Asia’s new-age fashion week, AFDC presents Flickstree Asian Designer Week concludes on a promising note

AFDC presents Flickstree Asian Designer Week (ADW), now in its 9^th edition, recently concluded its one-of-a-kind fashion event that combined runway fashion with business, replete with networking meets and conclave. It provided a comprehensive platform for creativity and business in the world of fashion as it hosted more than 40 designers who presented their collections on the ramp. More than 100 investors participated in the start-ups pitch for the first time in any fashion week. A brand owned by FIO Dot Global Pvt. Ltd and supported by the Asian Fashion Design Council (AFDC), FADW FW'19 gave a 360-degree perspective to fashion from 4^th to 6^th of October.

Fashion forward

Day 1 commenced with the welcome note, brand presentations and product launch. This was followed by a mesmerising performance by the one and only, MJ 5. The beautiful show paved way for more artistry that started with the opening show of ace designer Dhruv Sehgal. A name to reckon with in menswear space, Sehgal ventured into womenswear recently and his collection bowled the audience over with its astute understanding of feminine trends.

Keeping up the high standards, FADW continued with its streak of fashion innovation, creativity and grandiose presentation. Day 2 kicked off with the NextGen designer show in recently passed-out fashion students from across the country competed for the title of NextGen Emerging Talent Season 9. Out of the 20 noteworthy participations, 10 were represented in this round. 

The evening was followed by the Budding Designers Show, giving a much-needed platform to aspiring designers. The day concluded with the NewGen Designer Show presented by Nature ‘s Tattva, India's first and only DIY beauty brand. The designers who showcased their amazing collections were Anjini Sharma, Doiekn by Apoorva Mahajan and Sandeep Singh

Business on our mind

The fashion event also witnessed a gathering of 100+ investors for start-ups pitch. The session was organized under the Fashion & Design Conclave presented by Skootr, a leading premium managed-office space provider. The fashion start-ups that had come up with pitches for angel investors included 6 Degree (a fashion tech start-up), The Knotty Tales (Tech Enabled Wedding Platform), DROR (women safety app), and Eunimart (cross border trading enabling platform for MSMEs). They made impressive presentations for their business and sought second round of funding from the 100 odd investors present in the audience. As a runway event that gives equal weightage to business, FADW '19 proved to be a big hit. 

Business proceedings continued on Day 3 with two engaging talk shows. 'Runway to Export' had five buyers as panellists who discussed the opportunities in retail/export business. The discussion opened up avenues of exports for Indian designers who have been hitherto limited to local clientele only. The 'Under the Influence' panel had social media influencers who debated about the pressure of communication through social media and the role it plays in today's fashion business. Influencers were also part of the ramp show that followed the panel discussion. The panel discussions and talks on both the days ran to full houses. Noteworthy names such as Anuj Saxena, Joint Managing Director, Skootr and Amy Jitpatima, Director, MQDC, were also part of the proceedings.

Winner takes it all

Day 3 also saw the second round of NextGen Show, which had the next 10 students showcasing their collections, as well as a show by Budding Designers. The NextGen talent were competing for three categories – Best Emerging Talent, Best Sustainable Collection and Best Commercial Collection. At a glittering awards function, the winners of the competition were announced. The Best Commercial Collection award went to Ansha Bansal, while the Best Sustainable Collection went to Ridhika Jain. Winner of NextGen Emerging Talent were Meetali and Nimeshika. 

After the awards ceremony, it was time for creativity, beauty and splendour to take centre stage. The Pee Safe presented designer Rosy Ahluwalia for the finale as she brought forth her resplendent collection of Indian and western wear. The beautiful Shibani Kashyap, a singer with a soulful voice, was the showstopper. She walked down the ramp in a stunning Indian number in yellow.  Pee Safe, one of India's leading personal hygiene brand that aims at making personal hygiene every woman's right, reiterated its mission statement by backing the finale show.

Apart from the runway shows, FADW 2019 provided a B2B exhibition space for designers to showcase their work and engage with potential buyers. It proved to be an open connection for all fashion professionals, such as designers, buyers, fabric manufacturers, retailers and stylists, to network and exchange business ideas as well as to collaborate and conceive alliances. FADW '19 had a heady mix of fashion, talent, glamour, creativity and business. The designers and the audience of the 9^th season of ADW are looking forward to the 10^th edition next year. See you there!