India's first fashion city

BUSINESS TAKES OFF AS WILLS LIFESTYLE INDIA FASHION WEEK BEGINS

Despite its ITDC, "government-ownership" tag, the sprawling Ashoka Hotel, one of the prime properties in the heart of New Delhi, has turned out to be quite an appropriate venue for the latest edition of the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week.

The all-important designer stalls for one "" considering it is a B2B event "" are suitably spread out, inviting and buzzing with buyer activity. And despite some nitpicking about ramp (not skirts!) lengths and the like, everything seems to be better organised. But however feasible the latest venue may be "" the fashion industry is eyeing a more exclusive facility in another three year's time.

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) and the fraternity have long been rooting for a one-stop buyer destination, a "fashion city". Plans are now closer to reality with the minister of state for urban development, Ajay Maken, officially declaring a grant of 10 acres of land in Dwarka for the purpose while inaugurating WIFW.

"I had first approached my rakhi brother (MP) Jagdish Tytler for this and have been working on the project for two years now," says Leena Singh of the designer duo Ashima- Leena, and an FDCI board member.

Land will be transferred to the ministry of textiles and then leased out to the FDCI "by next year", she says. The entire concept "" the city is to be designed by senior designers such as Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Bal, JJ Valaya, Ritu Kumar and Sumeet Nair, "" is now on paper, Singh adds.

So what will the fashion city entail? For starters, a convention centre "" where future editions of the fashion week can take place. There will be a textile museum and a handicrafts centre, a hi-tech library, a five-star boutique hotel, a couple of restaurants and bars apart from an ambitious plan for retail space.

"We will have a couple of malls, where designers can display their creations suitably "" one for pret, another for couture, something for ethnic wear, a one-stop shop for buyers," says Singh.

If you are wondering about the funds, the designer fraternity is confident that the government will be holding its hand at every stage, besides which debt funding and corporate tie-ups are also being touted as potential sources.

Now, let's hope the Commonwealth Games village is not the only spanking new facility in Delhi by 2010.