By IANS,
New Delhi : At a fashion show, a designer’s stall provides a first look at the collection. But going by the unimaginative stalls on show at the ongoing Van Heusen India Mens Week (VHIMW), many designers do not seem to have put any thought to the stalls this time.
This is in sharp contrast to the exhibition area during the bi-annual Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW), where designers put in a lot of energy and effort in decking up their stalls.
“It is the first time this event has happened and I didn’t know what to expect. The space of the exhibiting area is larger compared to what we get at WIFW. I just didn’t think about using this space,” confessed designer Zubair Kirmani.
Though the stalls are spacious, the designers have just displayed their clothes on hangers and very few of them have used mannequins.
“The buyers who are here are the ones with whom we have been dealing with for quite some time. We don’t have to impress them as they already know our work. At WIFW, things are different. We get new buyers and we have to put that extra effort to lure them,” designer Samant Chauhan told IANS.
The stalls are wide open with no doors. Except for Rohit Bal, Tarun Tahiliani, J.J. Valaya and Nitin Bal Chauhan, no designer seems to have worked on the stalls.
Chauhan’s stall is built around the gothic theme of his men’s wear collection and has posters on the same theme pasted on the wall. Valaya has free flowing drapes cascading down the stall entrance.
Though VHIMW is a business-to-business event, most of the designers are not to be found at their stalls — just the opposite of what happens at WIFW.
“It’s just the first time this event is happening. It will take a few years to establish itself. Today if you are seeing us pretty relaxed, I am sure that after few years the situation would be the opposite. It’s the first time so we are all learning and getting used to it,” Kirmani explained.