Says Images editor and publisher Mr Amitabh Taneja: "It is for the first time that a large cross-section of Indian consumers and the people in the fashion business have participated in the nomination process for the fashion awards. With recognition from the government and trade, IFA will felicitate the country's most admired fashion brands, companies, stores and professionals for their outstanding achievements in the year 2000."

To identify the top apparel brands of the country, Images and ORG-Marg conducted a nationwide consumer survey wherein 5,000 upmarket menswear buyers gave their verdict on menswear brands. The survey was carried out in 11 major cities in India.

Says ORG-Marg president Mr Rajiv Inamdar: "The final outcome is a scientific aggregation of factors influencing the purchasing behaviour of the consumers, based on top-of-mind recall, actual purchases and consumers' choice for the next buy. Thus, based on the Images-ORG-Marg results, six awards have been proposed. The categories include most outstanding apparel launch, brand professional, company and retailer of the year.