiress, 85 year old Liliane Bettencourt, has been accused by her daughter, Francoise Bettencourt-Meyers, to be of unsound mind for giving away huge chunks of family fortune to Francois-Marie Banier, a Parisian painter and photographer to the stars and long-standing friend. Liliane Bettencourt, who is the top shareholder of the global cosmetic empire and estimated to have a personal fortune worth $20 bil, had given away nearly $1.45 bil worth in gifts and life insurance contracts, to Banier over the past 15 years. The mother and daughter team had worked hard to manage their 30% stake in L’Oreal and protect it from the other second largest holder, Nestle. Meyer has also accused Banier of manipulating Battencourt.

Jason Wu’s ‘The Exclusives’ Collection

In response to the tough season, Jason Wu has brought out this fall a capsule collection of core silhouettes called The Exclusives, which will make it possible for stores to personalize it to their needs. The collection comprises eight pieces, three dresses, two jackets, a knitted cardigan, a knitted T-shirt and a skirt. These come in options of more than 15 colors and fabrics that stores can secure as their exclusive. The fabric range offered includes evergreens like cashmeres and silk. Wu was quoted to have said. “There are certain silhouettes that, no matter what we show on the runway, we continue to offer off the runway. I started The Exclusives to make it more official, featuring chic dresses, separates and knitwear, which have done well for us on the retail side.”

Brazil has fashion on the high seas

The MSC Musica cruise liner has now on offer a seven-night, eight-day cruise, the Brazil Fashion Cruise, which will set sail from Santos, Brazil (near São Paulo). The ‘fashion’ element of the cruise is the presence of eight designers (such as São Paulo Fashion Week designers like Samuel Cirnansck and Juliana Jabour) who will hold fashion shows on board for the patrons. Reportedly a "top Brazilian agency" will award a modeling contract to one of the passengers. We wonder now what kind of passengers are they expecting on board with this announcement? The fashion ship will leave port on 1st February, days before the first fashion week kicks off in New York.

Jourdan Dunn is Britain’s top model of the year

The recently held British Fashion Awards have selected 19 year old black model Jourdan Dunn as the ‘Model of the Year’. Dunn was discovered two years ago by the Storm agency, while she was shopping at a low-cost Primark store in West London and has since been a part of John Galliano’s summer Dior show on the African theme and been of the covers of Italian Vogue, British Vogue and the i-D magazine.

Microsoft’s Softwear is now a clothing line

Microsoft, in a collaboration of another kind, has partnered with Rapper Common to create a clothing line called, what else, Softwear. The rapper and the computer company’s joint fashion endeavor reportedly has ’80s-inspired graphic tees with a tech twist. In the words of the rapper, “Man, this is incredible artwork and I want to wear this and I want it to reflect beauty, creativity and humanity…look fly but say something, too. So some of the shirts got messages, some of it bring…all of it got a purpose.” The line debuts in December end at specialty stores in US and the expected retail price of the t-shirts is in the range of $32.

The winter this year has a chill of another kind..meltdown and all. Perky pinks with fluff didn’t seem to be on the minds of the designers anymore. What came out on the ramps were warm, rugged, body hugging knits in mood reflecting colors, often heavy enough to substitute a jacket. The rustic look that is working very well in the urban scenario with thick textures, cable stitching, patchworks and even fur, is reflected in winter wear by all top brands. However, the woolen sweaters sporting the masculine cuts and country theme are more likely to be made of fine Cashmere wool. Modern stylists are all about thickness-without-weight designs. So what if it’s a hefty knit, you can wear the macho look, albeit lightly.

Alessandro Dell' Acqua	Alexander McQueen	Burberry	Chanel

Raf Simons	Chanel	Fendi	Chanel	Dolce & Gabbana

Pageant - Miss World 2008 Cinderellas in evening wear

By Meher Castelino

One of the most glamorous and beautiful segments of the Miss World 2008 beauty pageant held in Johannesburg, South Africa was the evening gown presentation to select the best outfit created by a designer from around the world.

109 “Cinderellas” glided down the stage in the most gorgeous creations which were designed by the top couturiers of their countries. South African Tourism had flown in journalists from all over the world to cover this exciting event which was held at the Sandton Convention Centre and for the fifth time in the country.

