WIFW Roundup: Young designers shine, lure buyers

New Delhi: The stage was set for a big leap and the brigade of young designers, including Samant Chauhan and Rahul Mishra, caught the buyers` attention with their collections that have the desi themes made with Indian textiles and weaves. The spring-summer edition of Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) concluded Wednesday with many young designers impressing the buyers from around the globe with their unique design aesthetics and out-of-the-box presentation. From debutante Payal Pratap - wife of ace designer Rajesh Pratap Singh - to designers like Atsu Sekhose, Nachiket Barve, Anand Bhushan and Aneeth Arora -- all impressed buyers from Japan and other European nations. Japanese buyer Tomoko, one of the regulars at the fashion gala, praised them saying that she was truly impressed with their collections. "I thought that some of the shows displayed great progress in terms of creativity. Rahul Mishra and Samant used traditional fabrics and it impressed me. I am quite impressed with the way they have used different techniques to make the collection glamorous as ever," said Tomoko. Another buyer Nadezda Kuzuvova, from Russia, added: "We work with designers like Malini Ramani but we were quite impressed with Rajdeep Ranawat`s show. This is our fourth time at the WIFW and I think the attraction this time was the creative side of some of the new faces." If Nagaland-born Atsu`s collection brought the rich culture of the northeast, which was dominated by Naga fabrics like cotton and silk, others like Rahul, Samant and Payal generously used traditional fabrics like ikkat, chikankari and zardosi in their ensemble. For them, this edition was all about exploring their Indian roots and interpreting it in different ways. The five-day fashion extravaganza, organised by Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), started here Oct 6 and as many as 132 designers, including international names, participated at the fashion gala. Veterans shared the limelight too. Ashish N. Soni, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Namrata Joshipura, Wendell Rodricks, Gaurav Gupta, James Ferreira, Manish Malhotra, Suneet Varma, Kavita Bhartia and Ritu Kumar presented a mix of prett and couture line. Like last season, this time also, business was ripe with buyers from Kuwait and other Middle East nations, Australia, China and Singapore showing interest in the designs. "WIFW has always been known for creating landmarks in the fashion world. All the participating designers received accolades for their collections and they are taking orders from buyers from across the world. There are new buyers from many countries including Australia and Japan," said Sunil Sethi, president of FDCI. Designer Gautam Gupta, who has been in the business for more then five years now, has for the very first time participated at WIFW by putting up his stall and he is amazed to see the response he got from the buyers from the European nations. "Business is good and people liked my collection. Since this is my first time, I am not participating but exhibiting at Wills. And I am amazed to see the footfall of buyers, especially from Middle East and European countries," Gupta told IANS. Another first timer on the ramp, Prerna Bhardwaj says the response was way better than her expectations. She said: "Business is good. Of course, I can`t compare it with other designers since it`s my first time but it`s better than my expectation. I have got orders from all domestic and Middle East buyers." Designer Niki Mahajan, who has completed more then two decades in the business of fashion, says: "The Indian market scenario has surely picked up when it comes to attracting buyers from across the globe." "I just returned from Paris and I can say that India is far better then any other fashion capital when it comes to attracting buyers from different region. I am already working with the US and Japanese buyers and have added few more to the list this time," she said. Fashion is also about glitz and glamour, but designers concentrated more on the creative side than glamour. Bollywood `tadka` was not as strong as in earlier editions. A few names from Bollywood like Manoj Bajpayee, Parineeti Chopra, Diana Penty, Tannishtha Chatterjee and Esha Gupta were seen walking the ramp. IANS