The latest edition of India’s biggest fashion showcase, the Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI has concluded with a jam-packed four days of back-to-back shows and collection launches from supremely talented designers and brands of the country.
Held from 9th to 12th of March 2023 in Mumbai, the latest edition of Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI covered a vast range of presentations including topics such as sustainability, material innovation, ethical design, new talent, heritage crafts and more. But apart from the glitz and glamour, no fashion week is complete if it does not translate into business in the truest sense – and that means creativity turning into actual orders.
And here is where the business aspect of fashion week comes in – the fashion buyers – both domestic and international, who scout for path-breaking designers and innovative new designs across the world to satiate consumers’ demand for that next big thing.
In this regard, India is solidifying its place in the world owing to its unique designs and intricate surface manipulations coupled with material explorations that are in sync with the demands of the evolving consumer of today. Overseas business makes up for a big chunk of revenue for Indian designers and this season has been no different.
Buyers have been happy to see a shift towards occasion-based partywear making a comeback on the runways with sequins, embellishments and metallics reigning supreme. Inclusivity and diversity on the runways, be it in terms of body shapes and sizes or heights, has been a huge welcome sight – something that all the buyers we connected with, have given a nod of approval to. On the pricing front, most buyers have been happy with the way Indian designers have priced their products but there was still anticipation of some new and refreshed creativity filling the space.
In terms of size and magnitude, buyers preferred the last season more where they specifically fell in love with the buyers’ lounge – and a certain international buyer also wished that they had more options for Indian food within the event venue, something that they look forward to tasting while travelling to India for work.
In an exclusive interview with India-based Aza, Dubai-based Vesimi, Abu Dhabi-based Lily Valley and Paris-based Pirnia Collection, we bring to you the insider report on the top fashion and retail business trends across regions along with the designers on the radar of these global curators.
Read on to discover!
DEVANGI PAREKH, AZA FASHION (INDIA)
Founded in 2005 by Alka Nishar, Aza, which means ‘desire’ in Sanskrit, is a multi-designer offline as well as online store offering a wide selection of Indian designerwear from across the world, making it easy for fashion-conscious individuals to shop without any hassle.
The retailer houses a selection of 1000+ names which include some of the top designers in the industry such as Sabyasachi; Tarun Tahiliani; Masaba; Gopi Vaid; Anita Dongre; Varun Bahl; Paulmi & Harsh; Karaj Jaipur; Naaz by Noor; Anamika Khanna; Kalista; Ridhi Mehra; Mahima Mahajan; Abhinav Mishra and Anushree Reddy and showcases a wide range of categories of high-end luxury styles featuring Indian designerwear to contemporarywear, western outfits, designer bridalwear, bespoke collection of jewelleries and accessories, footwear, home decor and gifts.
The leading fashion authority currently operates seven boutiques at key locations across Mumbai, Delhi and Hyderabad and a fast-growing online portal headed by Alka Nishar’s daughter Devangi Parekh.
Apparel Resources (AR) spoke exclusively to Devangi Parekh, Director of Aza Fashion to get her views on the recently concluded edition of Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI. Read on to discover what she had to say.
AR: What shows / designers stood out for you during the current season of Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI and why?
DP: For me, Siddartha Tytler’s ‘2085’ was progressive, fun and on-point with trends – the concept of ‘athluxury’ is very relevant. I loved the set, vibrant colours and androgynous cuts with an ’80s twist. Abhishek Sharma was another show that stood out – his pieces were crafted immaculately and employed a variety of highly complex techniques from laser cutting to surface ornamentation in an effort to create a stunning final product that was simultaneously structured and fluid.
Namrata Joshipura’s silhouettes were powerful and glamorous, with a new-age disco vibe. I loved the way Anavila creatively draped her sarees with an ode to Indian history, highlighting the beauty of both the garment and body form. I also really liked Itrh’s ‘Dancing Queen’ because it was super fun, inclusive and the right kind of extra.
AR: Who are some of the designers or labels that you have placed orders with for the coming season?
DP: As with every season, we have many straight-off-the-runway promos coming up across Aza stores and online at Azafashions.com. This includes the GenNext Roadshow that we do in partnership with Lakmé Fashion Week and FDCI, where we launch all the GenNext designers.
Some of the other fashion week collections we will be showcasing over the next few days include Geisha Designs, Abraham and Thakore, Siddhartha Bansal, Saisha Shinde, Dhruv Vaish and Sahil Aneja, amongst others.
Online, we are already live with Punit Balana and Eshaa Amiin, and we’ll be going live with most of the other shows soon.
AR: How was the overall vibe of the season? Any feedback for next season?
