What was the talk of the town for the last three months has finally shaped into reality. An initiative of the Textile Ministry, the Fashion and Design Promotion Council of India finally has been successful in uniting the void ridden fashion fraternity in Delhi. In an epoch making maneuver, FDPC signed Prodigy Fashion to present Indian Fashion in the city, thus bringing in the expertise and support of Sumeet Nair of Fashion Foundation of India. Fashion Design Council of India's President Sunil Sethi has already been supporting the FDPC goal of a unified fashion week in the city.
Both Sumeet and Vijay Singh, President FDPC have confirmed the report. "We will be conceptualising, organising and executing the fashion week in India. We will continue the same philosophy of presenting the Fashion Week with additional resources from Fashion and Design Promotion Council. While conceptualizing the Delhi Fashion Week Models Photo we had an independent jury looking into the selection of designers and wanted to create a world class luxury event. The Fashion and Design Promotion Council has encouraged these as guiding forces for the new event that will be held under their aegis" declared Sumeet.
The question now is which fashion week are we talking about? Vijay clarifies, "The ultimate goal of the FDPC is to be able stage one unified fashion event in the country, which has eventually taken shape. Delhi Fashion Week and Wills India Fashion Week are slated to merge together and host designer likewise. We have 95 percent of the designers from both fashion weeks with us and the remaining are bound to sign within the next few weeks, making the FDPC ‘the fashion governing body’ in India."
Only last year, there were daggers drawn between Sumeet Nair and Sunil Sethi, can they ever co-exist on one forum? “They both are promised pivotal positions and there have been innumerable meetings where they have come face to face and discussed openly. It's time they buried the hatchet", Vijay goes on to advice. How the FDPC will accommodate the 125 plus designers from DFW and WIFW into one fashion week, remains to be seen. Meanwhile Raghavendra Rathore, VP, FDPC suggested, "The number of shows and the number of days is bound to go up." There is also a possibility that the screening process is scrutinised further to ensure that only the best participate. Rumours of hosting an exclusive fashion week for upcoming designers were also being circulated.
Now then, what is the FDPC's take on the decade old Lak me Fashion Week in Mumbai and other new ones in Kolkatta and Bangalore, respectively? "We are focussing now on Delhi, since the situation demanded damage control and crisis management. Letters will be sent subsequently to all fashion bodies. The HDIL Couture Week will be staged this year as per the FDCI commitment. As of now, designers are free to choose" said Vijay. But close sources say that the FDPC will have to check the feasibility of allowing that in the long run, since it's impractical to have a designer have knowledge of the developments in multiple bodies since he is bound to share, just like a 'spy'. Well, the signs are certainly heavenly... as this apocalyptic situation seems to be saved from unleashing all hell, All we hope for now is that there is no rift in the Fashion and Design Promotion Council.
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