Escalating rents,stiff competition and a tepid response from clients fashion designers in India have never faced such economic challenges in this nascent industry. The reality of the downturn is sinking in and designers are quickly reworking their numbers to survive. At the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week and the Delhi Fashion Week held in March,it was clear that no major international orders were coming in,despite the presence of heavyweight buyers like MC2 of Paris and Julie Gilhart,fashion director of Barneys,New York. Last year,when recession hit so badly,nobody had a chance to rework their business plan, says Delhi-based Preeti Chandra. Chandra,wife of Unitechs Managing Director Sanjay Chandra,runs Girl Forever,a popular,reasonably priced clothing brand available in Delhi and Mumbai. Lately,Chandra says she has cut down on overheads and her advertising budget by 50 per cent. She says she was left with no choice but retrenchment,and in the past six months,she has laid off 25 per cent of her staff. Were trying to minimise expenditure wherever we can and become cost-efficient, says Chandra,who has also pulled out of international fairs. Newbie menswear designer Rajvi Mohan,who debuted with a splash in the Delhi Fashion Week in 2008,says she has cut down on internal stock and is twiddling with the idea of a childrens line. In times of recession,everybody has to become more cost-efficient. However,that doesnt mean people will buy cheap,they would buy carefully. So one cant drop the quality of the product, says Mohan. Meanwhile,influential designer Anupama Dayal,who launched her label Anupamaa in 2004,has perceived what others failed to. Since I had been anticipating the downturns effect in the market,I worked out a strategy to counter it, says the Delhi-based designer. Ive consciously created two lines a high-end line and another that is slightly cheaper. Dayals autumn-winter collection showcased at WIFW,The Lotus Eaters,was designed keeping in mind the new economic reality,with an inbuilt discount of 30 per cent. While her high-end line begins at Rs 6,500 and goes up to Rs12,000,the cheaper line offering flowing tunics and kurtas in juicy rust and indigo is pegged at an accessible rate of Rs 3,000. We offer a bag and a stole along with the latter, says Dayal. She has also created a separate luxe line for Australian buyer Belinda Seper,a former model who has placed orders with Dayal for her chain of multi-brand boutiques across Australia. For some designers,diversification is the key to survival in this market. Though designer Raghavendra Rathores foray into chocolate packaging and jewellery for Tanishq is doing relatively well,he is designing homes also. Sonam Dubals label Sanskar specialises in reinterpretation of Tibetan and eastern silhouettes. Of late,the designer,known for his trendy bakhu skirts,has expanded into menswear with a mid-priced line comprising kurtas and printed shirts in staple fabrics retailed at Mumbais popular boutique Bombay Electric. The line begins at Rs 900 and goes up to Rs 12,000. Designer Vineet Bahl,known for his breezy and feminine designs,says cost-cutting has always been on his agenda. As far as buyers are concerned,payments seem to be getting delayed, acknowledges Bahl. But if the designer has a relationship with the buyer,theres no reason to worry. Bahls line begins at Rs 3,500 and goes up to Rs 18,000.
