Guess it is time to get the news out!
The person replacing Anjana Sharma (who was fired recently) at IMG Reliance comes in from Wills Lifestyle – the Apparel business division of ITC. He was with Wills Lifestyle since its inception and was part of the core team from Wills Lifestyle at the bi-annual Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW).
Seem IMG Reliance wants expertise from FDCI organised India Fashion Week to set the Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) in order. Well time only will tell how the new guy fares!
Lakme Fashion Week was anyway going downhill for quiet sometime now as it had become nothing but a Bollywood Tamasha. But now that Old Guards have given way to the new team, the exodus of designers loyal to Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) to Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) was expected. After the face of LFW – Anil Chopra quit Lakme, the IMG Reliance team hasn’t been able to muster up a good line-up of designers. If you go through the list of participating designers in LFW, I am sure you will see a whole bunch of new names. Oh yes, participation of New York based designer of Indian origin – Bibhu Mohapatra is probably the highlight of the Lakme Fashion Week Summer Resort 2012.
The WIFW Fall-Winter 2012 schedule disappointed me when I saw many quality Pret Wear designers absent. The absence of Rajesh Pratap Singh, Ashish Soni, Rohit Gandhi + Rahul Khanna, Namrata Joshipura, Varun Bahl, Ranna Gill, Nandita Basu, Varun Sardana and Prashant Verma is going to rob the charm of WIFW quiet a bit. I don’t know if the addition of LFW loyalists like Nachiket Barve, Kallol Dutta, Dev r Nil and Abdul Haldar in WIFW schedule will compensate that loss. The 12-Designer Show to support the cause against Women Trafficking at WIFW holds promise though.
When you ask the designers who are skipping the Fall-Winter 2012 edition of WIFW they give you politically correct answers but that’s definitely not the fact. Off-the-Record comments fly off like – “The line-up looks like Bridal Fashion Week”, or some hint at groupism. When will Indian Fashion get over trivial politics???
When one’s husband is the Chairman of the Body organising a Fashion Week, the wife can be assured of a a Prime Slot amongst big-ticket designers even if her credibility as a designer is yet to be tested. Vijay Singh, the Chairman of FDPC (I thought this body was defunct but Singh still uses it.) that organises the annual Aamby Valley Indian Bridal Week has managed to bring in his wife, Jyotsna Tiwari as a designers amongst some big-ticket names from the fashion industry in the very second year since Bridal Week made its debut.
Jyotsna Tiwari had a multifaceted career before she turned designer. A graduate from the Pusa Institute of Hotel Management, Jyotsna took to catering business when she was in Kolkata. After this she started a Spa venture, which suddenly shut-down and Jyotsna moved to Delhi with her hubby, Vijay Singh and started TNG Spa here, which too is shut down now. Eventually Jyotsna Tiwari took to designing and when Vijay Singh was riding high on FDPC Agenda (thanks to his close proximity to the then Minister of Textile, Shankarsinh Vaghela) she managed a slot in Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) in March 2009 in the category of ‘Debutant Designers’. The point to be noted here is that earlier Jyotsna Tiwari’s applications to FDCI for participation in WIFW were denied couple of times.
So when I saw Jyotsna Tiwari’s name next to the likes of Tarun Tahiliani, Pallavi and Bhairavi Jaikishan, Falguni & Shane Peacock, Rocky S, Neeta Lulla and Vikram Phadnis, I was rather amazed. Not only that, Vijay Singh ensured that Kangana Ranaut, the Brand Ambassador of Aamby Valley Indian Bridal Week 2011 wore none other than Jyotsna Tiwari’s design.
Don’t be surprised if you see the organisers putting their weight behind this caterer turned beautician turned designer – Jyotsna Tiwari at the forthcoming Bridal Week.
The bi-annual Lakme Fashion Week was losing sheen with not so great designers showcasing their work. But the lineup of designers for the Winter/Festive 2011 edition of Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai seems impressive and being a Delhi-ite I am only too proud to say that the sheen is added by Delhi designers.
Rohit Bal is doing an off-site show at the Winter/Festive 2011 Lakme Fashion Week. This doesn’t come as a surprise because Bal was inducted in the Team of Advisors of Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) last year. He is also on the Board of Fashion Designers Council of India (FDCI). What comes as a surprise however is the participation of senior Delhi designers who are (or were) in the Board of FDCI that holds the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW). These designers are JJ Valaya and Rina Dhaka. Wendell Rodricks lately became a regular at WIFW and many say that Rodricks had a fall out with LFW hence the new found loyalty with FDCI. Well Wendell Rodricks too is showcasing at LFW this time besides other stalwarts like Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Narendra Kumar.
Though the friction between FDCI and Lakme is currently at its minimal state, there’s no denying that there exists a shimmering rivalry between the organisors of the two fashion weeks – WIFW and LFW. Major poaching and lobbying takes place like alluring designers with sponsored shows and what not.
Now we also have a new Head of Fashion at IMG Reliance post the exit of former MD of IMG Reliance, Ravi Krishnan. Anjana Sharma, Director-Fashion at IMG Reliance seems to be a team worker and I have heard only good things about her till now.
Now that the Lakme Fashion Week has got an impressive lineup of shows, I sincerely hope that they also improve on the business aspect of the fashion week and not forget that Fashion Weeks are essentially Trade Shows and not Bollywood Tamasha. Heard that the business aspect has been rejuvenated too. Well I will reserve my opinion on that till the week gets over!
Here’s a Breaking News from fashionscandal.com! Tarun Tahiliani whose name wasn’t on the list of designers showing at the forthcoming Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week Fall+Winter 2011-12 is actually showcasing his collection on the Opening Day of WIFW. TT’s show is slotted for the prime-time – 9:30 pm slot. I am also been told that Tahiliani’s collecton is really something to look forward to something.
Another new name featuring in the list of designers showcasing their collection at WIFW F/W 2011-12 is that of Shantanu + Nikhil Mehra. They would be showing at WIFW after quiet some time.