YES, TIME FLIES, AND HOW. WE STILL remember the excitement and anticipation of the first one. Even after ten years, we have vivid recollections of the revolution that changed Indian fashion in the year 2000. It was huge. It was something we had never seen before in the country. Everyone was talking about it. Everyone wanted to be part of it. It was Lakmé India Fashion Week.

There have been a few changes over the years. After the legendary split with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) in 2005, the name was simplified to Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW). A tie-up with IMG (the international events and entertainment company that organises the New York Fashion Week) followed and Mumbai became the permanent semesterly venue. Today, it holds its position as a premier fashion event, attended by media, buyers, designers, fashion’s elite and celebrities from all over the country, and many parts of the world.

Since the very beginning, Lakmé (the title sponsor) have been keen on making the event a platform to not only showcase the most exquisite creations by India’s design maestros, but also provide a launch pad to newer talent. Couturiers like Ritu Kumar, Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahiliani, Wendell Rodricks and other such royalty converted the week to a pilgrimage each season. This was also the emerging ground for eventual sensations like Sabyasachi Mukerjee, Anamika Khanna, Savio Jon and many more.

The Gen Next and Emerging Designer sections, which select fresh talent and put them on the national runway, have been noted parts of LFW. Arjun Saluja, Nachiket Barve, Anuj Sharma, Anand Kabra, Drashta Sarvaiya, Dev R Nil, Péro, Rimzim Dadu, Kallol Datta and many more names have challenged notions and contributed to redefining contemporary Indian fashion. The future starts here.

LFW has also been instrumental in the participation of Indian designers at international fashion events like the Mercedes Benz New York Fashion Week, Rosemount Fashion Week (Australia) and Coterie New York. International fashion writers and personalities like Colin McDowell, Hillary Alexander, Suzy Menkes and IMG’s Fern Mallis have been visitors. The names of our designers have slowly but surely found a place in print and online publications across the globe.

The humane aspect has also not been ignored. The glitz of Mumbai’s film industry has served as a magnet for many a show with a message. The most recent and memorable was the Mai Mumbai show in honour of the 26/11 victims, featuring the stunning Naomi Campbell and the most exquisite designer creations which were later auctioned for charitable proceeds.

2009 has been a big year for LFW. Along with an extraordinary ‘10 Years Show’, many more notable events were organised. Recognising the need for specialised fashion journalism in India, a Fashion Media Workshop was held, along with buyer-media-designer interaction sessions. There has also been a strategic shift plan from 2010, where the international system of showing six months in advance is being replaced by a current season showcasing scheme. This is an adaptation to the requirements of Indian buyers, who insist on receiving merchandise within a month of their release.

A decade may be insignificant on a global scale, in comparison with the fashion capitals of the world. But the important thing for our design industry was to be organised, and this is the event that brought it all together in the first place. Apart from work, this is where the fraternity bonds over many a debate, discussion and laughs. Wide-eyed newbies are absorbed and slowly seasoned into divas. Underneath all the ‘mwah mwahs’, deeper relationships are formed. Each season ends with the reassurance of “Hey, I’ll see you in another six months.
Time flies!”
It does. Watch this space in 10 years’ time.

Subscribe to Verve Magazine or buy the Verve issue on stands now!