Fashion’s Milestones

Six years ago,LFW did the biggest service to Indian fashion by launching the GenNext show. It invited fresh amateurs from all over India,who would be mentored and trained by veterans in fashion,choreography and packaging,to present their collections. In a whoosh,this opened the door to the future of fashion in India. When the “Five Years of Gen Next” took place in 2010,the fashion industry clapped for the biggest stars of this platform: Rahul Mishra,Anuj Sharma,Kallol Dutta,Aneeth Arora and Nachiket Barve,among others.

Ten Years of Fashion

The breach between the warring fashion factions of Mumbai and Delhi seemed unbridgeable,until the top designers of the country got together to celebrate the “10 Years of Fashion” show at LFW in September 2009. Twenty of Lakme’s former grand finale designers,such as Manish Malhotra,Arjun Khanna,Rohit Bal,Rina Dhaka,Suneet Varma,Tarun Tahiliani,Ritu Beri,JJ Valaya,Monapali and Sabyasachi,got together to put on one of the most spectacular shows seen in India. Wendell Rodricks,a LFW loyalist so far,stayed away.

Mai Mumbai

New York hotelier Vikram Chatwal’s vision for Mumbai’s safety led to a rare appearance by supermodel Naomi Campbell on the Indian catwalk. The Mai Mumbai Fashion for Relief show,arranged by Chatwal at the LFW in March 2009,post 26/11,saw the venue filled to bursting capacity. Celebrities like Arjun and Mehr Rampal,Malaika Arora Khan,Madhu Sapre and Deepika Padukone,along with Campbell,walked the ramp wearing Indian designers as well as international labels such as Louis Vuitton,Dolce & Gabbana,YSL,Roberto Cavalli and Vera Wang. The proceeds of the show went to buying ambulances and other amenities for those affected by 26/11.

The Barbie Show

For the 50th anniversary of the iconic doll in 2009,LFW tied up with Mattel Toys for a Barbie-inspired show. Wendell Rodricks,Vikram Phadnis and Neeta Lulla showcased their creations in honour of Barbie. But Lulla’s daughter Nishka’s glittery,pink tiered dress was modelled by Katrina Kaif. The outfit went on to be displayed at Barbie museums internationally.

Global Exchange

British designer Christopher Kane in 2010,Japanese designers such as Tamae Hirokaro,Motonari Ono and Sara Arai in 2011,Pakistani designers four years ago and a small group of South African designers made it clear that LFW did not bar international designers. The exchange also enabled Indian designers. Sabyasachi showed at Shanghai and New York,Nikasha Tawadey and Anand Kabra at Shanghai,Pria Kataria Puri at Rome,Wendell Rodricks and Narendra Kumar at Pret-a-Porter Paris. This time,one between Aneeth Arora or Kallol Dutta will be selected to show at Berlin Fashion Week.

LFW TV

Other fashion weeks,such as Mercedes-Benz Fashion Week in New York,already had live-streaming of their shows and behind-the-scenes grabs,and LFW quickly caught on to the trend. Last season LFW TV was launched,including live webcasts,interviews with designers,models and sundry celebrities as well as coverage of the parties.