DP: I’m happy that inclusivity has become much more prevalent across fashion week, with representation across sizes, ages and genders on the runway. This extends to the audience and attendees at fashion week as well – it was a really fun vibe, with cool outfits being spotted even off the runway. Of course, the most exciting part of fashion week for us at Aza is connecting with designers, identifying key trends we’ll be promoting and curating the pieces for the season.
AR: What is happening with Aza on the business front? What is lined up in future?
DP: The last year has been incredibly busy for us, with significant growth in sales both online and offline. We’ve been expanding aggressively – we recently launched a 12,000-square-foot store in Banjara Hills, Hyderabad, which spans four floors and retails women’s apparel, menswear, fashion jewellery and accessories. We also have another store coming up soon in a new city – details of which will be revealed in the near future.
AR: According to you, what are the top fashion trends set to dominate the upcoming season?
DP:
- Everything bling – sequins, rhinestones, shimmer, sparkle, metallic embellishments
- Sculpted / structural detailing: designers have been spending a lot of time and giving attention to artistic construction in their collections
- Androgynous fashion-blurred lines between menswear and womenswear
- The revenge blouse – barely there, backless, stringy, low cut and sexy; basically less is more
- Print party: prints inspired by nature, abstract prints and print-on-print
- Retro fashion, disco vibes and big hair to match
AR: The millennial and Gen Z consumer cohort are the biggest opportunity segments in retail right now. How are both these consumers different from one another when it comes to making purchase decisions and how is Aza looking to tap both these market shares?
DP: Yes definitely, our customer base includes members of both the millennial and Gen Z cohorts. Both are tech-savvy, omnichannel shoppers who are highly active on social media. While millennials care a lot about reviews, Gen Z consumers give more weightage to influencers.
We do tons of collaborations in an attempt to speak to both age groups. We recently shot a super fun Aza Cover Story with the gorgeous ‘Bijlee’ girl Palak Tiwari, a Gen Z role model. Gen Z really cares about the story of a brand, and what they stand for.
They’re also price-conscious given that they’re just starting off in their careers – our Aza app has a huge assortment of contemporary apparel and accessories at introductory price points by young and talented designers. Many millennials are also young parents, so our online kidswear section caters to them.
At the end of the day, both cohorts value convenience and care deeply about the customer experience, which is something we at Aza, consciously strive to improve on a daily basis.
ATINIRMAL G. PAGARANI, VESIMI (DUBAI)
Vesimi is a multi-designer online and offline fashion store currently based in Dubai which is owned by Yogi Group and curated and managed by Atinirmal G. Pagarani. In a span of a decade, the business has managed to establish itself as a destination fashion store for high-quality bridal, trousseau, vacation and festive needs and is associated with some of the top-selling designers in the industry such as Abhinav Mishra; Arpita Mehta; Amit Aggarwal; Aisha Rao; Anushree Reddy; Astha Narang; Jayanti Reddy; Isharya; Outhouse; Kunal Rawal; Masaba; Neeta Lulla; Papa Don’t Preach; Ridhi Mehra; Shantnu & Nikhil; Shivan Narresh; Shyamal & Bhumika; Torani; Tarun Tahilani; Varun Bahl to name a few.
More recently, Vesimi expanded the size of its store and operations and has clients coming in not only from India and Pakistan but also from Africa, Paris, London, Bangladesh and many more countries, who drop by the store to get outfits for an entire year’s worth of occasions.
AR: What shows / designers stood out for you during the current season of Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI and why?
AGP: GenNext for sure, as I’m always excited to see what’s new every season. But having said that, I have been working with a lot of Lakmé designers for years now, so picking out the best in isolation, won’t be fair enough as every designer has put in their heart and soul for their show. So for me, ALL stood out as the best.
AR: Who are some of the designers/labels you have placed orders with for the coming season?
AGP: This season, we have placed orders with Itrh, KoAi, Masaba, Sameer Madan, Bhanuni, Line outline, Mynah Designer, Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna, Nikita Mhaisalkar, Nirmooha and many more.
AR: What is lined up in the pipeline for Vesimi in terms of latest collaborations and/ or product and brand launches?
AGP: On the business front, we have 2 to 3 pop-ups lined up with some designers who we met at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI. We are in the process of finalising the dates and other details and will be able to give a clearer picture soon.
AR: According to you, what are the top fashion trends set to dominate in near future?
AGP: As a multi-brand retailer, new techniques and newer silhouettes are what the customers are looking forward to, and it goes without saying that something that’s wearable and not too avant-garde is in demand.
