Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI Marks 25 Years of Indian Fashion

MUMBAI, India — In a fitting end to Lakme Fashion Week x FDCI — made extra special as it marked 25 years of fashion weeks in India — the grand finale was replaced by a gala night.

The event Sunday at the Lotus Ballroom in the Jio World Convention Centre here featured two styles from each of the grand finale designers of previous years: Rina Dhaka from 2001, Narendra Kumar from 2002, Anshu Arora from 2004, Varun Bahl from 2005, Ashish n Soni from 2008, Malini Ramani from 2010, Pankaj & Nidhi from 2012, Gaurav Gupta from 2015, Anita Dongre from 2017, Raw Mango from 2017, Amit Agrawal from 2020, Falguni & Shane Peacock from 2022, among others.

There were famous Lakme faces and models, too, including Lisa Ray, Lisa Haydon, Indrani Dasgupta, Sarah Jane Dias, Shimona Nath and Archana Akil Kumar.

More than 30 grand finale designers gathered on stage at the end, a showing of bonhomie and of friendships. Several designers told WWD that it was “much, much more than that — rather the power of having walked a road together, of shared history” and that the larger point was the vanquishing of time, and an acknowledgement of how much had been accomplished by the industry over the last 25 years.

Each designer walked the red carpet, along with a select list of guests and representatives of the three hosts — Fashion Design Council of India, or FDCI, Reliance Brands and beauty brand Lakme. 

Indian American actor Kal Penn was the host for the evening and his comments as well as those by the hosts drew a lot of laughter. There was far less of Bollywood at the gala than usual — although taking center stage was Kareena Kapoor Khan, who represented Lakme for years and also served as the grand finale showstopper for many shows during past fashion weeks.

Answering Penn’s pointed questions about the “most memorable moment of the many walks on the ramp,” she answered, “The one that I walked with Tim in my stomach.

“I am a mother,” she said, delighting the audience with the emotion, and her memory of the finale in August 2016 for the show by Sabyasachi.

She also revealed her comeback to Lakme, after a long hiatus.

“Hopefully I’ll be back on the ramp with all my favorite designers wearing their outfits, maybe not as a size zero, but owning it completely,” she said.

“The point to remember,” said Sunanda Khaitan, vice president of Lakme, having made the point numerous times, “is that Lakme has remained the enduring partner for 25 years, establishing a synergy of beauty and fashion. We are committed.”

While the debate about business is an essential part of the conversation each year — how many buyers, how many orders and whether markets are up or down — most designers at the gala, noting their journey, agreed that there were “many recognizable factors” to their growth both individually and collectively, driven also in part by the huge domestic market and the increasingly savvy Indian woman. “Many of us are adding pret, launching new lines, honoring a new market and a new consumer,” designer Tarun Tahiliani observed.

Sunil Sethi, chairman of FDCI, said, “Let’s raise a toast to the future, forward with insightful and innovative ideas that will change our relationship with style,” appreciating “everyone who has stood by us, rock solid.”

“I’ll never forget this evening,” New York-based designer Bibhu Mohapatra told WWD.  “I still belong to this community and always will, no matter where I officially reside. The love and appreciation I continue to receive from my fraternity here mean the world to me.

“The sense of community and togetherness that filled the room was truly remarkable, reminding me of the deep bonds that unite us all in this creative journey. When I went up on that stage, as our models appeared on the runway, it made me truly emotional.”

Emotional, too, were some deeply felt absences with the deaths of couturier Rohit Bal in November, and Wendell Rodricks, who was another pillar of the industry, in 2020.

There also were designers of past grand finales who did not send representations of their work.

But none of that took away from the fact — as Jaspreet Chandok, group vice president of Reliance Brands put it — that the gala brought together “pioneers and path-breakers of the industry.” 

“The platform’s 25th anniversary was not just a celebration, it was a powerful reflection of how far Indian fashion has come and the limitless possibilities that lie ahead,” he said.