In the words of Mafatlal (UK) chief executive Vaidy Iyer, the show titled `Collections for Spring 2000' held at one of the ultimate destinations of hi-fashion in the UK helped the group clinching orders for 1.5 million metres worth 3 million pounds sterling from M&S, one of the biggest chains of the western world.

"Last year," he said, "M&S had placed orders of 4 million pounds sterling with the Mafatlals during the entire year. We have emerged as the largest and most reliable supplier to M&S. We are sourcing our materials from all over the country, including handloom, powerloom, yarn dyed and print dyedmaterials. The bulk of the orders from Indian companies comprise cotton fabrics or garments and are placed around May-June.

Iyer said the other outcome of the show was the Mafatlals getting a fresh offer from M&S for participation in `Collections for Autumn-Winter 2000-2001' sometime in August, and from other chains too in the UK.

UK-based fashion designer Michael Moss, who is also associated with the M&S-NID tie-up since the last six months, said, "We gave free hands to NID students to `create' rather than `copy' designs. I wanted to change the idea prevalent abroad about India and promote India per se."

He said there were 12 female and four male models donning 120 attires, comprising 220 piece-garments, a combination of both western and even ethnic Indian attires."

There was a red colour gold-embroidered wedding dress in that tight fitting bodice and wide skirt type. It was bold by any conventional sense because western wedding dresses are usually in white and beige. It eventually began with aBharat Natyam number up the ramp.

Moss said the other group to participate in the fashion show for M&S were the students of Manchester Metropolitan University. Incidentally, Ahmedabad was once called the Manchester of India because of over 60 composite cotton textiles mills in the city.

But what is viewed as more noteworthy about the show was the extension of the six-month old Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between M&S and NID by three years.

M&S had entered into an MoU with NID six months back, offering scholarships to three students (one under-graduate and two post-graduate), including three weeks sponsored trips to UK. For the students, Maria, Neeta and Anjali, the most exciting experience was working for real customers abroad. Back at NID, they usually work on hypothetical projects.

The fashion show was an extension of the MoU by which 20 NID students, specialised in textile design, designing formal, casual and night dress for men's and ladies and dresses for boys and girls and toddlers. Thethree students, accompanied by their faculty Shimul Mehta Vyas, worked with fashion designers of the UK till the final fashion show.

Obviously impressed by the talents at NID, M&S extended the MoU with NID for another three years. "It could be even 30," quipped an Mafatlals executive.