Fashion: Claws come out

The vibes between the Fashion Design Council of India and the Fashion Foundation of India redefine the phrase ‘fashion war’. Itee Dewan tells us more...

The vibes between the Fashion Design Council of India and the Fashion Foundation of India redefine the phrase ‘fashion war’. FDCI’s Sunil Sethi says that FFI’s Sumeet Nair is bluffing about a collaborative show schedule for the two fashion weeks. Nair junks the idea that FFI could ever merge with FDCI.

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Telling HT City on Wednesday night that the final venue of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week is the Intercontinental Eros hotel, Nehru Place, Sethi declares that the WIFW dates (March 20 to 24) will not be brought forward to avoid a clash with the rival Delhi Fashion Week.

After talks on a single fashion week broke down, both sides sound angry. Nair offers to make a schedule that would be easy for everyone and to keep a shuttle service between the venues — Emporio and Eros. Sethi’s response is scathing: “This is just a media-happy exercise. If he is really willing, ask him to give the schedule to either you guys [HT City] or to us.” Why didn’t FFI ‘collaborate’ when the talks were on, he asks.

Nair retorts that a joint fashion week “is like asking, ‘You shut your business and come to us.’ I am not interested.” About the ‘bluff’, he says, “It’s not about one side bending. The two teams need to work together. For me, this is a lot more serious than making bluffs.”