The Kochi International Fashion week Season 2 has begun. With much pomp and show, the event witnessed a great start with the best designers taking part in it. The event began on the 6^th of September 2012 with Malayalam cinema stars and models walking the ramp in style and elegance. India’s most sought after fashion designers are showcasing their best works here. The event will be on till the 9^th of September 2012.

The grand success of KIFW season 1 made the organizers come back to Kochi for more. Kochiites love for vogue in style has been shown best with Storm Fashion Company coming to Kochi in this short span of time (after season 1 of KIFW).

12 designers, 14 film stars, 50 exciting models, 4 after-parties, 4 incredible days, 4000 guests, and 1 amazing venue! Here comes KIFW Season 2 full-on! The venue is Casino Hotel at Wellington Island.

Fashionistas in town, make sure you don’t miss this event!

Riyaz Gangji – Libas

This summer wedding collection by Riyas Gangji brings to Kochi bridal ensembles with voluminous lines and rich embroideries intricately woven over jewel toned bodies. For the men, the look ranges from western to indo-western with slim jackets and snazzy cuts. The designer has aimed to keep it subtle yet soothing. It captured the festive Indian wedding spirit, with the models breaking into a quick dance move while on the ramp. Fashion Choreographer Lovell Prabhu sure did bring some serious entertainment value to the platform.

Kochi International Fashion Week: Riyaz Gangi - Libas
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Archana Kochhar for Copperstone – Bar Code

First of its kind men’s clothing line for summer resort 2012, inspired by the simple yet precise moves of stripes & checks in ebony & ivory, keeping the feel relaxed and casual. The cold blacks were paired with ethereal whites with a splash of neon.

Kochi International Fashion Week: Archana Kochhar
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Vivek Karunakaran – Tres Chic

Inspired by the global traveller, Tres Chi is Vivek Karunakaran’s interpretation of a new age grunge chic. Celebrating the ancient art of Kalamkari, and juxtaposing this with the uberchic fashion quotient of today, the collection unfolds a range of dramatically layered silhouettes. Trimmed with metallic zippers and metal sequins, garments are interestingly fragmented through layering and paneling.  Vivek Karunakaran has indeed stayed true to his own unique style of tweaking the traditional and hence giving birth to what’s contemporary.

Kochi International Fashion Week: Vivek Karunakaran - Tres C
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All eyes on Kochi this week! Kingfisher Ultra Kochi International Fashion week has hit town. This much awaited event will begin at 7 p.m at Casino Hotel. The event is produced by Storm Fashion Company and after their grand success after the first season (last year), the organizers are ready to put forth a splendid event this year too.

From national fashion designers and models, you can see them all showcase their talents at this grand event. Fashionistas and designers, KIFW 2012 will be an event for you to look forward to. See you there Kochi!

So what’s new in town? For all the fashionistas, get ready for Kingfisher Ultra Kochi International Fashion week which will begin this week. KIFW season 2 will be all about entertainment and fashion. The event is produced by Storm Fashion Company, and the success of the Fashion Week held last year made the organizers come back to Kochi to showcase the event.

This time, we have Malayali beauty Parvathi Omanakuttan walking the ramp for us. The stunning models and designers from across the country will also take part in the event. From host designer Hari Anand, a name which Kochi is acquainted with, to designers who have proved themselves in the fashion scene, Kochi has much to look up to this time.

So are you ready to watch stunning models showcasing pretty classic outfits from expert designers? Then do not miss KIFW 2012. The season of entertainment in fashion world beckons, and it is happening in KOCHI!

Kingfisher Ultra Kochi International Fashion Week is now the talk of the town. Bringing together models and celebrities from across the country, KIFW is ready to take off. All thanks to the Storm Fashion Company for bringing this to our city, and a double applause to Gaurav Sharma for playing a key role in organizing this event! Kochivibe spoke to Gaurav Sharma, and here are the excerpts of the interview.

You come from a film production background. What made you switch over to fashion production?

I come from a production and distribution background. Our company still continues this work, mainly from Bangalore. The thing about Fashion Production is that, it has immense growth opportunities. It can be developed as a vertical, operating in cities with a lot of opportunities but without any standardized approach. The response is encouraging and the growth is taking us higher and higher.

You have produced Fashion Weeks in Chennai, Kochi, Ludhiana, Jaipur and Hyderabad. Tell us something about your experience in these cities.

Chennai, Kochi, Ludhiana, Jaipur and Hyderabad are interesting in their own ways. All of these are a non fashion market. Earlier there were cities like Bombay, Delhi and Bangalore that hosted these shows. But we believe that if we develop fashion week in these cities the right way, with a new international format, it has a huge chance of becoming a success. The biggest advantage we have is that we are the first to bridge the gap between designers and their coveted audience.

How different would it be in Kochi? What can we expect this time?

