How do fashion weeks make money?

Amazon India Fashion Week has just kicked off in Delhi. If you aren’t amongst the ‘many’ who eat and drink fashion, there is no harm for you to think that what the hell is happening at the JLN stadium in south Delhi. Well, to brief you, one of the biggest fashion extravagances in the country has ensued.

So how many fashion weeks happen in the country?
That’s countless. While the prominent ones would be 10-12. India Beach Fashion Week at Goa just concluded last week. It is India’s only resort wear fashion week at the moment. Worldwide, Wikipedia counts, there are 138 fashion weeks. So it would take you a little more than 2 years to complete watching each fashion week in your lifetime. While Februray – March and September –October are the major seasons for fashion weeks as these set the trend prior to the season, there is also FDCI’s popular India Couture Week in Delhi that takes care of the elite wardrobes.

However in Indian context, there is a hierarchy. Lakme Fashion Week in Mumbai and Amazon India Fashion Week in Delhi (formerly Wills India Fashion Week) are the primary platforms for ace designers. These are the fashion weeks where you would find Shantanu - Nikhil, Shaina NC, Anupamaa Dayal, Malini Ramani, Rina Dhaka, Abraham -Thakore and other prominent designers unveiling their newest collections. These are the ones where the editors of largest fashion magazines and buyers of biggest stores attend.
While most Indian fashion weeks in other cities are raw talents coming of age, the ongoing Amazon India Fashion Week has already created a niche.

Which season is it now?
In case you are frowning about Amazon India Fashion Week Autumn Winter (A/W) and doubting the organizers’ sense of geography, when Delhi is recording 26 degree Celsius, let me tell you, fashion is always six months ahead of its calendar. So the collection unveiled now would take a minimum window of five months to reach the stores. It’s depending on the trends this season; the big brands would start working on their winter collections.

How does it feel to be at the show?
In most fashion weeks in India, there would be two-three ‘Main Stage Area’. So when a show ends at one ramp, the next show is scheduled at the other. This is done to make sure there is enough time to prepare the ramp.

While the ramp is a flat platform, arranging the lights, choreographing the walk of models and of course the entire set up take time. Seated at the second or front row of a fashion week is a privilege enjoyed by media, celebrities VIPs and socialites.

The entire event is an organized chaos. If you find a show starting sharp at time, you need to know that show has no future. Shows generally start 15-20 minutes late and even an hour later than the scheduled. The first thing you need to figure out is which gate is permitting which guests. If you are a VIP and want to sneak in from Media gate, you won’t be allowed. The bouncers are made sure to be ‘too rude’ to handle the crowd.

How do fashion weeks in India make money?
Now here comes the real question. While some fashion weeks have ticketing facilities where guests can buy passes, the popular ones don’t offer such easy avenues of entry. The main source of money for any fashion week is of course the sponsors. This season of Amazon India Fashion Week has ben sponsored by Amazon, Maybelline, Nexa, Suthol, Vivo. You can well imagine the kind of money that has been invested.

And then there are buyers. So if you visit a fashion week, you would see a lot of exhibition stores. And these stores need to pay the organizers to get a stall. It’s just like any other exhibition. And then there are the designers who need to pay a participation charge.
So you can plan your fashion week now. Tell us about your doubts on earning money. Let us solve them.