War on the ramp

FDCI and Lakme have split after a six-year partnership. Can two separate fashion weeks still sizzle?

Everthing good comes to an end. Only sometimes, the way things "" or, should we say events "" end are unexpected. Consider the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), the organiser of the prestigious Lakme India Fashion Week and its title sponsor, Lakme Lever. Both parties, after a strong run of six years, are now crying hoarse as they wash their designer linen in public.

What caused the rampwalk to come to a standstill?

It seems trouble started brewing in early April when Lakme Lever's second round of contract came to an abrupt end. Fresh rounds of talks on finances and venues were discussed between FDCI and Lakme Lever with neither party in a mood to relent.

According to Anil Chopra, vice president, Lakme Lever, "FDCI demanded three times the amount that was being spent earlier. Since the event was scheduled to take place twice a year, we agreed to raise Lakme's contribution by 50 per cent. As title sponsor, we were open to FDCI asking us for double the amount, but there is no logic in tripling it," he says sternly.

FDCI is in denial mode. "On November 23, 2005 we had our board meeting in Delhi with Anil Chopra where we indicated less than double the amount that Lakme had been paying earlier. But before our next round of meetings, Chopra unethically announced Lakme's own fashion week with IMG," says Rathi Vinay Jha, director general, FDCI.

Interestingly, FDCI had bid adieu to IMG "" the event management company that will now manage Lakme's fashion week "" in April 2005. IMG's contract with FDCI expired in December 2004 but it was provided with a one-event extension to cover Lakme India Fashion Week 2005. " IMG was proving expensive and that's why we parted ways," says Jha.

While Lakme and IMG have joined hands, like FDCI they're also planning two fashion shows in Mumbai and Delhi. "Our fall/winter show and spring/summer show will take place in Delhi and Mumbai," says Chopra.

FDCI's contention is that any international fashion show of repute happens in the same city. Defends Chopra: "The US fashion week happens in Los Angeles, New York and Miami. The Mercedes Fashion Week in Australia is held both in Sydney and Melbourne. Also, Mumbai is India's fashion capital," defends Chopra.

While Lakme hopes to ride high on the generic name lent to it by Lakme India Fashion Week, will the two parties separately manage to create an event as spectacular as the earlier fashion week?