New Delhi: It's already more than halfway through India's premium business-to-business fashion event Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) but, given the global financial meltdown, most international buyers are either tight lipped about their investment plans or are still looking around.
Miki Kano from Saaya, a fashion store in Japan, has been a regular buyer since the last four years but this time she is finding it a bit difficult to manage trade here due to the two parallel fashion events - WIFW and Delhi Fashion Week (DFW).
While WIFW is taking place at Pragati Maidan, DFW is being held in Emporio Mall in Vasant Kunj - about 20 km away.
"This is a complete waste of time, as juggling between the venues and getting stuck in traffic makes it pretty hectic," Kano said.
Kano says her favourite designer is Varun Bahl and that she has been buying his designs regularly. "His designs are simply wonderful. I have been buying his designs regularly and every year I spend at least Rs.500,000 alone on Bahl's design. This time I am hoping to buy more."
India-based buyer Irfan Ahmed has his store Jkaftan in Kuwait and shares that he has been visiting WIFW ever since it began in 2000.
"Every year I buy garments worth $50-60,000 and currently we are just checking out the designs. But my favourite designers are Ashima-Leena, Manish Arora, Tarun Tahiliani and Ranna Gill," Ahmed said.
Tomoko from Japan's Beams boutique is a die-hard Manish Arora fan.
She revealed that she would definitely be purchasing around 50 of Arora's designs including the ones that he displayed at the Tranoi Fashion Week held in Paris recently.
"I am a complete Manish Arora fan and he is simply the best and I love his designs," she said.
A representative of Kuwait's boutique Basile said that in the past three years they had spent around $40-50,000 on the designs of various designers and presently they were only getting a feel of the designs. Their favourite designers include Rehane and Ranna Gill.
Khalida of Sstyle boutique, another buyer from Kuwait, has also been attending this event for the past three years but she refused to comment on the money that she invests.
"I do not remember how many designs we buy from here," she said.
WIFW started Wednesday and will conclude on Sunday.
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