Mumbai, 4 January 2006: A unique concept titled the “GenNext Show” will be unveiled for the first time in India at the inaugural Lakme Fashion Week 2006 with an aim to provide a platform for promising young talent to establish themselves across India. The six chosen designers will participate in a group show where each one of them will present their creations for the first time before a targeted group of international and domestic buyers and media.

The ‘GenNext Show’ will comprise a group of up to six select designers who have never shown at any fashion week. The special programme has been created following the tremendous interest generated by the Emerging Designer initiative. Lakme Fashion Week will help in putting together the first ever-professional show for these gifted and promising designers. All selected designers will get a complete package comprising of the runway, set, sounds, lights, models, show director, hair & makeup, backstage managers at a highly subsidized fee of rupees ten thousand only (Rs 10,000).

The Advisory Board for Lakme Fashion Week, which was announced recently, comprising of representatives of key stakeholders from the fashion world will participate in the selection of deserving designers for the Emerging Designers and the GenNext show. To ensure that the very best of Indian fashion is represented on the catwalk, a National Selection Panel (NSP) comprising all permanent members of the Advisory Board and fashion professionals specifically invited for selection meetings will review all designer submissions prior to both the LFW F/W and LFW S/S fashion weeks and select up to six best designers for the GenNext Show.

The Advisory Board for 2006 consists of well-known designers Wendell Rodricks, Narendra Kumar, and Ritu Beri; prominent buyers Sangita Kathiwada of Melange and Pradeep Hirani of Kimaya; Fern Mallis, Executive Director of 7th on Sixth and Vice President of IMG / Simon Lock, Managing Director, IMG Fashion Asia Pacific; media professionals Anuradha Mahindra, Publisher, Verve. The Board will be co-chaired by Anil Chopra, Vice President, Lakme Lever and Ravi Krishnan, Managing Director, IMG-TWI South Asia and Senior Vice-President, IMG. Additional members from the media and buyers will be announced shortly.

Anil Chopra, Vice President, Lakme Lever said: “The GenNext Show is another unique initiative from Lakme Fashion Week. The selected designers would get the opportunity of a lifetime to display their collections on this common platform and to interact with and develop lucrative business-driven relationships with a targeted group of domestic and international buyers and media. This distinctive program is a part of our on-going endeavor to integrate India with the global fashion world.”

Mr. Ravi Krishnan, Managing Director, IMG-TWI South Asia and Senior Vice-President, IMG said, “The GenNext Show is an important aspect of Lakme Fashion Week. The opportunity gives new talent a chance to showcase with the best in the business and also helps unearth hidden talent from across the country. We are certain that the GenNext show will over the years discover designers of extraordinary talent.”

Lakme Fashion Week (LFW) is a joint initiative between Lakme, the leading cosmetics brand and a pillar of the fashion industry in India, and IMG, the global leader in fashion weeks and event production. LFW has been conceived and created with an aim to integrate India into the global fashion world. Both Lakme and IMG have been pivotal to the success of the Lakme India Fashion Week over the last six years. Lakme Fashion Week will be held twice every year. The first Fall /Winter Week will be held from March 28 – April 1, 2006 at the National Centre for Performing Arts (NCPA) in Mumbai and the Spring/Summer Week in September-October 2006.

For more information please contact:
For Lakme: Genesis PR
Tarunjeet Rattan
Genesis PR, Mumbai
E-mail: trattan@genesispr.com
Tel: (022) 2491 1783 / 85/9820525850 Fax: (022) 2491 1788