India’s Top Fashion Events

For the last two decades, fashion events in India have been flourishing like anything. Hundreds of qualified fashion designers emerged with their unique creative skill sets and hard determinations. Dozens of educational institutions started offering fashion studies courses, which further reinforced the fashion industry. All such developments in the fashion industry eventually give birth to several fashion events and fashion shows in India. In today’s India, there are dozens of fashion events that are organised by several fashion designers and different companies and organizations.

Top Fashion Events in India

There are many fashion shows that are organised every year in different cities in India. Furthermore, in India, there are different categories of fashion events, such as:

• Fashion shows based on western dresses;
• Fashion shows based on traditional dresses;
• Fashion shows especially for brides’ dresses;
• Fashion shows for kids and many more.

However, amidst all this, the following are the most popular fashion events in India:

• India Fashion Week
• Lakme Fashion Week
• Bangalore Fashion Week
• Van Heusen India Men’s Week
• India Bridal Fashion Week
• India Runway Week
• North India Fashion Week
• India Couture Week
• Rajasthan Fashion Week
• Indore Fashion Week
• East India Fashion Week
• India Beach Fashion Week
• India Kids Fashion Week

Let’s discuss each one of them in brief:

India Fashion Week

The India fashion week is a semi-annual fashion week because it occurs twice a year. The events usually take place in New Delhi. From 2006 to 2014, it was sponsored by Wills Lifestyle; therefore, it was also popular as Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week. After 2014, Amazon became its sponsor.

However, the first time it was organised in the year 2000, in which about 33 fashion designers participated.

Lakme Fashion Week

Lakme Fashion Week is one of the most popular fashion shows in India and is organised and managed by Lakmé. Lakme fashion week takes place in Mumbai, Maharashtra twice a year. The Summer-Resort show usually takes place in the month of April, and the Winter-Festive show takes place in the month of August every year.

Bangalore Fashion Week

Set up in 2009, Bangalore Fashion Week is one of the dream fashion shows for every fashion designer and fashion model, as in this event, anyone cannot participate, but rather only those designers can participate who have received an invitation to participate from the organizers’ side. It has a jury system to select the participants; therefore, the selection is very tough.

Like others, it is also organised twice a year and it is managed by Dream Merchants.

India Runway Week

Set up in 2013, the first India Runway Week was organised by the Indian Federation for Fashion Development. It is a biannual fashion event that is held in New Delhi. India Runway Fashion Week is one of the most popular fashion shows in India as it exclusively promotes young or budding fashion designers.

In India Runway Week, the shows are categorised as: New Gen Category, Newgen Category/budding category, emerging category, upcoming category, and established category.

Van Heusen India Men’s Week

Started in 2009, it was the first fashion show that exclusively focused on men’s wear only. It is organised by the top brand Van Heusen and the Fashion Design Council of India. Van Heusen India Men’s Week is organised in New Delhi, India.

India Bridal Fashion Week

Set up in 2010, India Bridal Fashion Week (IBFW) is one of the most magnificent and popular fashion weeks in India. India's Bridal Fashion Week is a single fashion show that exclusively focuses on bridal dresses and other related dresses for women. It displays the latest and most creative designs for brides, which are designed by the topmost fashion designers of India.

North India Fashion Week

North India Fashion Week is the one that represents many regions of north India to promote the fashion industries of these regions, which include Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Kolkata, Mumbai, etc. North India Fashion Week has a pretty wide area as it covers a range of products, starting from traditional to western, and also a mixture of traditional and western. It also promotes young fashion designers.

India Couture Week

Set up in 2016, the India Couture Week is organised by the Fashion Design Council. It is one of the fashion shows in India in which many foreign nationals participate. It is held every year in New Delhi. Along with the embroidery design, indigenous craftsmanship is also promoted in this show.

Rajasthan Fashion Week

Started in 2012, the Rajasthan Fashion Week is one of the most popular fashion shows in India. It is the one that focuses on local and traditional dresses, especially those of Rajasthan, which means it is organised to display the country’s aesthetic sense and traditional values of centuries-old civilization, culture, and, of course, the dresses. It is organised in Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan.

Indore Fashion Week

Started in 2012, Indore Fashion Week is one of the most popular fashion shows in India that promotes local designs and designers. The show is sponsored by Storm Fashion Company and takes place in Indore, the cultural city of Madhya Pradesh.

The show is largely popular for Madhya Pradesh’s traditional handiwork and also the designs inspired by the contemporary fashion trends; western and bridal trousseau, traditional Anarkali; and the Begham collection.

East India Fashion Week

Sponsored by the Fashion and Design Council of Northeast India, East India Fashion Week is a pretty popular fashion show that represents east India's traditions and local dresses as well as modern and trendy dresses. Usually, the show is organised in Guwahati, Assam. The upcoming designers and fashion models are welcomed in this show.

India Beach Fashion Week

India Beach fashion week is the only one of its kind in India that is organised in Goa, the beach state. The show is the largest beach fashion show in entire Asia.

India Beach Fashion Week displays the best and latest trends in beach and resort fashion. The beach wear designers explore and design in the mainstream and trendy fashion to cater the emerging fashion trend.

India Kids Fashion Week

The India Kids Fashion Week is another unique and spectacular fashion show in the country that displays stylish and trendy kids' wear to the fashion savvy. The shows are organised in Delhi, Gurgaon, Mumbai, and Bangalore every year. It is organised by the IKFW Organization.

In this show, kids' wear is displayed by the kids’ fashion models, whose ages range between 4 and 14. And, national and international kids’ wear fashion designers participate in this show.

Conclusion

These are the most popular and famous India’s fashion shows; besides, there are many others at state and local levels that display and promote the local and traditional Indian dresses.

References

• Aradhana. Fashion Shows: Coming of Age. (URL - https://www.ibef.org)

• Vogue Fashion Shows: Vogue. (URL - https://www.vogue.in)

• Nilanjana Mukherjee. The World Fashion Fair: India on Display (URL - https://www.academia.edu)

• Arti Sandhu: Indian Fashion: Tradition, Innovation, Style (URL - https://www.textileebook.com)

• Chapter 1. Overview of Fashion. Fashion Studies - Class XI, NCERT.