Call it wedding fever or the Diwali craze, but it’s that mad time of year when shopping extravaganzas overtake our cities. In Mumbai, in the past few weeks, I counted three major bazaars, and those are just the high-end ones that get lots of publicity. At a time when the world is awash in horrific news, perhaps buying beautiful things offers some succour to the soul?
Design One, the bi-annual luxury exhibition, recently had its ninth edition in Mumbai. Held at the cavernous Reliance Jio grounds in Bandra-Kurla, the two-day shopping Mecca had 23,000 visitors, despite a last-minute change of date. A social pow-wow where you’re as likely to bump into billionaires as plebians, this year, shoppers perused 182 stalls, hawking everything from fine and fashion jewellery to clothes, stationery, footwear, home décor and packaging products.
Having attended these over the years, I can vouch for the frenzy amongst people as they try to get hold of rare goods, dropping lakhs in the process. One of the most coveted invitations is the VIP preview, held early morning, before the hordes descend. After that, may the force be with you.
The other day I received an invite to a Moet & Chandon champagne soiree for The Wedding Collective, the braindchild of Shilpi Jatia, whose family runs Worli’s Four Seasons hotel, and Ritu Bagrodia.
Unlike Bridal Asia, the huge shopping mela , this bespoke gathering is smaller, more exclusive, and includes panel discussions and masterclasses on how to throw the perfect wedding and festive soirées.
To gauge the popularity of these bazaars, just look at Araaish, another well known exhibition held by Mana Shetty’s Save the Children nonprofit, which held its most recent show at Mumbai’s massive NSCI sports complex.
Araaish had initially started out at a smaller banquet space in Worli. Today, it’s a much more lavish affair, thanks to both Mana and her bestie Sharmilla Khanna, and is marked on every fashionista’s calendar. Given her star power, Araaish attracts the likes of Sridevi and Shilpa Shetty, and gets social media shout outs from celebrities like Twinkle Khanna.
Depending on the size of the booth, rentals can start at ₹50,000 and go up to ₹3 lakh at most of these exhibitions. Participants make at least 10 times the fees they pay, so it makes sound economic sense, especially since most of the brands involved do not have stand-alone retail outlets. These exhibitions are often stepping stones for emerging brands.
At a Champagne-soaked baby shower, I chatted with Amrita Kilachand, an associate member at Sahachari Foundation, which holds Design One. She told me Sanjay Garg of Raw Mango participated in Design One for four years before getting picked up by Ensemble and Good Earth. When I reached out to Sanjay, he confirmed that taking part in the exhibition helped him break into the Mumbai market.
Both Design One and Araaish, which originated in Mumbai, are so successful that they now have editions in Delhi and Dubai.
But before you shake your head in dismay at the frivolous indulgences of the affluent, think about this: funds raised from stall rentals and sponsorship fees — which can exceed a few crores — go towards charity. In Araish’s case, it’s for Save The Children, and according to Design One, their funds are deployed towards a variety of causes, including mid-day meal programs, cochlea implants for under-privileged children, the Apne Aap Women’s Collective, and St Jude’s Childcare Centres. Guilt free shopping just took on a whole new meaning.
This fortnightly column tracks the indulgent pursuits of the one-percenters.
