Lakmé Fashion Week celebrated the start of its 20th year anniversary with a grand celebration at Soho House Mumbai yesterday. Synonymous with pioneering initiatives and trends in fashion and beauty from the turn of the century, LFW has grown from strength to strength with each season. From 33 designers in 2000 to a mega year-long platform now featuring over 200 labels, Lakmé Fashion Week is one of the most digitally followed fashion weeks in the world.
The soirée celebrated 20 years of style, glitz and glamour and was graced by the presence of stalwarts and icons of the fashion industry to the fresh crop of Gen Next designers. The classy affair was spangled by stars, designers, stylists, fashion influencers and many of the faces that have been the pillars of Lakmé Fashion Week over the 20 years.
Speaking on the occasion, Ashwath Swaminathan, Head of Innovations – Lakmé said, “It has been a great 20-year journey of cutting-edge runway fashion and trendsetting beauty. Every season has seen a new beauty theme and launch from Lakmé which has set the pace for the months to follow. The platform has evolved over the years to become the largest celebration of fashion and we thank all our partners who have made this a success.”
Raising a toast, Jaspreet Chandok, Vice President and Head of Fashion – IMG Reliance said, “Lakmé Fashion Week has carved its own niche in the fashion industry and it has been a fantastic journey. 20 years of Lakmé Fashion Week not only marks the remarkable evolution of Indian fashion but also the hard work, vision and effort of the people working tirelessly behind the scenes.”
Lakmé, FDCI and IMG Reliance teamed up in 2000 to create a landmark in the Indian fashion industry; which culminated in the first Lakmé India Fashion Week (LFW) in New Delhi. In the years since LFW has been instrumental in revolutionary initiatives that have known to set trends and raised benchmarks in the beauty and fashion space. The creation of an end to end mentorship program ‘Gen Next’ brought a wave of innovation in the industry and introduced 180 talented designers since its inception in 2006. With Sustainable Fashion Day, LFW brought into the global limelight, the creative skills of Indian weavers, craftsmen, associations and sustainable labels.
The platform has created some of the largest fashion presentations at diverse venues, championed inclusivity through pathbreaking initiatives like the country’s first-ever plus-size showcase and India’s first transgender model. The endeavor to focus on making the platform more inclusive, sustainable and global will continue in the seasons to come.