AR: The millennial and Gen Z consumer cohort are the biggest opportunity segments in retail right now. How are both these consumers different from one another when it comes to making purchase decisions and how is Vesimi looking to tap both these market shares?
AGP: When we talk about millennials, they are, nowadays, very open-minded and look forward to more of Indo-western, stylish looks and draped outfits – something that they can play around with and reuse in such a way that it looks different every time it’s worn. But at the same time, they are very conscious about their arms being visible or too much of skin being revealed, whereas GenZ are looking for more of off-shoulder styles, newer drape styles, co-ord sets, bralettes, etc. – basically Indian styles having a very western or modern aesthetic.
When it comes to this sector, we cater to both ends at our store and we have more than 300+ brands on board with us at the moment, with the number constantly increasing.
FATEMA ALMARI, LILY VALLEY (ABU DHABI)
Lily Valley is a womenswear multi-brand store based in Abu Dhabi which also specialises in abayas which they make in-house. Spread out across over 1000 sq. feet, the retailer houses designers from across the world and is always on the lookout to source new designers and brands for their experimental clientele.
Apart from their curated offering of internationally sought designers and brands, the retailer boasts of many loyal customers who come to them specially for abayas as they include varied styles of abayas that range from plain to embroidered styles.
Lily Valley exclusively retails from its store in Abu Dhabi and also online via the retailer’s Instagram page.
Apparel Resources (AR) spoke exclusively to Fatema Almari of Lily Valley on her experience at the recently concluded Lakmé Fashion Week, and here is what she had to say.
AR: What shows / designers stood out for you during the current season of Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI and why?
FA: I really liked the collections of Pankaj and Nidhi, Mandira Virk, Geisha Designs, Not So Serious by Pallavi Mohan, Verb by Pallavi Singhee and Nikasha, to name a few and we have also placed orders with them for our store.
AR: Abu Dhabi, being a different market altogether, what kind of styles and designs have you selected from the designers who showcased at Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI to meet consumer expectations in your region?
FA: I’m making changes to existing designs in order to make them more viable for our market and consumers. So, we have asked designers to introduce sleeves where there are no sleeves and to increase the length of the sleeves and dresses to make them more covered. We have also asked them to cover the neck area in certain cases.
In certain cases, we have also changed existing patterns to a different pattern, and a pattern to a different print. Price-point wise, we found the designers to be quite accessible and wherever we found the prices to be high, we have worked with the designers to alter the design in terms of reducing embroidery or embellishments to make it more affordable for our customers.
DAVID PIRNIA, PIRNIA CREATIONS (PARIS)
Located in Paris, Pirnia Creations’ showroom is a pop-up that takes place during Paris Fashion Week and services both brands and buyers with its own scenography adapted to represent the feel of the brands, the trends of the season, as well as its exceptional vision.
Every season, Pirnia Creations stocks anywhere between 30 to 35 different designers from across the world including Brazil, Canada, USA, Spain, Italy, India, etc., in an attempt to recreate intimacy by merging the concept of a trade show and showroom all together in the heart of Paris during PFW.
Its main clients vary from independent boutiques to multi-brand stores to department stores such as Harvey Nochols in Doha, Kuwait and also Riyadh; Avanti, 51 East, Glamour, etc.
With a combined experience of 24 years, Pirnia Creations’ Founder David Pirnia offers his designers strategic planning in favour of introducing and developing the brands for their desired market and all activities relating to sales development in order to maximise their potential. For this, David and his team attend international fashion weeks and fashion fairs to spot breakthrough designers across the world and if their work matches their markets and clients, they take them to showcase at Paris.
AR connected with David Pirnia, Director of Pirnia Creations, to know about his experience at the recently concluded edition of Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI held in Mumbai. Here is what he had to share:
AR: Who are some of the designers / labels that you have placed orders with for the coming season?
DP: Abhishek Mishra, Tarun Tahiliani, Taneiya Khanuja are some of the designers we are in conversation with in order to explore an opportunity to take them to Paris for our showroom. So we will be working with them closely and mentoring them for that.
AR: What shows / designers stood out for you during the current season of Lakmé Fashion Week x FDCI and why?
DP: I really like Nitin Bal Chauhan’s collection – I feel that his depiction of the human head within his collection was very striking. We have also had a meeting with them to explore Paris. The work that they do with their embellishments is incredible, so we are working on an evening couturewear line with them for Paris.
AR: According to you, what are the top fashion trends set to dominate in the near future?
DP: I got to see a lot of disco-inspired styles this time and lots of partywear which is nice as it points towards the fact that consumers are ready to go out and spend which had seen a decline in the past two years owing to the pandemic.