Three Times Better

Three days,15 designers,45 models. Season 3 of the ABIL Pune Fashion Week was announced on Thursday afternoon at Hotel Westin.

Three days,15 designers,45 models. Season 3 of the ABIL Pune Fashion Week (PFW) was announced on Thursday afternoon at Hotel Westin. If all goes as promised,the city will get a good dose of spring/summer styles and trends. To be held from April 11-13,PFW is focussed on the current season and most of the participating designers will showcase collections from the recent Lakme Fashion Week,with a few new additions.

Designers Nivedita Saboo and Deepak Shah will add a local flavour to the show,while others like Joy Mitra,Malini Agarwala,Nitya Bajaj,Payal Singhal,Babita Malkani,Raakesh Agarwal,Ritika Bharwani,Samant Chauhan,Sharaddha Mayank,SurilyGoel,Swapnil Shinde and Vikram Phadnis will add national relevance to the ramp. No doubt that the PFW has grown bigger. This year,it will also feature California-based designer Adam Saaks creations. Phadnis,who is also the mentor and creative director of PFW,says,After Season 2,PFW created enough buzz in Mumbais fashion circles. We would like to have more designers on board but we dont want to start shows before 5 pm. People dont really show up for 1 pm or even 3 pm shows. So we have only 12 slots. Based on the response this season,we will add another day to the format next year.

Pune: An Emerging
Fashion Market

What participating designers are looking for is visibility and an entry into the local fashion circuit. Shinde,a first-time participant at PFW,says,I have a Pune clientele,so I thought why not take part. Doing a show makes it easier to take orders. Saboo,also the mentor of the show,adds,We have 5000 elite invitees. It will largely be a Buyer to Consumer business concept for now. Phadnis,the grand finale designer,is quick to add that for him,its about brand building and not immediate orders.

There is a constant debate whether a local fashion week is really required. Shinde and Agarwalaare all for it. While Shinde views it as a perfect platform for young, emerging designers who cannot easily get an entry into the bigger fashion weeks,Agarwala puts forth a different viewpoint. Its nice for consumers in cities other than Mumbai and Delhi to get a feel of the creations. Plus,the online business is so big now that its easy for people to place orders once they know the feel,cut,art and finish of the product.

Dazzling Design Details

At PFW,Shindes collection will have his trademark drama. It will be avant-garde,sexy yet not crude,and elegant yet not boring. Bharmanis collection Style Diaries of a Diva will have structured embellishments and dramatic drapes; Agarwalas handbags,jewellery and footwear will depict her African inspiration with their embroidery,beadwork and lots of colour; Saboos mens and womens wear in whites and flowy chiffons will have a very Eastern European feel; Shahs menswear Down To Earth line will tilt towards beige,brown and earthy tones; and Phadnis usually high on glam and bling work will be watered down to fit into the light,summery mode.

PFW,this time,will also have fashion art installations by Kitsch,which has high-end luxury and fashion brand collections (like Alexander McQueen,YSL,Stella McCartney,Lanvin,Celine and the like),as well as installations by students from city fashion colleges. We also have a social angle to the event this year. A part of the proceeds,raised from sponsorships,will go to Suryoday AIDS Foundation, adds Badal Saboo,MD,ABIL PFW.

(ABIL PFW will be held at Hotel Westin,Koregaon Park,from April 11-13,5 pm 11 pm. Entry is by invitation only)

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