Women in the Business of Fashion

“Fashion industry has come a long way from what it was in the past. India is treated with lot of respect today in the fashion world” said renowned fashion designer Ritu Beri in a panel discussion on – Women in the Business of Fashion, organized by FICCI Ladies Organisation (FLO) on December 11, 2012 at FICCI.

Top Fashion designers of the country Ms Ritu Beri, Ms Rina Dhaka, Ms Malini Ramani & Ms Kavita Bhartia, Leading Fashion Choreographer –Ms Aparna Bahl and Celebrity Makeup Artist – Ms Ambika Pillai talked about the business of fashion industry and how India needs to look at it as an industry in itself just like other global brands – Versace, Armanietc.

The panellists expressed their views on the necessity to corporatize the India fashion industry with strong backend infrastructure through financial aid from corporates and banks.

Ms. Rajshree Pathy, CMD- The Rajshree Group of Companies & Founder – India Design Forum moderated the session brilliantly and brought out the salient features of the business of fashion.

Ms. Kavita, Varadaraj, President, FLO, in her welcome address highlighted on the potential of the lingerie market in India, which is largely unorganised at present. The fashion designers welcomed the idea of enhancing the lingerie market. Rina Dhaka and Malini Ramani volunteered to explore the possibilities and associate lingerie to the core fashion industry.

Talking about the demands of the plus-size segment, the panellists unanimously agreed that plus size retail segment in India should be more coordinated and organised. This is a niche market in India and the needs of this segment should be catered to, with greater emphasis on a wider range of designs with a blend of comfort, elegance and style.

The significance of using cotton fabrics in the Indian fashion industry was also highlighted upon by the panellists. Rina Dhaka, especially focussed on the Cause of Cotton and urged everyone to go back to the use of cotton.