The stage is set for 5 days of on- ramp sizzle, front row glamour and frantic activity in the exhibition area. The Autumn Winter Edition of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week 2012 kick starts with 138 designers and over a 120 buyers coming together for the most solid business of fashion event that exists in the country.
Buyers from countries as diverse as Senegal, Russia, Pakistan, Japan, Singapore and more will be scouting for creative designs from both established and emerging talent. Add to that the healthy presence of domestic buyers who have been bringing in the moolah for the past several seasons.
Keep in mind that buyers, particularly those catering domestically, usually have fatter budgets for the autumn-winter season, given the festivities that form part of the season.
Designers have been adopting various approaches to ensure buyer footfalls into their booths. Fashion Designer Sonam Dubal feels that buyers have their own strategies to follow. But as an Indian designer for the international market I try to stick to my signature style yet make it interesting in approach by recreating interesting colours and silhouettes into the line; also embracing plainer and textured pieces rather than only embroideries. In this season I have worked with Ikats and hand block prints that have a painterly prominence and also mixed interesting textiles for the local market.
While the most important aspect of gaining buyer attention is the clothes themselves, equally important is approaching buyers much before the fashion week actually begins. Nachiket Barves appointment schedule is already busy this week. The designer feels its important to touch base with buyers and fix appointments before the frantic pace of the week sets in. Not all meetings with first time buyers translate into business, but its important to show your interest, says Nachiket.
So the work is cut out for both buyers and designers in the 5 days that follow. And as I walk through the exhibition area and see some designers already in the company of buyers, I can tell you folks . FASHION DOES MEAN BUSINESS.