Couture week gets bigger, better; Madhuri to walk at opener (Curtainraiser)

New Delhi, July 21 (IANS) A new title sponsor, the best of designers and an ideal business platform for participants to widen their customer-base - the second edition of the Delhi Couture Week will offer all this and loads of glitz and glamour when it opens Friday with Bollywood diva Madhuri Dixit walking the ramp.

'When it comes to business, couture is all about exclusivity and one of their kind garments. It refers to the creation of exclusive custom-fitted clothing and is made to order for a specific customer, Sunil Sethi, president of event organiser Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), told IANS.

'Every designer made a profit from the last season and we are looking forward to making it a successful venture again,' he added.

'Couture has always been immensely popular in the Indian market, which is why a platform like this is significant in capturing the essence of garments. In terms of size, the Delhi Couture Week is now the third largest in the world after Paris and Milan and we will bring together the best designers from India to create never seen before moments this time as well,' Sethi said.

The four-day event at the Taj Palace Hotel here will have two main show areas (MSA) and the icing on the cake will be Bollywood beatuties like Madhuri Dixit, Sonakshi Sinha and Lara Dutta walking the ramp and adding glamour and glitter on the runway.

Why so many faces from Bollwyood?

'Couture is synonymous with beauty, grace and timeless appeal and so are some of the Bollywood beauties. Hence we thought of calling some of the gorgeous ladies who will add glamour to these garments. The grand opening will happen with the very beautiful and vivacious Madhuri Dixit,' Sethi said.

This year's main sponsor is Synergy1, which is into real estate.

'(Last year's main sponsor) Pearl Infrastructure backed out at the last moment because they were facing some internal problems. Though we shared a wonderful relation with them, Synergy1 also holds the same importance for us,' said Sethi.

'Synergy1 never asked for unwanted branding and this is what I liked about them. All our sponsors are here to encourage couture and fashion and we are looking forward to make the second season great, just like the first one,' he added.

The event will see some of the leading couturiers Varun Bahl, JJ Valaya, Meera and Muzaffar Ali, Anju Modi, Ashima-Leena, Shantanu and Nikhil, Manish Malhotra, Manav Gangwani, Suneet Varma, Gaurav Gupta and grand finale designer Rohit Bal showcasing their collections.

Adarsh Gill will make her debut at couture week.

Verma's collection is already making waves as it is inspired by Kamasutra, while Shantanu-Nikhil's collection will personify vintage royalty inspired by the Elizabethan era.

And, Meera and Muzaffar Ali will present a collection that reflects four dieverse themes.

'Our collection often uses paintings by Muzaffar Ali both as a palette and as a form. This couture line will open with pastels made by him (Muzaffar) in earthy and natural tones. This will be followed by an ikat collection, an evolution of applique, inspired by the traditional ikat weave. The collection ends with Awadhi opulence where one will see a sequence of ghararas, lehngas, peshwaz, choghas and saris,' Meera said.

The two MSAs will ensure that designers not only present their beautiful clothes, but also have grand ramp as a perfect background.

'Last season, the designers faced a problem in beautifying the ramp according to their needs because of a single MSA and less time between shows. However, they still managed brilliantly. We thought of coming up with two MSAs this time to make life easier for our talented designers,' said Sethi.

'Also, they will be given 7-12 hours time to create an outstanding backdrop. Also, keeping in mind the monsoon season, we are not organising any off site-shows,' he added.

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