That Vivienne Westwood's India Show did not get right

Copyright © HT Digital Streams Limit all rights reserved. Lounge Pooja Singh 4 min Read 03 Apr 2025, 05:06 PM IST of the Vivienne Westwood Show in Mumbai on April 1 Summary The British brand’s tasks on Khadi, The Freedom Fabric, proved what global brands in India should not do in India, it was not a joke of April. Once the invitation to Vivienne Westwood’s April 1st show in Mumbai landed as a WhatsApp text, many people thought it was a prank. This would be the first Indian performance by the British brand, which does not yet have a store in the country. It would be a collection with Khadi as a highlight – experiments with one Indian substance on a global stage is unheard of. It would be traditional encounters that are ready to wear, meet Couture Meets Punk, an extraordinary marriage that the fashion world has not seen in years. It was all this minus the extraordinary. On Tuesday, while hundreds of participants were sitting through an hour of summer heat and rain, with the front row occupied by celebrities such as Kareena Kapoor Khan and Janhvi Kapoor, more than 60 appearance was offered on a 166ft long runway with a scorned gate of India as the background. The creative head Andreas Kronthaler has highlighted Khadi cotton, hand-woven Chanderi-its, raw, Sandbuga its and wool in fluent dresses, power-ups locked coats, puff-sleeve kurtas and ghagras with Victorian era-Esque skirts. All ideas that celebrated the fluidity of Indian textiles and the late Westwood’s love of history and punk gestures, but only on paper. The delivery was mediocre. Also read: Lakme Fashion Week Review: Too much Bollywood, too little ready to wear, a striped beige-gray Khadi dress came with puff sleeves, an analysis of Angrakha style near the dy and a pallu-like route. A mishmash of too many thoughts, which makes the look look bad, confused and hasty. Another difficult-to-descriptive ensemble, which combined a corset with a floor-length kurta-or was it a kaftan? -The level of workmanship linked to an independent brand known to produce Edgy fashion. There were a few garments that stood, such as a Purple-Pink Ikat welcoming dress (it’s shown in the Paris show last year) and a white Silk clothing behavior) Bridal dress in sex and the city, but they were overshadowed by mediocre styling. It marveled: What was the idea behind the show that was a collaboration between Vivienne Westwood, the textile division of Maharashtra and the Pune-based Vivz Fashion School? “We want to test the market,” Vivienne Westwood CEO Carlo d’Amario told Lounge before the show. ‘This is the first time we have taken Khadi from here (from Khadi India and Aaranya, the textile initiative of Gwalior’s Priyadarshini Scindia) to our studio in London. We plan to open a store soon (in Mumbai). ‘ At present, Vivienne Westwood clothing, jewelry and accessories are only available at four outlets of the Collective, a multi-designer store present in more than ten cities. The Westwood brand was launched in the fall-winter 2024, says Amit Pande, chief operating officer of the collective and international brands at Aditya Birla Fashion and Retail Ltd. “More than 14% of Vivienne sales are online,” he says. ‘Of course, there is a demand for international brands in India. Trademarks also look at how young and clear this market is. And a fashion show helps them put out their word. ” Or help create viral moments, which seems to be the question of the day in the fashion world. Also read: Will the Dior Mumbai show be a turning point for the Karigar? The April 1 show also fell apart in that aspect. What it excelled for was to provide an idea of ​​what international brands should not do to make their presence feel. For the beginning, the location is crucial. The Gateway was also the venue for Dior’s first collection of display window in 2023. While the Dior clothing, which was created in collaboration with Mumbai’s Chanakya School of Craft, did not print the envelope in terms of shape and style, they addressed the Indian trade. Tuesday’s show talked about the celebration of the Indian artisan in the show notes, but it does not reflect in the clothes or the silhouette. Look at the full image of the April 1st show d’Amario told Lounge that the reason for Khadi’s choice was that it was a “substance associated with freedom and that we are an independent brand, and we had to offer it here (at the gate), because I got fond memories of this place when I first came here decades ago.” Second, India is a rapidly developing market where the consumer wants unique clothing that recognize, if not increased, cultural nuances, taste and feelings Non-something that the Vivienne Westwood collection has no less. When asked what people should take away from the show, D’Amario said: “Fashion is no longer determined by the fashion of the world or famous photographers, celebrities and stylists. The power has shifted to the consumer, especially to social media. The consumer decides what works and what is not – and we will always listen very well.” If they go through the first display window, they may need to put themselves a little closer to the ground in India. Also read: 25 years of India’s fashion week catch all the business news, market news, news events and latest news updates on live mint. Download the Mint News app to get daily market updates. More Topics #Features Mint Specials