Pragati Maidan to get fashionable this year

New Delhi: To contain the continually swelling fashion fete of India - the Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week (WIFW) - the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) has this time moved to a bigger venue, the Pragati Maidan.

The tenth edition of the spring-summer WIFW 2008 is scheduled here for September 5-9.

Announcing the venue and dates for WIFW 2008, Rathi Vinay Jha, director general, FDCI said, "This is the tenth edition of India's leading fashion design platform. In all these years the Indian fashion industry has evolved and has come a long way. Since its inception, the FDCI has focused on enhancing and developing the relationships among all our key stakeholders.

"Over the editions, WIFW has been successful in not only making fashion a serious business but also taking Indian fashion to the global marketplace. The celebration of the tenth edition will unfold many new initiatives and take the business of fashion to new heights."

"WIFW is the country's most prestigious lifestyle event. With the celebration of the tenth edition, we look forward to taking it from strength to strength in partnership with FDCI," said Atul Chand, vice president, marketing, ITC's Lifestyle Retailing.

Leading fashion designers and aficionados of the Indian fashion industry are overwhelmed by the success of the country's biggest fashion jamboree.

"WIFW coming into its tenth edition says a great deal about the maturity provided by the FDCI to the Indian fashion industry. The continuity has culminated in finding a trade venue, which would allow the conduct of business in a much bigger way," said Ritu Kumar, president, FDCI.

"I think it's been an eventful, educative and rather interesting decade for Indian fashion, and FDCI as the official council has seen us through this growing curve," added Rocky S, a participating designer.

"It's fantastic! I wish we have another ten then another ten and so on, thus getting stronger and better every year. It's an incredible achievement for the FDCI and we are all very happy and hope that we achieve many more such milestones in the future thus taking the industry forward," said Rohit Bal, board member, FDCI.