Fashion Design Council of India

Organization

Fashion Design Council of India

Established| 1998
Website| www.fdci.org

The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) is an organization in India. its founding presidents are Rohit Shukhla, Ritu Kumar, and Tarun Tahiliani.

FDCI is a non-profit[1] independent association of fashion designers formed to propagate the Business of Fashion in India in December 1998.[2] Currently, the office is based in New Delhi with Sunil Sethi as the President.[1][3] FDCI is supported by the Indian Textile Ministry & it also works very closely with fashion institute like NIFT.[4]

## Fashion events

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Fashion events it sponsors include:

* The bi-annual prêt weeks for womenswear -India Fashion Week,[5][6]
* A week for men's fashion- India Men's Week, [7]
* The annual platform for couture - Global India Couture Week.

In 2006, Montana World of Wearable Art (TM), (WOW), and FDCI collaborated to encourage Indian participation in the latter's fashion show in New Zealand.[8] The Council also collaborated with Vogue to launch the Vogue Fashion Fund in India to promote emerging designers. Through this project, the winner (decided by the selected jury panel) is awarded a grand cash prize and a chance to be featured in the India issue of the magazine. Apart from this, the winning talent also gets an opportunity to commercialize his/her brand with a leading retailer, and gain access to fashion platforms like India Fashion Week and a one-year business mentorship with an industry professional.[9]

In 2013, FDCI collaborated with the Delhi-based Cotton Council International (CCI) to start a reality show Let's Design to promote the use of cotton in the fashion arena. The winner was awarded a direct entry to India Fashion Week Spring Summer edition at the young talent pool to showcase the collection along with prize money of ten lakhs INR.[10][11] The Amazon India Fashion Week (AIFW) 2018, organized by the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), showcased the latest trends from top Indian designers. The event highlighted sustainable fashion, inclusivity, and innovation. Designers like Tarun Tahiliani, Anamika Khanna, Ritu Kumar, and Rohit Bal presented their collections, blending traditional Indian craftsmanship with modern styles. A notable collaboration was Nida Mahmood x Deivee by Milind Soman,[12] which featured quirky designs in eco-friendly activewear. Celebrity showstoppers added glamour, and the event provided a platform for emerging designers. AIFW 2018 celebrated creativity and style, reflecting the diverse and vibrant Indian fashion scene.

## Charitable initiatives

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FDCI organizes the annual mega-designer sale, offering designer garments at heavy discounts. Five percent of the sale proceeds from this event go towards various charities like Divya Chaya Trust in Kolkata, Observation Home, Mumbai, and the relief fund of Gujarat earthquake victims to name a few.[13] In 2003, four designers: Anju Modi, Anjana Bhargava, Puja Duggal, and Ameet Sikka tied up with nine artists Jatin Das, Sudip Roy, Niren Sengupta and Jai Zharotia, among them to paint garments ranging from the traditional salwar kameez to trousers and skirts. The result was a novel collection for a charity.[14]

In 2010, the Design Council along with the organization Khushii (Kinship for Humanitarian, Social and Holistic Intervention in India) held the ceremony of Art on Wheels on the last day of WIFW to raise funds for the NGO's global development initiative – World Action Forum (WAF) for causes like educating children, empowering village communities, etc. Twelve well-known artists like Dilip Sharma, Farhad Hussain, George Martin, Hindol Brahmbhatt, Jayasri Burman, Jagannath Panda, Paresh Maity, Sanjay Bhattacharyya, Satish Gupta, Sudhanshu Sutar and Yusuf Arakkal had handpainted a limited edition autorickshaws. The autos were also auctioned at The Claridges for bidding.[15][16][17] FDCI, to generate funds for a People for Animals (PFA) initiative entered into a design alliance with the carpet weavers to weave the creations of artists such as S.H. Raza, MF Husain and Paresh Maity along with the designs of fashion designers such as Rohit Bal, Manish Arora, JJ Valaya, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Sabyasachi Mukherjee and Ritu Kumar, on a museum quality carpet that can be displayed on walls or floors. The carpets bought from the exhibitions were available at a considerably cheaper price to raise funds for the (PFA) initiative.[18] In 2012, the Fashion Council partnered with PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) to encourage the cause of Vegan Fashion in the country by announcing the Fashion for Freedom Boycott Bill.[19] In the same year, a significant initiative of signing a pact between the Ministry of Textiles (MOT) & Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) was also taken.[20]

## References

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1. ^ a b Wire, NI (17 July 2008). "FDCI moves ahead with the business of fashion". News Track India. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
2. ^ Prayag, Anjali (20 July 2002). "Redesigning the fashion ramp". Business Line. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
3. ^ Sharma, Garima (8 August 2010). "FDCI changing headquarters?". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 January 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
4. ^ "Designers to host Lakme Fashion Week". Business Line. 9 June 2000. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
5. ^ D'Cruz, Caroline (28 February 2012). "Accessories overshadowed by clothes at AIFW". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 27 May 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
6. ^ Sharma Zakaria, Namrata (14 May 2008). "The FDCI's slip is showing". Express India. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
7. ^ PRABHU, VIDYA (3 December 2012). "The Growth Chart". Express India. Archived from the original on 22 January 2013. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
8. ^ "FDCI ties up with coveted New Zealand Fashion Extravaganza". CNBC TV 18. 1 February 2006. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
9. ^ "Vogue announces first fashion fund with FDCI". Retrieved 20 December 2012.
10. ^ Shrivastava, Nivi (20 January 2013). "Cotton goes fashionable". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 26 November 2018. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
11. ^ Singh, Bhupinder (29 January 2013). "Creativity enmeshed in cotton: 5 finalists of 'Lets Design'". Daily Bhaskar.com. Retrieved 29 January 2013.
12. ^ "AIFW: Nida Mahmood X Milind Soman's collection launches India's first running sari". The Times of India. 13 October 2017. ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 5 March 2024.
13. ^ Malhotra, Anjali (13 March 2004). "Designer garments on sale". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 7 May 2004. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
14. ^ "Different strokes". The Hindu. 6 March 2003. Archived from the original on 23 June 2003. Retrieved 11 November 2014.
15. ^ "Creativity for charity at this do". The Times of India. 1 April 2010. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
16. ^ Gupta, Apoorva (9 May 2010). "Art on Wheels". Indian Express. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
17. ^ "Painted auto-rickshaws to be auctioned at WIFW". India Today. 13 March 2010. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
18. ^ "FDCI's art exhibition for charity". The Times of India. 2 July 2010. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
19. ^ Sharma, Garima (10 February 2012). "WIFW to announce vegan fashion bill". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 20 December 2012.
20. ^ Vasudev, Shefalee (21 December 2012). "2012: Fashion's firsts". live mint & the wall street journal. Retrieved 12 January 2013.

## External links

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* Official Website