Second Coming

With as many as four fashion weeks a season,it’s no wonder that designers complain they need a permanent solution to the venue problem. A couple of years ago,a proposal for a fashion hub in Dwarka had come up,and it was met with a wildly enthusiastic response from the Indian fashion fraternity. Predictably,it got thwarted,but now,the newly-formed Fashion Design Promotion Council (FDPC) is proposing to go ahead with the plan,albeit at a new venue. While the DDA has alloted about 10 acres of land in Maidan Garhi near IGNOU,the hub is supposed to take off in the current year,under the administrative control of the Ministry of Textile through Public Private Partnership. The hub will purportedly serve as a permanent venue for fashion weeks besides having a research and development unit,a permanent exhibition area,a library and resource centre,designer boutiques,a textile and crafts museum,even guest rooms,hotels and a spa.

Although there are reservations among certain sections of the fashion fraternity about the implementation of the plan in the election year,Vijay Singh,Secretary and CEO,FDPC,is certain of its success. “The Planning Commission has sanctioned the project,and the land has already been allocated,so irrespective of which government comes to power,the project will take off,” he insists. Sunil Sethi,President of the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI),which had earlier pushed for the hub at Dwarka,is also quite hopeful. “We are keeping our fingers crossed because this time around it looks more likely to materialise than before. We are hoping it will give us the status of a serious industry,away from the glamour and frivolity that people tend to associate us with,” he says. Now we need a solution for clashing fashion weeks.