Project Asia

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) is reading between economic hemlines,and is determinedly venturing into new territories to provide new markets to the Indian fashion industry these days.

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) is reading between economic hemlines,and is determinedly venturing into new territories to provide new markets to the Indian fashion industry these days. The FDCI has sent outfits by 19 designers to Kazakhstan for a three day India Expo-2009 exhibition,a large commercial event in Kazakhstans fashion hub,Almaty,that finished on Saturday. Its the first time that FDCI has participated in Kazakhstan. In times of recession,theres a need to tap virgin markets and look beyond the West, says Sunil Sethi,President,FDCI. Jaipur-based designer Puja Arya agrees,Kazakhstan is a place you often hear about in the news. But in times of global slowdown,the country is doing better than the West,thanks to their oil reserves.

Incidentally,Kazakhstan has a flourishing fashion scene and its fashion week is billed as the largest fashion event in Central Asia that attracts designers from across the globe. The Kazakhstan Fashion Week held recently in Almaty saw designers from Russia,Italy,Germany,France,Netherlands and China participating. Well-known Chinese designer Vong Yu Tau has also showcased his latest designs in Almaty. The outfits displayed ranged from refined and conservative to flashy and sometimes extravagant.

Indian designers,most of who retail in Dubai and Riyadh know only too well,the potential of Central Asia. The younger lot of designers like Priyanjali Dhanjal,Zubair Kirmani,Siddartha Tytler,Prashant Verma and Puja Arya has exhibited and hope that cautious retailers will stock them for their fall collections.

While Arya has sent gypsy style dresses shooting down from the shoulders and flaring at the hem in bright green and brown,Tytler has sent eight pieces,flirty cocktail dresses,in Irish crepe and pre-embroidered fabric,which should make an impact with the well heeled in Kazakhstan. Its a completely new market for me but Im hopeful this exhibition could translate into something bigger, he says. Experimental designer Verma has stuck to his signature stylestructured pieces with digital prints that should go down well with the urban women. The collection is not commercial; its not tailored for a specific market. The buyers from central Asian region are forward looking and are picking pieces from all over the world. So the collection is more globalised with dresses in softer shades with a few classic pieces, says Verma.

Other participating designers are Ashish Soni,Ranna Gill,Payal Jain and Anju Modi. Priced between Rs 5,000 to Rs 20,000,the response so far has been positive. Aryas gypsy dresses were popular amongst the buyers,while other designers such as Tytler,Verma and Kirmani were still awaiting feedback. Buyers from Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) are here. Were hopeful theyll pick up our fashions for multi-brand stores, says Sethi.

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