A decade ago, when fashion in India was at a nascent stage nobody thought that soon it would grow into a full-fledged industry. Today we have back-to-back fashion weeks that are being held in different cities, an addition to which is the recently announced India Resort Fashion Week (IRFW) 2011, which will be held at Grand Hyatt, Goa from December 7 to 10.
According to sources, around 20 designers based in Delhi and Mumbai will be participating in this first-of-a-kind fashion week, which aims to tap the growing resort wear segment in India.
Designer Anupama Dayal, one of the participating designers, says, “Today there is a significant demand for resort wear in India. We have fashion weeks in India that are already dedicated to bridal wear, prêt, couture, and now with something exclusive for resort wear, I feel it is a very good platform for me to showcase what I do best. I supply resort wear to 20 international clients and I feel we have great talent and textiles which should be more popularised.”
Designer duo Shivan Bhatiya and Narresh are also gearing up for the first edition of IRFW 2011. They feel many Indian designers excel in resort wear but they haven’t been able to make a mark in this segment, so it is important to dedicate a week exclusively for this. Says Narresh, “We have a lot of talent in this segment which should get noticed. Resort wear is not just about swimwear as a lot of people assume, it also consists of other types of garments and luxury casual wear. India has a large coastal line, so obviously there is a need for designer resort garments for people who live in such cities and like to dress up according to the climate.”