Lakme Fashion Week inaugural day

The world's leading fashion brands may choose Paris, Milan, London or New York to show their collection, but today is the inaugural day of Lakme Fashion Week in India. The fashion trade event, currently in its 15th year, will see 86 designers show their collections on catwalks,

presentations and digitally.

The showcase is organised by IMG

The five day showcase is organised in part by IMG, who are also behind the scenes at New York and other global fashion weeks.

Indian fashion is not just about manufacturing, as the country has seen a strong surge in demand from designer brands.

Lakme Fashion Week is focused on launching international designers for the Indian market, which is growing in double digits in apparel sales. Four Pakistani designers will show during the week: Faiza Samee, Rizwan Beyg, Zara Shahjahan and Sania Maskatiya, who was one of the designers short-listed in July for the Woolmark Prize from the region.

Also showing will be Australian design duo Easton Pearson, on Friday, and well-known Indian designers including Rocky S, Vikram Phadnis and Anita Dongre.

The Mumbai-based event remains under pressure because of its past failure to attract as many buyers as the competing Wills Lifestyle Fashion Week, which is held twice a year in New Delhi.

While some designers dismiss LFW for its focus on emerging names, others say that the significant media coverage of the shows eventually brings them business.

Image: Lakme Fashion Week