Percept styles fashion with talent hunt for designers in India

PERCEPT D’Mark (PDM) India, the sports, celebrity and event management arm of Percept Holdings, is betting big on fashion. It’s planning to consolidate its presence in the fashion domain — it already manages the Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week — and has lined up a slew of initiatives including a talent hunt for designers and instituting a fashion retail week.
With retail major Pantaloon, PDM will soon launch a reality TV show to bring out the designer in a homemaker or a college student. The winning designs in the 26-week show would fetch the designer a chance to work with the retailer on its apparel brands.
In a solo initiative, PDM will also launch a localised hunt for designers. “The focus, in terms of designers, has been on Delhi and Mumbai so far. We would look beyond these metros for designers in smaller cities. There is a lot of untapped potential in this area,” said Percept Holdings joint MD Shailendra Singh.
The company also plans to hold the India Fashion Retail Week, showcasing the fashion brands which cater to the middle and upper-middle classes at a national platform, and Fashion Retail Awards. “For the fashion retail week, we are talking to four corporates, the names of which I won’t be able to reveal at this moment,” Mr Singh said.
The fashion retail week would give 150-200 brands a chance to exhibit their products, not just for the benefit of the consumer but also smaller retailers and franchisees, he added. The first such event s expected to take place in February next year, while the first fashion retail awards would happen in June next year.
PDM has also proposed to FDCI that it be given the preferred partner status for other events held by the association like the fashion awards and the couture week. As of now, fashion management contributes about 14-15% to PDM’s revenue.

courtesy:economictimes
For more on Retail India visit www.retailindia.tv