Paris Fashion Week - Next stop for Manish Arora

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) announced that its designer member, Manish Arora, will be the first Indian designer to showcase at the Paris Fashion Week.

The Paris Fashion Week (Spring-Summer 2008) is going to be held from September 30 to October 7, 2007. After a very successful showing at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (Autumn/Winter Showcase) on March 24, Manish will show his collection in Paris. This move is in line with the FDCI’s aim, which is not just to organize fashion weeks in India, but also to promote talent and encourage and endorse exchange of talent with counterpart councils internationally.

The FDCI is exploring and leveraging its association with international fashion councils. Six of its member designers were selected to be a part of the prestigious Festival International des Arts de la Mode et de la Photographie (international fashion and photography festival), at Hyeres in the south of France from April 28 – 30, 2006.

These designers were selected by Didier Grumbach (President - Federation Francaise de la Couture Du Pret-a-Porter des Couturiers et des Createurs de Mode) and Maria Luisa (owner & buyer of one of the most reputed stores in Paris - Maria Luisa chain), who have become regulars at WIFW.Announcing the selection, Rathi Vinay Jha, Director General, FDCI said, “This is a great honour for India and a great achievement for Manish."

"Supporting designers like Manish is part of FDCI’s ongoing commitment to taking Indian fashion to the international marketplace and providing our member designers with opportunities like Paris Fashion Week. We wish him the very best.”Manish Arora said, “This is a moment of great pride for me as the first Indian designer to show at the Paris Fashion Week.

Showing there has been a dream and now that I have achieved it, I hope to keep the momentum going.”Mr Grumbach, who selected Manish for participation, said, “Manish Arora is perfection and provocation. This is what fashion must be in Paris. His collection is not folkloric but at the same time, could only have been designed by an Indian fashion designer.”

Wills Lifestyle