Textual content by Ranjabati Das, with inputs from Akanksha Pandey and Sarah Rajkotwala. Pictures by Naomi Shah and Asad Sheikh.
The discourse across the reordering of priorities in addition to long-standing energy dynamics throughout the trade — introduced on by rising client consciousness and the democratisation of vogue via digitalisation and social media, and geared in the direction of making vogue extra sustainable and inclusive — has already taken centre stage in recent times. And, as anticipated, the return of the bodily format of FDCI x Lakmé Trend Week in March 2022, after two years of warning exhibited via phygital variations in a post-pandemic world, gave recent impetus to the dialog across the relevance of vogue weeks, one of many many contentious aspects of an trade in want of dire change.
In an effort to create a roadmap for the longer term, Verve brings to you a motley assortment of opinions to dissect the legitimacy of the satisfaction of place vogue weeks have come to take pleasure in over time and internationally regardless of the dissonance created by an outdated mannequin that leaves a lot to be desired when it comes to entry and monetary yields. Pointing in the direction of a spate of adjustments deemed very important to make vogue weeks extra present, experiential and interpersonal, these reiterate the necessity to problem the established order and reclaim a extra genuine face of vogue, most seen maybe in vogue week’s potential to encourage and provide an area for celebration, drive innovation, mould expertise, make statements and deal with collective cultural histories.
On the newest version of the occasion, members of the style fraternity weigh in on the professionals and cons, the return to the thought of the style present as spectacle powered by celebrities and influencers, and the significance of reinvention:
Rajesh Pratap Singh
“It provides us a timetable, a singular platform for designers and their communication. A calendar for the trade. And it makes the expertise handy for patrons.”
-Rajesh Pratap Singh of his eponymous label.
Abraham & Thakore
“Trend showcases serve completely different functions to completely different stakeholders. Firstly, vogue reveals are an excellent platform for us designers to creatively highlight our distinctive values to merchandisers, patrons and vogue trade professionals. Secondly, we get to talk to the media immediately in addition to via our showcase, which supplies us a voice. Thirdly, on this age of social media, we additionally get to talk on to the shoppers, who can take part remotely.”
-David Abraham and Rakesh Thakore of Abraham & Thakore.
Eka
“For the time being, there aren’t many patrons. Trend week is extra of a media train these days. Because of the quantity of stimulation we obtain on social media when it comes to the inflow of labels and vogue imagery, the artistic trade has been pushed to a nook. Maybe we have to reinvent the mannequin of vogue weeks. As a lot as I take pleasure in presenting on the runway, it doesn’t at all times translate into enterprise.”
-Rina Singh of Eka.
Pankaj & Nidhi
“Trend reveals ought to experiment and take dangers. They must encourage upcoming designers and never simply goal the influencer market. Designers get to inform their tales, reaching artistic satisfaction. However, by some means, glamour has taken up a big area, the showstoppers are prepared earlier than the clothes.”
-Mohit Ahuja, influencer.
Satya Paul
“Trend week was a refreshing expertise after so lengthy. After the gloom of the pandemic, everyone wanted a trigger for celebration, and vogue week solidified the truth that vogue is just not lifeless. It proved the relevance of designers, outdated and new.”
-Ankith ES, stylist.
Studio Medium
“The interplay and engagement charge on social media is greater throughout these occasions and it helps your web page attain new audiences. They result in a whole lot of new enquiries, a few of which do transform fruitful!”
-Riddhi Jain of Studio Medium.
