Men’s fashion will no longer be the neglected child of the Indian fashion world. While women’s fashion has almost two events every year, men’s fashion shows are showcased on the periphery. All this will soon change with the announcement of the Van Heusen Men’s Week by Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) in September this year.
Men’s shirt brand Van Heusen will be the title sponsor of the event which will showcase 15 collections and 40 designers with their stalls in the exhibition area. Shital Mehta COO, Van Heusen says, “Being associated with this event differentiates us from other brands. The kind of PR and newsworthiness of the event helps.”
Mehta is not only looking at the immediate future but also at the long-term survival of a brand like Van Heusen. He says, “The future competitors for Van Heusen will be lifestyle brands and not just other apparel brands.” According to industry estimates the men’s apparel market is growing at 15 per cent every year and is likely to clock this rate of growth for the next five years at least. Despite this impressive growth, the lack of marquee designer names for a men’s week may hamper the kind of publicity the event can generate.
Defending this, FDCI head Sunil Sethi says, “With this event I want to achieve awareness for men’s fashion. In fact I don’t want any glamour at all. I want it to be a B2B event (business to business).” Sethi also feels that Van Heusen’s involvement will help give designers access to a formidable retail network. “Van Heusen will select a couple of designers and sell their creations through the Van Heusen retail network”, he adds.