FDCI to host ‘phygital’ Fashion Week

New Delhi, May 28: The Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) took to Instagram to post a teaser that says “FDCI goes digital Indias First Ever Digital Fashion Week”. The event is set to be a ‘phygital one, which is a combination of a physical and digital event.

Confirming the announcement, Sunil Sethi, Chairman, FDCI told IANSlife: “Right now, we have no choice but to invent the wheel and press the restart button. In the lockdown, we are left with doing nothing. Work from home does not apply to us. We had put this on trial and realised we can do it. We have got nods from the designers, the board and the buyers. At the moment, this is what will bring back the excitement and business. We have announced this seeing the mood of the public.”

He added: “We are working for the fashion designers, buyers and the infrastructure that has supported us like the models, makeup artistes. Instead of an on-ground fashion week, we will do it within our office, at Taj Palace or hire a place. We can digitally create a set and we can ask live models to come in. We can then record it and show it the next day or after all five days are done. It will be ‘phygitical’ — on ground (physical) and digital.”

However, the dates of the digital fashion week have yet to be finalized; most of the designers would like this to happen in August, informs the Council’s chairman. End July-August is usually when the FDCI hosts its Annual Couture Week.

Earlier this month, Milan and Paris Fashion Weeks also announced that they will be held in a digital format. The Indian Federation for Fashion Development’s (IFFD) India Runway Week last year was held on Instagram, which saw 35 designers showcase their collections digitally.