Exclusive | We see challenges as opportunities: IMG Reliance's Anjana Sharma

The Lakme Fashion Week (LKW) has been growing over the years and is now in its 13th year. Over the years LKW has played a pivotal role in nurturing talent and growth in numbers, creative excellence, creating opportunities for new talent besides providing the most commercially relevant platform for sponsor collaborations. This season too LKW is all set to bring new energy to the runway and maintain its leadership in promoting the Business of Fashion. 

 

The ongoing LKW Winter/Festive 2012  brings together an exciting line up of 86 designers from across the country to showcase their collections. Also in a continued endeavor to support and pay tribute to Indian textiles, LFW this season will be taking Indian textile day to newer heights. Besides there are several new initiatives being planned for the event. Adgully, in order to know more about LKW this season spoke with Anjana Sharma, Director - Fashion, IMG Reliance recently.

 

Anjana has over 20 years of rich experience in Advertising, Entertainment, Fashion and Lifestyle. She is instrumental in conceptualizing new initiatives, facilitating designer-buyer engagement, partnerships and sponsor collaborations for LFW. Having worked on LFW Summer/Resort 2011, Anjana already has three fashion weeks under her belt. Moreover she has always been a thought leader in setting up some of our country’s top brands and luxury & lifestyle entities. She set up the luxury division -‘C’ at Starcom MediaVest Group where she provided the unit with vision and guidance in lifestyle and luxury marketing and has also successfully led  advertising campaigns for leading brands like Garden, Taj and Lakmé during her stint with Ambience Advertising. She also held senior marketing positions at Percept and Blue Frog, besides working on IPL in 2010.

 

Following are the excerpts of the interaction between Anjana Sharma with Adgully.

 

Adgully (AG): How has Lakmé Fashion Week (LFW) evolved over the years and where does it stand on the global stage today vis-à-vis its peers in the developed world? 

 

Anjana Sharma (AS): It is a bit premature to pitch Lakmé Fashion Week and fashion in India versus the developed world as yet. Yes, we’re getting there and evolving at a much faster pace, but we must realize we’re still in our first generation of designers. The India fashion industry as an organized designer industry is just 20 – 25 years old.

 

On the other hand, I also feel that in terms of design and aesthetics, we’re as competent, as the rest of the world. In terms of actual delivery of product and organization of the fashion week, we hold high standards and good authority from people from New York and other parts of the world.

 

 

AS: The response varies for different people. It is an international designer’s choice to be available in India because of his clientele’s need. So I think each one comes with their own interest at heart. If you look at the last few years, LFW has consistently received support from the International fashion community. We have consistently had international publications participating at LFW including Huffington Post and New York Times Daily, Women’s Wear Daily season on season.

 

 

AS: To answer this question, you just have to look at what this season has to offer.  Whether it is the grand finale show, the number of emerging designers or the quality of the Gen Next designers, LFW has successfully created a platform that is synonymous to promoting young talent.

 

We have managed to close our schedule way ahead of time and this has been possible only because of all the support from Designers, Sponsors and the fashion community. Lakmé Fashion Week provides designers not only the opportunity to show their collections but also helps give a 360 degree experience with all the stakeholders. Young talent is the future of India and we leave no stone unturned to see that they get the best experience.

 

 

AS: Business, business and more business. Cleaner, smoother operations. Everyone focusing on fashion and less on the drama quotient and everyone doing lots of business. And of course, having fun.

 

 

AS: I think one of the most important factors this season is the switch in the Grand Finale designers. Senior designers have been an integral part of the LFW family right since inception, but I think it is a huge shift in highlighting the growth of Lakmé Fashion Week by the younger generation taking to the reins of the grand finale. Buyers, Media, Designers are all hungry for new. We are just actually answering what comes from the industry and it is working for us.

 

 

AS: Yes. Winter/Festive always has robust business because that is the need of the market. Indians like to buy during festivals, whether it’s, Navratri, Dasera, Diwali, Christmas or New Year. So this becomes the Indian buying cycle too. It comes after a lull period in the retail market which is around the months of May, June, July, so it’s tactically the right time. The current buyer market reinforces the strategic decisions initiated by LFW.

 

 

AS: Yes, there has been an increase in corporate participation at LFW. We can see this by the number of sponsors across categories that actually see the benefits of associating with Lakmé Fashion Week. There is already a buzz for forthcoming seasons. As a platform, that supports innovation and creativity, we are constantly innovating properties to meet the requirements of our stakeholders. Properties like Talent Box, LFW TV, and Indian Textile Day are examples of these.

 

 

AS: Senior Designers like Abraham Thakore definitely have an international footprint. There is no denying that, Sabyasachi too has an international footprint. So I think you have to take each designer case by case on what their design sensibilities are.

 

 

AS: I think there are many things that make LFW unique and keep all our stakeholders happy, like transparent operations, straight down to business attitude, a timely start and so on. I also think we try to work with strong ethics; while promoting Indian fashion. To draw a list, Gen Next, LFW TV, Talent Box, Indian Textile Day, Young Grand Finale Designers, are some of the initiatives started by LFW, which have been highly supported by the fashion industry.

 

 

AS: The Fashion industry is evolving and as pioneers of fashion week, our vision is to provide and facilitate a strong “Industry Model” for the Business of Fashion. Our long term vision includes promoting the revival of Indian craftsmen, driving benefits right down to the grass root level and further involving the corporate sector. I think knowledge sharing is another thing we plan to pursue very aggressively. We can do a Gen Next show but we need to see how they will move on in the future. I am so glad this season we’ve got three designers from last season’s Gen Next graduates, showcasing again. In my mind that’s great because it means they are actually learning and are able to come make the cut again. 

 

 

AS: I think challenges are always there. New problems are always thrown up by the market place, recession is a challenge, and space is always a constraint in Mumbai. Challenges are something that you just need to thrive on and at LFW we see challenges as opportunities.