No LFW auditions for male models

Male models woes! Organisers Lakme and IMG have decided to scrap the menswear day — the platform used to promote menswear designers and male models. Read on for more...

It’s the only fashion week in Mumbai, and attracts scores of hopefuls from around the country. But for the many male models who may have looked at Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) as their big break, this season won’t count.

Organisers Lakme and IMG have decided to scrap the menswear day — the platform used to promote menswear designers and male models. They will now stick to using models who have already been contracted by IMG.

“As of now, there are no plans to host a menswear day. So the question of having male model auditions doesn’t arise,” says Sujah Shah, head of fashion for IMG. “It doesn’t make sense to audition new models if we’re not going to use them. We have about eight of our own models who will be used for the shows.”

Shah insists that they have received plenty of applications from menswear designers, but says that they are still undecided.

“To host a dedicated menswear day, you need to find the right quality and type of designers. There will be male models in the regular shows as many designers choose to show both menswear and womenswear,” he adds.

However, male models who are already disadvantaged because of the paucity of menswear shows, are very disappointed.

“I would have earned some money from LFW, but now there isn’t any big event in Mumbai for us,” rues Lovey Arora. “This would have been good exposure for me.”

Alek K adds, “I was only recently told that they weren’t having auditions for male models. In past seasons, the fact that we could audition and score a break gave us hope.”

LFW was also traditionally a platform for Bollywood talent scouts looking for fresh faces to cast. “LFW is one of the most prestigious events in our calendar,” admits model Amit Ranjan. “I was planning to come down from Delhi to attend auditions. Now I’ll have to chase designers to see if they have a slot for me. It’s very disheartening. I’ve lost a lot of money.”