The Grand Finale

The event culminated with a bold demonstration of gold and glitter. JJ Valaya's luxurious collection 'Kingdom of Love' brought the premier event to an impressive close. JJ's signature tailored jackets, jodhpurs and bright tops worn with detailed skirts, like the royal clothes of kings and queens were showcased on the ramp on the final day of the event. "The collection was all about moving from negativity to positivity." said a visibly pleased Valaya, post show.

Young Talent

This was for the first time that the fashion week saw a third show area, exclusive for the young upcoming talent at the venue. This platform not just worked as the moral booster, but also offered a beautiful poolside view. Designers like Preeti S Kapoor, Abdul Halder, Rajdeep Ranawat, Parvesh Jai, Nikhita Tandon, Ritesh Kumar got the fantastic opportunity to showcase in this exclusively area. "These initiatives will encourage young designers to participate even if they can't meet the expense of a slot (a slot costs upwards of Rs.1 lakh)," says Sunil Sethi, President, Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI).

For the first time, the last day of the event was booked especially for the buyer-designer meetings and order placements.

The Fashion Business

The fashion weeks in India might have become the leading calendar events but the bottom line still lies in the fact, how much of revenue it could generate. As expected, the slump has taken its toll on the fashion industry too, with buyers playing safe and sticking to their regular designers and experimenting lesser with the newer ones. Though figures on the business generated at the five day event are still being gathered, Sunil Sethi, the President of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) said that there was a mixed response. "Some designers managed to get good business while for some, it was lower. What is important is to see that the buyers could make a strong presence which, happened. Some of them reduced their budget while others stuck to the same." said Mr Sethi.

For established designers like Rina Dhaka, Ranna Gill, Rohit Gandhi-Rahul Khanna, Ashima-Leena, Shane-Falguni and, Raghavendra Rathore, it was business as usual as their respective buyers placed good orders with them. Middle East, UK, and Australia have proved to be better markets for Indian designers. "The new buyers have shown a good interest and the buyers from US stores like Anthropologie are back which indicates the revival in demand." said Rahul Khanna. "Business has been quite good and there were no order cuts for us. Our regular buyers from the Middle East liked the collections and we expect a sizable order as, keeping the market condition in mind, we have worked on lowering our prices," said designer Leena Singh.

Another designer Niki Mahajan said that she was satisfied with the amount of business generated as apart from her regular buyers she received serious business enquires from new buyers as well. "My regular buyers seemingly have reduced the quantity but I have got a good response from Japan and Hong Kong," Mahajan said. The seriousness in business and the value for money is certainly on top of the agenda for the buyer from all over, domestic and international.