WE LOVE BEING IN THE MIDDLE!

So as the official ‘observer of the business of fashion’ here at WIFW, yours truly has spent a lot of time in the exhibition area. That’s where the soul of this event lies because at the end of the day, the ramp may provide the glamour but the trade, the paisa vasooli happens in the exhibition booths.

And if I have one observation from my several jogs around the booths, it’s that a majority of buyers this season are from the Middle East.

I chatted with one of the ‘small’ buyers from Kuwait. ‘Small’ because she owns only one store. By the second day of the WIFW she has already placed a 50 piece order from a popular designer and she said, probably orders for about 300 pieces will be placed by the end of the week. Yes the number is not huge but what makes this order significant is that this buyer has picked pieces high on embellishments and has picked them at good prices… margins would be great for the designer.

But it’s not just solo store owners. I hear that at least two buyers from the Middle East shopping at WIFW own upwards of 50 stores across the region. So the designers who crack these buyers will be celebrating Christmas before its time!

Here’s the reason why a majority of international buyers are from the M.E (Middle East!) this season. Store owners in the region are stocking up for Ramadan festivities which start August first this year. I don’t need to tell you how important this season is for business in Islamic nations. If store owners want to sell well during this season, festive collections need to be in store by July and which means orders need to be placed immediately in India.

But why India?

Designer Jatin Verma has bagged 6 separate orders from the region and the volumes are massive. By July his clothes will be in stores across Riyadh, Jeddah, Bahrain, Doha and more cities in M.E. It’s easy to see why. Walk into his booth and you know the collection on the racks has been consciously designed for that market. Long capes, gowns, the traditional jalabias in bright colours and look-at-me embellishments would invite anyone from M.E inside.

Jatin says that customers from M.E like a lot of things that we Indians do. So whether it’s our vibrant colours or the embroideries, “it’s easy to adapt” to their requirements that are largely about more conservative silhouettes. But no, it’s not always about the long capes… it’s also about the super sexy evening gowns that are worn inside of the jalabias. (Jatin showed me one, and boy was it sexy or what!)

Designer Kavita Bhartia, who is known for modernising Indian craftsmanship, agrees that the sensibilities are similar. “They have a similar mind set, their lifestyles are similar, they love hand embroideries,” says Kavita.

Well it’s not difficult to see the similarities. But does that mean that if you as a designer are not about embroideries and embellishments, you’re not doing much business at WIFW this season? Well that’s what I’ll find out next. This piece was just about being happy in the Middle…. East!