Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2007

Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2007 -WLIFW

The 2007 Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week or WLIFW is currently being held at the Ashok Hotel in Delhi this week. Every year it is the same story - models walk on the catwalk in either illfitting, badly cut western clothes or wear some boring 'ethnic outfits'.

A few years ago, a former beauty contest winner and model had told me, "These designers are big hoaxes. They just pick up stuff from the flea markets of Thailand or other places and add a bit of sequins, trim and zari work....then they pay us to wear them. There is absolutely no creativity." I was shocked at what my colleague had said coz at that time I was not aware how fashion designers use the media to promote their useless 'creations.'

Later on, I was sent on a shoot where 'top designers' like JJ Vallaya and Ritu Kumar were displaying their collection of Lehenga cholis and Saris. Ritu Kumar was a woman who was well practised in giving sound bites, JJ Vallaya, however, was quite a different story. This fat sardar, oh boy, he is a huge 1 metre in diameter - was hoity toity at its worst! Being a Punjabi and Indian, he started of by saying, "Don't ask me any questions in Hindi, its so uh..ah........(dismissive wave of hand). When I asked him on camera about expected revenues and plans for future growth, he started blabbing that, "everything is not about the money".........yeah right !

Most Indian designers just like other Indians in businesses like films, music or media lack originality when it comes to their creations. It is easier to copy outfits from fashion shows in non English speaking countries like Thailand, Brazil and Japan, add a few embellishments and pass them off as your own instead of creating them from scratch. Getting designs from student and upcoming designers is also another way to get outfits on the catwalk. However, the biggest mistake made by designers is using common fabrics and local tailors. Haphazard management of fashion events is another faux pas.

The media after being treated to a five star lunch and complimentary gifts may write stuff about 'foreign buyers' visiting and India being the newest fashion destination. These are just words and I've done it too ! Any juvenile can see that the clothes are just decorated 'potato sacks' - they are not measured, pinned and cut like those at top European fashion houses. Also, the fabric is not something new and different. The only foreign markets Indian designers can possibly cater too are the gullible socialites and NRI market. After all, non resident Indians and Pakistanis do need traditional outfits for weddings and other social occassions.

And please, getting the wives of ambassadors and other foreign friends to sit in the front row does not mean you have foreign buyers ! Click her to see what foreign fashion journalists covering the 2007 Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week are upto !

So, what do you think about the Indian Fashion scenario and the 2007 Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week ?