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The stage is being set for a drama of the visual senses as
Vogue, the bible of fashion, unfolds its first issue in India
against the art deco Umaid Bhawan Palace here Saturday. The scale
of the event seems like a Hollywood production.
Paola Ricotti, a creative director, has been brought in from
Milan. The talented Sumant Jaikrishnan, a production designer, will
work on enhancing an already imposing palace. His brief: use
simplicity and style for Vogue's debut.
And event manager Vandana Mohan will deftly manage the mayhem with
her team backstage to bring in guests from Delhi and Mumbai on
charter flights.
Three hundred chosen guests will act their part for the Vogue
soiree. So, what's in store this weekend?
A retrospective of Ferragamo's Maharani collection from their
museum in Florence, a fashion event where 25 of the best of the
Indian crop of designers display their best creations with
collections from Valentino, Marc Jacobs and Galliano.
And there'll be an after-party at the "baradari", a large expanse
overlooking the historic Mehrangarh Fort.
India has always been inspiration for couture designs from Versace,
Hermes and Dior. Now it offers the perfect backdrop and a ready
market for a revivalist luxury in princely grandeur.
A FICCI study on "Luxury goods and the Indian consumer" has pegged
the market at $500 million -- and growing each year.
"This debut is distinct," said Alex Kuruvilla, managing director of
Conde Nast India, which has brought Vogue to India and intends to
bring in many more titles.
"A very special, exclusive event will launch the Indian edition of
Vogue. The launch will befit the status of 'fashion bible' that
Vogue enjoys and showcase India's royal heritage and Vogue
fashion-forward modernity," he maintained.
"I think that for a long time Vogue was a bit of an elusive dream
for the Indian woman. Now, as the launch nears, it feels surreal,"
said Priya Tanna of Vogue India from her office in Mumbai
"From the Milan Fashion Week when the flashbulbs went on and
Giorgio Armani walked in and embraced me to experiencing so many
moments of falling in love with fashion, Vogue India is a fairytale
beginning and ending," she said.
Perhaps this is a trend for the arrival of a sense of Indian luxury
lifestyle, pronounced with the arrival of Vogue India on Vogue's
global footprint after it was launched in Russia and China in 2005.
On the other hand, Indian fashion seems confident of its domestic
market potential, defiant, on the cusp of change - boldly
organising a conflicting fashion week in New Delhi bang in the
middle of the fashion week in New York this September.
Designer Ritu Kumar, the doyen of the Indian textile tradition,
justified this.
"September is when our Indian designers are at a crucial period for
deliveries, sort of in between the pre-wedding season and the new
spring/summer collections," she maintained.
"In India we typically have a fashion calendar different from the
west; you could call this our pre-spring and wedding line," said
Kumar, who sits on the board of Fashion Design Council of India
(FDCI).
She's giving the Vogue launch a skip and heading for New York to
promote "Brand India and Indianess in Fashion".
Perhaps the underlying concept for both Tanna and Kumar is more the
"we" culture than the "me" culture, helping the west understand why
Indian mindsets are the way they are when it comes to setting their
own rules.
"Unlike other emerging markets like China, we have always been
surrounded by a sense of luxury. A cultural revolution has not been
thrust upon us. So the revolution that is taking place at both
macro and micro levels and finds its genesis in a myriad of
factors," says Tanna.
"At a macro level, India is getting richer... the millionaires and
billionaires are growing in number... we have realised that the
world is a global village and want to be active participants.
"At a micro level, we are realizing the power of fashion and
luxury. We are paying greater attention to our own wardrobes, size,
form, and style statements and are willing to up the ante. All
these factors highlight our evolving consumption patterns," Tanna
contends.
So how does she plan to bring an International Vogue sensibility to
an Indian reader and will the magazine be relevant in an Asian
context?
"Vogue India will bring the best of Indian and international
fashion integrated to present a holistic vision of what fashion
means to India and to the world at large," Tanna said.
"The Indian fashion industry is an indigenous market with a strong
global sensibility. India is a part of this global village and
stands as one of the fastest emerging markets in the world.
"To satiate demands of the discerning Indian reader, Vogue India
will decode trends from a Marc Jacobs show to highlighting trends
in Bollywood movies, thus making it relevant for the Indian
reader," Tanna said.
So, play along fashionistas - India has arrived en vogue.
Indo-Asian News Service
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