Is Kareena the only filmi showstopper? Low on star power and fashion stalwarts but high on fresh, young talent, the Mumbai Fashion Week kickstarts today

Is Kareena the only filmi showstopper?

Low on star power and fashion stalwarts but high on fresh, young talent, the Mumbai Fashion Week kickstarts today

Fashion fervour is in the air, and leading the way is the Lakme Fashion Week Winter/Festive 2012, which begins today. The five-day long fashion event will see a number of new names participating this season. Surprisingly, some of the long-established favourites from the fashion fraternity like Manish Malhotra, Vikram Phadnis, Rocky S, Masaba Gupta and Narendra Kumar, will not be showcasing this time. However, veteran designer Pallavi Jaikishan will take part for the first time. A sleight of younger names will take center stage, including Kallol Datta and Pankaj and Nidhi, who have the honour of being finale designers. About choosing young designers over veterans for their finale, Anjana Sharma, Director — Fashion, IMG Reliance says, “It’s a huge achievement for this platform. I don’t think we could’ve got two better designers to take fashion forward in this way. Our initiative will allow every designer to dream…” Bollywood actors that have often been showstoppers for most designers drawing in the glam crowd may also be MIA. At the time of going to press, only a handful of designers confirmed actors Amy Jackson, Monica Dogra, Sameera Reddy and Richa Chaddha walking the ramp for them. Kareena Kapoor, who’s ambassador of the sponsor brand, will grace the finale as showstopper. Talking about their initiatives to promote new talent whether in the form of model auditions or the Gen Next program mentoring youngsters, Purnima Lamba, Head-Innovations Lakme says, “We have always been a strong supporter of new talent. We are thrilled to introduce this season, a fresh batch of designers that show a lot of promise with their futuristic designs and creativity.” The week will also have a special Indian textile day to highlight traditional weaves and crafts. Anjana adds, “We’re expecting a record number of buyers from the Middle East and India this time around. Since we operate on the current season, designers are expected to deliver within eight weeks, which works well during financially slow times when buyers don’t wish to block off their money in advance.