Is it a story of missed opportunities? That?s what a few, just a few, of the top names Indian fashion fraternity are asking themselves as they meet at their twice-annually glamourous event ? the fashion weeks. But the sales books for the next season, where the international markets ? read the US, European and the West Asian ? will see orders shrinking, and warrant a closer look. Especially as the considerable domestic market will not be unaffected in our globalised times.
But number can belie. There are three fashion weeks this season ? in itself the largest number as debutante Delhi Fashion Week (October 14-18) joined the older Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (October 15-19) and the Lakme Fashion Week (October 20-24), besides a host of more focused, but related shows in the fashion centres around the country. The number of participating designers is a record too ? well over 150 for the three weeks put together. The number of registered buyers at the Weeks is the highest ever. The previously invested money is still in the pipelines. The ramps continue to billow in hues of spring.
Look over your shoulder
But scratch the surface and recession is the buzzword for now. ?The recessionary sentiments will hit the Indian fashion market in the next three to six months,? opines Sumeet Nair of DFW. ?The next two years are going to be critical ? a make or break time for many Indian designers,? is his cautionary note. ?Global recession will hit India,? agrees Anil Chopra of LFW, ?but the effects will not be as traumatic.?
But the designers, even leading ones, are already cutting down. ?We have had to work backwards this year,? admits Rahul Khanna of CUE. ?Pricing is important and we are offering more work at lower prices.? He points out that the label has done different price ranges than compromise on quality. His price points ? an unbelievably low Rs 3,000 to Rs 15,000.
So there is less of the over the top work. Embroideries and embellishments have been replaced by sequins and stones. Rajesh Pratap Singh admits both the Indian market and global market will take a hit. ?We will have to concentrate on our niches in the near future,? is his take on how to approach the situation. Bobby Grover points out that the ?styles are simpler, usually just sheathing. The look is more futuristic.? Raghuvendra Rathore admits it might be time for the designers to realise that the NRI community may not be buying significantly in the near future. ?It is too early to say if the current business will get affected, but in six to eight weeks we will get the answers,? he predicts. Sonam Dubal admits recession ?affects the industry as it?s a luxury market and one has to choose the range between certain priced points.?
Sabyasachi Mukherjee is more confident about riding out the storm. ?My business is aligned to what I saw coming. I only do Indian clothes for India. My collection for say New York is totally different. Now there is global confusion and Indians are coming back.? Jaipur-based Puja Arya is confident of this phase passing. ?My focus is going to be on what I design. We just have to get more professional.? Krishna Mehta feels international buyers are not consistent. ?Except for those from the Gulf region, most of the other buyers will come for the Weeks, make inquiries and that?s about it all.?
Some remain optimists. ?The luxury segment,? says Shantanu Mehra of Shantanu-Nikhil, ?is not impinged by the vagaries of the stock market or the recession and is not dependent on it too. This is a niche sector. And remember, weddings will take place, irrespective of a recession.? Echoes Krishna Mehta, ?99% of people in India wear Indian clothes. Salwars have replaced the sari and Indo-Western fusion has become a norm for the former, but Indian wear has not been wiped out from the Indian?s wardrobe. Who will cater to the market other than the Indian fashion designer??
First time unlucky?
For many designers whose first time it is, the storyboard is not what they imagined it would be. Kathmandu-based designer Vikram Rana of Yasmine Design says, ?People will opt for clothes that are less showy and be worn couple of times and what they will like to change is the accessories such as scarf, shoes, belts, caps and bags.? Kolkata-based Debarun Mukherjee admits his plan is to have ?restrictive pricing. It is the higher middle class to the established professionals who will think twice about buying.? For Mumbai?s James Ferreira, who keeping in mind the recession, has started his range from Rs 1700 onwards, feels two fashion weeks at one time ?is going to affect the buyer?s decision, as they are getting indecisive in what to go for and what not to.? Plans are on hold. ?It?s not a good time to expand,? admits Neeraj of Azara.