Miss India Paravathy Omanakuttan’s gowns were dreamt up by ace designer Hemant Trevedi who has dressed umpteen Mss India contestants over the years at various beauty pageants. He created two stunning outfits – one a bright red will-power flowing gown which worked beautifully with Parvathy’s tanned complexion and the other was a pristine white slinky gown with a low back and strategically cut away at the midriff with just a hint of glitter on the rhinestone straps which Parvathy wore when she was declared first runner up for the Miss World 2008 contest.

The evening gown show is one of the most elegant sub contests of the Miss World contest and the award goes to the designer of the country. This means that the winning designer is the best amongst the 109 designers whose gowns were worn by the beauty queens from around the world.

Amongst the three finalists of the evening gown contest, Miss USA Merica Lane Lindell, won the best evening gown award for her long sexy black gown with a glamorous trail that swept graceful behind her. Miss Trinidad & Tobago Gabrielle Walcott, who ended up winning the second runner up prize in the final Miss World 2008 contest, was also one of the three evening gown finalists. She wore a fabulous antique gold gown that clung to her curvaceous figure. During the crowning she came in a stunning will-power gold mermaid skirt gown with long trails that were attached to her wrists like wings. In both the gowns that Miss Trinidad & Tobago wore the styles were form fitting, which allowed the beauty to show her bare shoulders.

Alta Maribel Arana Ruiz, Miss Guatemala who made up the final triumvirate of the evening gown finalists; wore a stunning sun yellow gown with a flowing skirt and she added excitement to the creation by wearing a giant beaded necklace of the same colour.

There were many more fabulous gowns that floated down the centre of the stage each making the beauties almost look like fairy tale princesses. Miss Russia, Kseniya Sukhinova, wore a slim white and gold gown for the evening wear segment but when she was crowned Miss World 2008 she took her royal walk in an electric blue creation with dazzling silver and blue embroidery down the front and on the collar and with a multi slit chiffon long skirt which showed off her lovely legs. Miss Russia had earlier won the Top Model contest too.

Miss South Africa Tansey Coetzee, who came in the final five because of her very confident answer "I have beauty, brains and confidence and have made South Africa proud so imagine what I could do if I won the contest," wore a flaming yellow long gown to of set her beautiful bronze complexion and when she came in the final five she was gorgeous in an orange and yellow printed halter ensemble. The fifth finalist Miss Angola Brigit Santos, wore a white halter gown with a shimmering bodice and layered asymmetric sheer skirt that was a perfect foil for her glowing skin.

The popular colour palette among the contestants revolved around white, red, blue, pink, orange, yellow and of course, black. Miss Swaziland Tiffany Sibongakoukhe, chose an acid green gown which was a vision of delight depicting the environment around us. While Katherine Medina Montoya Miss Columbia’s red ruffled Spanish style number had the excitement and drama of Latin America.

Miss Botswana Itseng Kgomotso, was an ebony beauty whose skin was highlighted by a pale pink gown which floated around her; while the beauty from Bolivia Jackelin Arias, preferred an ice blue creation that was utterly feminine and glamorous. Another South American beauty Miss Brazil Tamara Almeida Silva, preferred a long blue gown with a lacy neckline that resembled a necklace and Miss China Yan Ling Mei, kept in tune with the host country South Africa by wearing a gown with diagonal zebra stripe insets on a coffee coloured back ground.

Among the 15 semi finalists was Miss Croatia Josipa Kusic, in a graceful black gown with a silver corsage on one shoulder and Miss Puerto Rico Ivonne Orsini Lopez, who selected a silver long creation with a shocking pink cummerbund which added drama to her outfit. Miss Spain Patricia Yureva Rodriguez, another semi finalist looking fabulous in a red sheer net gown draped over a slim tube skirt while Miss Iceland Alexandra Helga, was a picture of beauty in a dark blue off-the-shoulder gown clinched at the waist to reveal her perfect figure.

One of the popular semifinalists Miss Venezuela Hennely Zulami Quintero Ledezma felt that a silver gown was the right choice for her. Venezuela is a country that has scored regularly in most beauty contests around the world therefore the beauty from this country was very closely watched not only by the judges and audience but also by the other contestants.

Miss Greece Angeliki Kalaitzi, moved away from slinky gowns and wore a sheer long kaftan like creation with a jungle print with long loose bell sleeves. Miss Netherlands Carmen Selina Kool, had a very interesting design which featured a white satin gown with unusual black feather like tassels on the skirt.

