Feature | How Lakme Fashion Week's 'Talent Box' adding immense value to young designers

Lakme fashion Week, one of the most awaited and esteemed platform in the fashion world, has always been a place where everyone wants to get associated with whether it is a designer or brand or anything. The name, LFW, has geared up with initiating lots and lots of new concepts and innovations every year. One such initiative this season was the introbduction of a second showcasing area with the title, "Talent box-Preview Show', wherein LFW has given chance to all new and aspiring designers to display their collections and also has given a place, the Source, where all designers can build up a bridge between their customers and the company.

It was a platform that was created exclusively for their "stall-only' designers. It gives the designers an opportunity to bring ahead their collections and designs on models, on the ramp through a mini preview show at the talent box which is a motivating factor for a designer.

Here few selected designers who are not on the main runway were given an occasion on a short runway, talent box, to display their merchandise and collections. Adgully spoke to various designers and brands at the Lakme Fashion Week winter/festive season 2011 about this new concept and how it had beneficially added value to the Lakme Fashion week and the designers.

Nishka Lulla opened the Talent box show with her collection of eye catching designs for the modern girl. Nishka made a short presentation of colorful indo-western collection. Nishka Lulla, a young and aspiring fashion designer, says, "This is the first time that they have come up with Talent box and the source. Basically it is a place where in all the buyers come and have look at your collection. So it is like one more incentive given to the designers. I had a lot of buyers coming in and got really good reviews."

Anjana Sharma, director-fashion, IMG reliance says, "We have tried to get the mix of designers on the first basis because that is what actually makes fashion week." "We have tried to introduce new concepts at the source area where the actual business takes place," she added. "We have introduced talent box this season so as to motivate new and upcoming designers and also we have done a lot innovations at the source," concluded Anjana.

Narendra Kumar, a renowned name in the fields of fashion says, "Lakme has given a chance to the new talent and has managed to get into a position of being able to discover new talents and has given an opportunity to young people to show their collections with this initiative."

Payal Kothari, a fashion designer who is known for her exquisite handcrafted shoes also showcased her collection at the Talent box and had a really good experience. She says, "It was our first debut show and got a really good response and buyers. Lakme has given a good opportunity through this section."

Shraddha Nigam and Mayank Anand, both well known actors came up with their collection titled, "Ember'- which was inspired from the colours of burning coal. The debut designers also showed their collection at the talent box. They say, "It has been a great opportunity to work and to display our collection at LFW Talent Box. Lakme has always guided the new talents well and has motivated the young aspirants like us."

To unveil this new and exciting platform, 13 designers together came up with their debut collections including Mayank Anand and Shraddha Nigam, Aditya Khandelwal, Dipti Pruthi, Payal Kothari and many more.

Basically the idea behind the whole initiative was to motivate young and passionate designers who were not at the main runway and were given a chance to exhibit their collection and products at Talent Box, and it also motivated and encouraged the new applicants as a whole.

And it is true that such innovative ideas revolutionizes the whole concept of Lakme Fashion Week adding business and value to it... | By Aanchal Kohli [aanchal(at)adgully.com]