An exclusive FASHIONFAD.in tete-a-tete with Didier Grumbach – president of the Fédération Française de la Couture, du Prêt à Porter des Couturiers et des Créateurs de Mode (aka the Chambre Syndicale) the most important organisation in the French fashion industry. Grumbach last attended the WIFW in 2007 and has returned to WIFW ss’10 after almost two years. De facto (in fact) Grumbach was the one who took Manish Arora, Rajesh Pratap Singh and Anamika Khanna to the Paris Fashion Week. When the Pope of the fashion industry himself comes down to India attending our fashion event it definitely sets the buzz around. So we go ahead to ask the authority himself about our fashion challenges-What do you think of the Indian fashion?
The fashion in India is very interesting and has a very promising future. It has great potential to become a part of the global fashion. But frankly there is nothing that can be termed as Indian fashion or Japanese fashion or French, anything that looks Chinese or Japanese or French cannot be called fashion, it has to be global. And Fashion market at present in India is very good it is not necessary always to sell abroad to be successful. You take your design to places only when you are an artist and you want people to see your work of art. But as a designer it is not necessary to go places in order to sell your collection. This is what fashion in France is all about; there if a designer is selling very well he/she doesn’t export.
What is the kind of competition that exists between luxury and prêt lines?
The difficulty arises from the fact that India has very product oriented pieces that are saleable. And there are designs which are only for the ramp. The lack of proper understanding of which ensemble would fall under what category in the international fashion scenario adds up to the woes of the Indian designers. In crisp words there is no clear demarcation between the luxury, prêt and the couture lines. (Mockingly comments) a collection which the press likes is not commercial and something that is commercial is not liked by the press.
Why International designers are not coming to India?
The duties for India are very high and it is very difficult and expensive to rent new stores. It is practically impossible for designers to export to India unless it is a Gucci or Prada. If a French designer comes to India there is no one to buy his designs. Things might change in future but the present Indian market does not have any business for International designers.
The international buyers already come to Paris so designers don’t need to travel. And the Indian distribution is not that strong enough so it sometimes becomes necessary for the Indian designers to travel abroad.
The network system India is not at a very advanced stage — Japan had a similar experience. Japan didn’t have its first international label, Issey Miyake, until quite a long time after it entered the international market. Issey Miyake had access to European and American markets in 1973, by then it was already a 20-year-old label. And designers like Yoji Yamamoto and Issey Miyake who brought Japanese fashion in the global scenario do not showcase in Japan but in France.
How would Indian fashion benefit from your association?
(A very important question remarks Didier Grumbach)
First I would like to comment on how I gain from this association. I am looking towards a tie up with countries like India, China Brazil as soon there would be no more boundaries in fashion. And selling and producing worldwide is now a necessity.
And for the Indian port I bring awareness of the global fashion. Seeing from here Paris is completely impossible to foresee. The association proposes to educate and help Indian designers categorize their collection according to prêt-a-porter, haute couture and other different lines. As it is very difficult for the designers here to get it to know what is the demand of the market globally and how each category of clothing is different from the other line. I don’t propose for the Indian designers to put up a show in Paris immediately. The show is only necessary after the designer has an established client base like Manish Arora.
I come to India because I feel in one world fashion keeps us together and it comes even before the politics of countries.
