Pin-drop malevolence

The war of words gets uglier every year. Here is this year's choicest

The war of words gets uglier every year. Here is this year's choicest

IN less than a week starts another season of fashion weeks. Yes, mind the plural. For 13 days, starting from March 19, there will be a deluge of fashion events.

Sumeet Nair, Head, Delhi Fashion Week

Sunil Sethi, President, Fashion Design Council of India

Anil Chopra, Advisor, Lakmu00c3u00a9 Fashion Week

While change is the only constant, it hasn't deterred some from hanging on to the same-old, same-old. Yes, they're still slugging it out. Only, because everyone's so gentlemanly these days, it's a war of words.

Three heads of the three Fashion Weeks Sumeet Nair, head of the Delhi Fashion Week (DFW), Sunil Sethi, President of Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and Anil Chopra, Advisor to Lakmu00c3u00a9 Fashion Week (LFW) are pitted against each other and quizzed on more than just the number game.

A quick recap though on the scenario so far: Like last season, this season too the FDCI and DFW schedules clash. While the DFW is being held at the Emporio, WIFW is being hosted at the Intercontinental Eros.

Now this means that like last season, buyers have to shuffle from one venue to the other. The bigger dilemma they face is of having to make a choice between which designers they would want to watch. While we are told that the actual business happens at the stalls, it's the young and emerging designers who may be at a loss.

And then, the LFW begins two days later in Mumbai from 27th March. This means travelling from Delhi to Mumbai to catch another round of Fashion Week for the buyers.

Here goes...

Clash of dates

Sumeet Nair: "I think the word 'clash' is a cleverly positioned word. DFW is not just one event that makes a fashion destination. Even during the Paris Fashion Week, there is Tranoi Fashion Week. And if you think that young designers will suffer because the buyers and the media will concentrate on just big designers' show, then think again.

Do you think your editor will send you to Delhi to cover two separate fashions weeks twice? I don't think so. Likewise, if it did affect the designers and those involved, why did the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) change its date from 20th to 24th March to 18th to 23rd March and yet overlap it with us? They can't say it out openly, but they know that if they change the date completely, it will be tougher for buyers and media to stay in the Capital for two full weeks. It's useful to have the dates on the same days."

Sunil Sethi: "Our dates were always from 18th onwards. We are always the first ones to announce the dates.

We have no problems with Lakme Fashion Week on the dates. The buyers will get continuity. They will finish one Fashion Week and go on to Mumbai if they are interested in going there. There has been a synergy there.

That's a good thing.

"Frankly as far as DFW goes, with the strength of our designers and buyers, they should not tag along to our dates. If Sumeet Nair has a point to prove, then what better opportunity than doing the shows on his own.

That will separate the men from the boys. We are only interested in getting business for our designers with a corpus of 250 members, run by 16 board members. Unfortunately for him, even the Fashion Federation of India president Varun Sardana has joined us.

I feel honoured that people have understood us. Many designers who showcased at the DFW have re-associated with us this season Gaurav Gupta, Raghavendra Rathore, Anamika Khanna who has a stand, Priyandarshini Rao, Ashish Soni. In fact, Ashish Soni was the founder member of FFI.

"We tried to make it one Fashion Week through Fashion and Design Promotion Council (FDPC) by its CEO Vijay K Singh and VP Raghavendra Rathore, but unfortunately monetary gains ruled over mature sensible decision making.

"People who talk about separation and all things wrong at the FDCI forget that all things wrong happened during their tenure. Now, we have all sorts of democratic committees to look into the workings. Everyone is participating and it's healthy. This was the right moment for all of us together to showcase under one platform. FDPC made all the right efforts. There may still be a possibility in the future."

Anil Chopra: "The people who clash in public are separate from us they are the people in Delhi. It has nothing to do with the Lakme Fashion Week. If there are issues, it's in Delhi and the people there. As for LFW, we have been around for six seasons and we are going strong. I am not focused on the other Fashion Weeks. I am concentrating on developing LFW. In fact we have already announced the dates for the next season18th to 22nd September at the Grand Hyatt. So I am not bothered about what others are doing."

On sharing schedules or err...not

Sumeet Nair: "We would have been happy to cooperate with the FDCI on sharing our schedules. I made several overtures this time but I didn't get any response from the FDCI. I am not going to make my schedule and send it to them and then re-schedule accordingly. We needed to sit down and do the entire slotting. But that didn't happen. Whatever mud slinging happened, happened with those who were before in the FDCI, and they were a vocal minority. They came out with anonymous blogs and letters. It's not worth being a part of.

The idea is to move forward. Live and let live."

Sunil Sethi: "What does he mean by scheduling? Making a statement in the press and doing it in reality doesn't add up. You are taking Sumeet Nair's words against ours. We have 103 designers showing with us. How much does he have? And where is the comparison? How will he sit across a table with us? He barely does two-three shows a day. We have 47 to 50 shows this season. Does he have half the number of people to sit across with us? All he wants to do is see that his two-three star designers' show timings don't clash with our big designers like Manish Arora or Rajesh Pratab Singh. All this is just to help those designers.

"Frankly, if you really want to know, he is talking about his offers to sit down together and schedule the shows to get sympathy. I have never got a single phone call, or an SMS or an email from Sumeet Nair on this issue, and please quote me on it. He keeps talking about this to many people but he has never spoken to the board or me. If he has spoken to a friend on the passing, then that's not official. Last year, Sumeet Nair told us that we should do afternoon shows and they will do the evening shows. I really can't understand his motive.

"I don't see any recognised names on his list. If he is worried about young talents being over-shadowed, then let me tell you, they will rise anyhow even if they are showing against big names. That's what happened to Sabyasachi (Mukherjee). He showed against big names and he is on par with others today.

"Talents like Nitin Bal Chauhan are recognised by the media or fashion connoisseurs. He showcased in Lakme last season and this time he is opening the show with us. Sumeet Nair is not a fashion connoisseur. He is doing the work of an event manager. He just wants a share of our buyers to attend his shows. Really, what scheduling is he talking about? To put stalls at different timing?

"Our list has gone for printing and he has already juggled his designers two-three times. That's because he is looking at our list and deciding whom to place against whom.

"I challenge him through your media, to give the dates before hand. If monetary gains decide Indian fashion, it's a big shame. He can only be a diplomat. The only thing he has is a stud in his ear. My diamonds are my designers.