India's first ever men's fashion week on its way

The first ever Menswear Fashion Week, a three-day event, will take place from September 11-13, where designers will showcase their Fall/Winter 2009-10 collections to domestic market players.

Amidst all the brouhaha of the merger with FDPC, the FDCI team had been silently working on its proposal to host the Menswear Fashion Week. The result is for all to see. The first ever Menswear Fashion Week, a three-day event, will take place from September 11-13, where designers will showcase their Fall/Winter 2009-10 collections to domestic market players.

The title sponsorship deal has been signed with Van Heusen, a Madura Garments’ brand and the debut event will be christened Van Heusen Menswear Fashion Week. The event will culminate with a Van Heusen Grand Finale show. “I came back on Friday morning from Bengaluru after signing the contract with Van Heusen,” said FDCI President Sunil Sethi, adding, “FDCI had announced the Menswear Week. In no way did it take a backseat when the FDPC-FDCI pact was being worked out. It was always on my mind and after sealing the title sponsor, I’m happy.”

For this, Sethi, took it upon himself to market the event to prospective sponsors. Was it difficult in the downturn scenario? “Not really. FDCI has huge credibility. Also, we wanted a partner who understands fashion and is willing to work with the industry,” he said. But why are designers showcasing F/W 2009-10 collections when elsewhere S/S 2010 collections have been showcased? to this he said, “The Menswear Fashion Week will focus on the huge domestic market where buyers place orders two months in advance.

So for an event in September, buyers will seek merchandise for winters (Nov-Dec).” Van Heusen’s presence comes with brownie points — the brand’s 100-plus retail outlets across India will be made available to select designers for retail purposes.