Not bought over
Nor are the buyers over enthusiastic. While many of the regulars, including Anthorpologie, La Rinascente and Harvey Nichols are in attendance this time too, the sentiment is more to check out than commit. Notably, many of the earlier leading buyers are missing this time around. Yasmine Mohammad Radwan from Saudi Arabia is categorical that the West Asian markets are down too, and buyers from her region will be more careful about their orders this time. Berma Erman from Villa Max, Kuwait says she is just ?checking out rather than buying at the moment?. Dato? Nancy Yeoh from Singapore is interested in local craftsmanship and is looking for that.
?The recession has made me little concerned and I am thinking twice before I made up my mind to buy a larger volume, as I will have to think about my customers as well,? says Dubai-based Irfan Rafid. ?It?s the working class customers that are going to be affected by this recession.? Orders are being placed, but the frenzied search for the next big name is not on the buyer agenda.
Indian retailers seem a little more assured. ?There will be a ripple effect on every sphere,? says Pradeep Hirani of Kimaya. ?Fortunately Indian fashion is not that dependent on global movements, but what might change is the preference from very high end couture to luxury pr?t. This is time for everyone to adjust and absorb. If Indian designers can be disciplined, they can cut costs.? Sanjay Kapoor of Genesis Colours, who got a Rs 1.1 billion PE investment from the US in summer, says it will take longer for the luxury market to get affected.
Corporate calls
There have been improvements. Corporatisation has been attempted, India is more visible at global fashion capitals of New York, Milan, London and most noticeably Paris. ?The recent Tranoi show put the focus on India,? says Kevin Nigli, director, Abraham & Thakore. ?Changes are happening, there is greater corporatisation and professional approach.? Narendra Kumar Ahmed feels ?it is a great time for India to create brands which go beyond niche labels. Corporatisation goes a way in helping fulfill that dream.? But Mehra, who is soon going to tie up with a corporate house, says ?most corporate houses feel that designers have ego problems. I feel that when a corporate is willing to understand the value of a fashion designer, then this marriage can be a productive.?
Chopra admits that retailers have been calling designers on unmet orders as they are focused on collections. ?The high end fashion needs to get organised. There are people who want to be partners, but the designers are still reluctant.? And as fashion purveyor Harpreet admits, ?Every Indian wants to flaunt global labels. And if they are available at comparable prices, I will go for them as their cuts and finishes are much better.?
Whether it is a case of too little too late is what some fear as global giants make forays into the Indian market.
Couture and high end jewellery are already hit, admit most. ?And Indians are still to understand the structured pr?t market,? says Rajesh Pratap Singh. And that might just be where a considerable part of the trouble lies for Indian design labels, feel experts. For even in the boom period of the previous years, hardly any label has been able to corporatise and build infrastructure to a level of Western top end apparel brand. And the arrival of names like Cavalli, Armani, Kenzo, D&G, Canali and many others might just take away the top-end ready-to-wear market, leaving the Indian designers to contest the extensive, but limited festive-wedding couture category.
Mehta puts it succinctly. ?Indian fashion designers must keep the following in mind ? Keep the prices under control, our deliveries leave much to be desired. Designers must learn to take charge of the logistics, infrastructure, in particular. I wish designers would stick to their core competencies, which is Indian and Indo-Western wear.
The answer to whether Indian designers are able to make their shows count on the global ramps or are forced to largely being shaadi designers is an answer that lies in the not too distant future.
Bling blues are global
What recession? That may be the sentiment some of the Indian designers are projecting at the ongoing fashion weeks, the collections indicate reduced spending from the buyers.
And the mood is global. New York, Paris, Milan and London all had the bravado but did the sentiment is unmistakable. Most agree that top designers like Oscar de la Renta will continue to do well, but the mood is conservative even for more adventurous brands like Prada or Balenciaga.
Saks Fifth Avenue and Barneys skipped London Fashion Week. London designers are the icing on the cake, Averyl Oates, fashion director, Harvey Nichols has been reported saying. ?And these days no one needs extra icing.?
Buyers from Asia were present more at the accessory shows at Paris Fashion Week, reflecting the concentration of the recession?s effects in America and Europe.
