Masoom Minawala at India Couture Week 2024: Challenging the celebrity approach
Minawala discusses the implications of front row seats and the role of influencers, while promoting greater opportunities for upcoming designers.
The exciting week of witnessing high-end fashion at the prestigious India Couture Week 2024 culminated on Wednesday in New Delhi. The event, featuring 14 shows, featured stunning collections from some of India's most renowned designers. Celebrities walked the runway for these designers who brought star power to the fashion celebration.
Masoom Minawala, a social media personality who recently stunned at the Cannes Film Festival 2024, shared her thoughts on this year’s India Couture Week. One of her takeaways was the historic moments created by designer Tarun Tahiliani. His Otherworldly collection featured intricate embroidery combined with modern techniques that created a lot of buzz in the fashion world. However, the huge demand to witness the show kept many celebrities out of the venue. Tahiliani decided to repeat the show to accommodate the eager crowd, making history in the process. Praising this gesture, Minawala wrote, “It was a testament to his commitment to honour the very people who sustain his business. Respect.”
From Aditi Rao Hydari shining for Jayanti Reddy to Rashmika Mandanna and Vicky Kaushal headlining the ICW finale for Falguni Shane, the fashion event featured a plethora of famous faces. However, Minawala questioned the focus on the celebrities’ looks rather than the designs, writing, “Are we here for the stars or the stitches? Why is the majority coverage of ICW revolving around celebrities slaying a collection that has taken an incredible amount of artisans and vendors to bring to life? After all, there is a fine line between using celebrity power effectively and letting it overshadow the art.”
She also touched on the topic of buyers at prestigious fashion events. Rather than focusing on actual buyers, these shows often highlight influencers whose connections help secure sales.
“Where is the money in couture? Where are the buyers? And how do the designers reach them, because I don’t think they are sitting in the front row? But in reality, the influence of those sitting in the front row is so great through their own channels or publications that the message of the show is reaching the deepest pockets of the Indian couture clientele (read: smaller towns/NRIs). So whether they are there or not, sales are assured.”
Minawala then raised important questions about the role of influencers at high fashion events like this. She asked if sitting in the front row wearing fashionable outfits was enough to make an impact.
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“What is the role of the influencer at ICW? And how can designers and PRs take advantage of their dedicated communities? I don’t think sitting front row in lehengas is enough. It’s a question I ask myself in my own industry too – what could we do on a platform like this to make an impact? The same opinions repeated across platforms feels like digital déjà vu. One person speaks and suddenly it’s the only opinion online. Where are the authentic voices that challenge the norm?”
She also suggested giving emerging designers a chance to showcase their work at ICW. She proposed this idea to the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), to enable new talents to showcase their unique designs.
In conclusion, Minawala acknowledged the presence of traditional outfits, but stressed that India Couture Week offered much more. “But there was also the allure of Amit Aggarwal’s drapes and curves. The original music of AJSK that they graciously urged their guests to use in their posts about the show. There was the youthful femininity of Rimzim which, as you know, will reach far beyond our borders,” she wrote.