In Kochi, this is our second season. Last year we had our debut and we found a huge consumer response from the target profile. This time we have taken into account all the shortcomings from our previous shows and have also added a certain glamour, spice and entertainment value; apart from the business of fashion – making it consumer engaging and media worthy.

Weren’t you skeptical about doing such a high profile event in Kochi?

In Kochi, there is a huge exposure to global fashion. Kochiites know all the latest trends. The problem lies in the media, and the kind of coverage they do. They have drifted towards covering certain kinds of issues as more important than the other. All the five leading newspapers are circulated in Kochi- and none of these have an exclusive Lifestyle page, a kind of prima facie to capture and cover Lifestyle Events. Whatever little coverage they provide for these events happens in the course of the publication, the same applies to regional media. They cover Political news, Film news and general topics.

It’s all in the media. We have been here since last August, and a Ritu Kumar store has been opened in the city. We have to create awareness so that these designers can capture opportunities. Awareness Building Programs for Photographers, Fashion Models and Fashion Designers would be the perfect catalyst to kick-start this process.

You have seen many designers come up in the fashion scene. What tips do you have for the budding designers in Kochi?

Budding Fashion Designers should work towards showcasing their designs, exhibiting it in every possible platform and of course networking with other Fashion designers.

How do you choose the models for the Fashion Week?

For models, we hold an open audition, we choose by invitation, and there is also a segment in the model pool favored towards the localites.

Do you see any drawbacks in models from Kerala?

Models in Kerala have a lack of exposure, and this is their greatest drawback. Here, it’s more of a beauty pageant driven market- as created by the local event organizers. Fashion market is an entirely different ballgame. Beauty Pageants will take you to TV, Cinema etc and that is where everyone wants to be. But what they don’t understand is that with that kind of attitude they won’t get a break into the runways. Hopefully, with our initiatives, there will be a drift in what Kerala’s models can offer for Fashion.

Do you see a market for International Fashion Houses in Kochi?

It all depends on how the malls pitch it to these Fashion Houses. But it’s only a matter of time! An average Kochiite buys the same kind of things an average Mumbaikar buys. So the market is definitely there.

How has the Kochi experience been so far?

KIFW has become one of our biggest annual properties. We want to invest in it further. We have already tied up with SriLankan Tourism and worked towards flying in 4 designers form Colombo. This has never been done before!

Finally, your message to Kochivibe Readers.

Kochivibe’s helping us keep the excitement running for the next 20 days. And if you guys follow all the updates on Kochivibe regularly, you can even win free passes to the show. This can be your gateway to a lot of action concerning fashion!

It is time to welcome the second season of the Kingfisher Ultra Kochi International Fashion Week. The Storm Fashion Company is throwing a launch party at Casino Hotel on 17th March at 09:30 P.M. Catch DJ Ryan Beck along with some of the hottest models in the country all here in Kochi to celebrate the launch of our Fashion Week.

Elevating Kochi’s status internationally into the world fashion scene, Kochi International Fashion Week 2011 was all about glitz, glamour and celebrities. Kochi witnessed the maestros in International Fashion come together and showcase their best works. This year, the fashion week will be held in April; the auditions for which have already begun.

The first set of auditions which were held last weekend saw models from across the country coming together. The panel of judges who were present at the auditions were experts in their own field. Choreographer Dalu, Designer Hari Anand, Former Miss India Arshita Saxena, International Model Sherin Sam were all in the judging team. The organizers are planning for a bigger fashion event this year, with more designers and models; and of course fashion at its very best. There were auditions for both men and women, and the judges have shortlisted nearly 12 of them from both the groups.

So Kochi, get set for the biggest fashion event in the city! Kochi International Fashion Week is hitting our town soon!!

Kochi has taken quite a few turns and twists in the fashion scene, over the past couple of years. We have much to boast about now. When it comes to female fashion, Kochi is definitely in par (to a large extent) with her counterparts in South India. But again, we all know that Kochi has a long way to go. Here, style is ‘still’ all about being completely clad, than wearing what you are!

Kochi has been the host to events like Kochi Fashion Week and umpteen fashion shows. But have they really created a change in the mindset of the Malayali? We aren’t talking about men alone, women also needs to go a large way when it comes to accepting clothes. Tanya Thadikaran, a resident of Kochi feels that there has been a paradigm shift in our crowds’ mindset recently. “Malayali’s are now open to other styles and are accepting more of North Indian and western forms of clothes. The emergence of Kochi Fashion Week has made a huge difference. Many designer stores are have started in Kochi, including the latest Ritu Kumar store”, said Tanya. “This shows that Kochiites have become conscious about how they look, and also want to update on the latest trends”, added Tanya.

Geethesh Pillai, who lives Kochi, says that Women Fashion in Kochi is still lagging far behind in our city. “Women dressing in our city are still conservative, and they aren’t confident on what they wear. I think the coming of big malls like Lulu will make a difference. All we can do is wait and see”, said Geethesh.

So what do you think about the women fashion scene in our city? Tell us what your take is on this.