The final entry by Miss World 2007 Zilin Zhang of China when she came to crown her successor, Miss Russia was in a multi frilled white net gown that resembled a Christmas tree and was the perfect end to a show of some of the most gorgeous gowns seen in the world.

Haute culinary designers

Step into Pret-a-Portea at the Berkeley Hotel in the Knightsbridge section of London and get a taste of edible fashion designs. Valrhona chocolate cream cake with designer lace is really sweet. Alexander McQueen chiffon dress never tasted this good but than you can’t wear a fromage blanc and raspberry meringue. The Smythson ‘Maze bag’ with leather details and gold clasp is a banana sponge cake and the exquisite Valentino red coat with gold buttons is a chocolate biscuit. All this served on Paul Smith designed table ware is quite a fashion parade.

Barbie to wear pumps by Louboutin at NYFW

The Barbie Pantone 219 Pink is the pump designed by Christian Louboutin for the ‘almost 50’ Barbie. The new shoe will appear at the New York Fashion Week at the special runway show staged by Mattel Inc. Fifty designers will create fifty Barbie inspired dresses worn by as many as 50 models, each of whom will wear the Louboutin pump as well. Louboutin was quoted to have said, ‘I guess I always had a little 'girlie side' who liked Barbie, Barbie needs to wear great shoes because every girl needs to wear great shoes."

Roger Vivier’s luxurious Cut Up Bag

Giving a new meaning to ‘exclusive’, Ines de la Fressange, Roger Vivier brand ambassador and also former model and Karl Lagerfeld muse, and Bruno Frisoni, the brand’s creative director, have created the ‘Cut Up Bag’, which has cutouts of letters and numbers stuck on it. The concept that really makes it unique is that it gives the patron the choice of not only selecting their own base color for the bag but also the color, font and symbols which they would want on the bag. Ines de la Fressange has been quoted to have said, “Real luxury is a unique item that is yours and yours only, that cannot be duplicated or copied….. It’s great for men who have no idea what gift to give — and in a world where everyone has the same thing, it’s good to know you’re the only one who has it.” The Cut Up Bag is available by special order at Roger Vivier boutiques and retails for $1,875.

The vast resource of our cultural heritage is the skill and crafts of the artisan who sits unseen and unheard in remote corners of the country ensuring that the thread remains unbroken as it carries forward the tradition of generations before him. The Indian fashion industry has a symbiotic relationship with these crafts persons and has utilized their skills to make a mark on the international runways. Be it embroideries, weaves, dyeing techniques, prints, textiles, metal work, it is these inputs which make the India designer collections stand out. This column's focus is news related to the handicrafts sector.

The Rabari tribe of Gujarat

The Rabaris are a beautiful and tall people who were traditionally herdsmen and mostly away in search of pastures. They consider themselves to be descendents of Lord Krishna and their main source of income was from sale of milk and its products. The Rabari women stay home and are experts at handicraft and embroideries. The color code for their clothes is normally black, which is to indicate that they are in a perpetual state of mourning for the banishment of Lord Krishna from his kingdom. This does not desist then from creating colorful garments with intricate embroideries. The ‘kediya’ or jacket worn by young Rabari men is embroidered and so is the large turban on their heads. These works are much in demand in the international markets. The Rabari have the most distinguished embroideries and use different shaped mirrors in their work and a regular sequence of colors with thick, accent stitches. Rabaris use decorative back stitching called bakhiya to decorate the seams of women’s blouses and men’s jackets. They make exquisite rugs with embroideries and many a NGO’s are working hard to get the Rabari artisans their due and enhance their economic status.

The need for more indigenous Fashion Brands

A comment that ‘seeing one mall is seeing them all’ is not too far off the mark. The merchandise available in one is more often replicated in the next complete with brands. This underlines the paucity of brands in the Indian fashion scenario. I was therefore delighted to witness a student exercise at Pearl Academy in which student teams put together brands from A to Z. The steps included market research, business planning, brand selection and positioning, line development and then actually putting them up on the ramp. The only thing that was missing was a financier. There is so much creativity in our youth and corporates need to recognize this. While a number of groups such as Reliance, Future, and Landmark have formed business units with the specific purpose of seeking brands, the focus is on foreign brands. While such a ‘readymade package’ is quicker to handle, it is more often expensive and investments in the brand cannot be capitalised. In addition, these foreign brands often fall short of the sensitivities and nuances required for this market. While one is not advocating doing away with foreign brands, corporates must look to making greater investments in Indian talent and in developing indigenous fashion brands.