The Fashion Design Council Of India (FDCI) body is planning to go digital as it did announce India’s first-ever digital fashion week. The announcement teaser went viral on Instagram garnering more than lakh view.
We all as designer are completely stuck and we don’t know where to go ahead, we all know that one thing that change is the only constant and well, this is the ultimate time for a change which will keep things continue as we all have gone 25 years back in only 25 weeks because of the pandemic.
People lost lives and livelihoods both. Food and water, shelter and home
Things have to keep on going on so, in the fashion world wherein the fashion show is just not a luxury feels its a marketing technique for the designers to reach out and showcase their inspirations and dreams. FDCI has been hosting India Couture week from years now this time, it stepped up and has decided to go Digital.
well, Everyone is truly excited about this step for sure.
Sunil Sethi, the Chairman, FDCI shares, “The reset button has been pressed as we’ve got to move with the times. We’ve been consistent for over 20 years and we aren’t novices anymore. Having said that, the pandemic has put us in such a predicament now that we can’t organize a physical fashion week like we used to. We are at a disadvantage now. It’s a fact that there’s an uncertainty in the market because of Covid-19 and we don’t know when the curve will be flattened. It’s time to act fast and come up with a plan and a strategy. It might sound cliche but the show must go on. The business of fashion must go on and the business of fashion designers must go on and hence the show must go on. You may call it a show, but for us, it is a way of life where we not only showcase a collection by means of a fashion week, we create a platform where domestic and international buyers place orders. We understand that Indian designers have the capability to go digital. In fact, we started a digital showcase with Pero by Aneeth Arora which was streamed live from her showroom at the fashion week, a few years ago. That was the beginning. At FDCI, we are ready to invest in technology to come up with something avant-garde and exceptional. Everything will be done using all the necessary precautions advised by the government and even more.”
However, the dates of the digital fashion week have not been announced. “When we talk of couture week, a letter to all couture designers was sent out, which resulted in a majority of them prefer a later date. Some have requested for June and July, others have asked for August and the beginning of September. We also can’t afford to miss Spring Summer 21 which takes place in October. We’ve decided on the dates, but not announced them. If during that time, the Covid-19 crisis continues to loom then we’d delay the plans further. Keeping in mind the fact that the entire world seems to have adopted a wait and watch strategy, we haven’t announced the exact dates. Those will be announced in consultation with designers for couture week. August seems to be the preferred month for most people,” He Said.
Designer Suneet Varma, who plans to showcase around 35 pieces, says, “A digital show presented with an of-the-moment technology will reach a much wider audience. In a way, it could be a real win-win for everyone as it will democratize fashion and reach out to more aspirational buyers.”
Designer Rahul Mishra who plans to participate observes that with this first-of-its-kind property, designers will take the art of storytelling to the next level. “It’s not about posting images as we are looking at creating a new language and an immersive experience. Both Mr. Sethi and FDCI are very passionate about it and we won’t leave a stone unturned,” says Rahul.
Dates will be out soon.
