The fashion fraternity has debated pros and cons of hosting fashion weeks in different Indian metros and the verdict has always been divided — some designers see it as a dilution of ‘Fashion Week' concept, while others see it as an opportunity to expand business.
Delhi hosts the Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week, India Couture Week and Men's Fashion Week, while Mumbai hosts the Lakme Fashion Week. Kolkata, Chennai and Bangalore paved the way for city-centric fashion weeks and Hyderabad joined the bandwagon two years ago, with little success. This year, though, the Hyderabad International Fashion Week (HIFW) will be hosted by a different group — Storm Fashion Company — which spearheads the fashion weeks in Chennai, Bangalore and Kolkata.
The organisers promise to raise the bar and make HIFW an event to remember. With national and international designers set to showcase winter/festive collections, the five-day event (October 19 to 35 at Taj Vivanta, Begumpet) will showcase works of 22 designers.
Asmita Marwa, who had her reservations with the Hyderabad fashion week in the last two years, says she came on board this time going by the credibility of big brands associated with the event. Neeta Lulla, who hails from the city and has been teaching at Hamstech fashion institute, feels it's better late than never for Hyderabad to join the bandwagon. “In terms of creative talent and business potential, I see a lot of scope,” she says.
Beyond the glamour, it's business that counts for fashion weeks and the designers are optimistic. “The organisers are reaching out to buyers all over AP. I have established myself in Mumbai, Delhi and Bangalore thanks to Lakme Fashion Week and see a lot of potential in developing cities like Vizag,” says Asmita, who will be focusing on wearable collections that will transcend seasonal trends.
Neeta Lulla will be featuring festive/bridal range: “The collection will hold good for the festive season and the wedding season that will last till March,” she says.
Four students from Hamstech will also get a chance to showcase their works. Among the 50 models, 18 to 20 will be from Hyderabad, which includes Kavya Bali, Natasha Prasad, Deborah Doris Fell, Aakanksha Patil, Apala Rath, Sadhana Singh, Kirti Samrat, Sanjeev Kumar, Phani Kumar, Raghu Maurya, Anirudh and Irfan. Watch out for star showstoppers and after-parties too.
Participating designers
Asmita Marwa will open the fashion week, which will also showcase collections of Indian designers Archana Kochhar, Monapali, Aruna Singh, Hari Anand, Priya Kataria Puri, James Ferreira and international designers such as Sanjana Jon (New York), Yolan Aluwihare (Sri Lanka) and Lida Orelly (Mauritius). The event will end with a grand finale by Neeta Lulla.
