Growing from strength to strength, although many still have some way to go, the participants at the IIGF seemed to be increasingly paying attention to product development, with many obviously having given serious consideration to international trends and forecasts.
Predominantly a ladies’ wear fair, everywhere one looked, two trends were highly propagated on displays, i.e., the empire dress and bold abstract prints.
A calling from the sixties, the baby-doll or empire line, were seen, wherever the eye could see, casting an extremely large shadow on the minority silhouette segment that included tops/kurtas, some bifurcated garments, skirts and a very sparse nightwear range.
However, the empire line, with its distinctive and traditional under-bust seaming, was often tweaked, with design teams taking the defining seam placement to areas between the bust and waist.
Various hemlines were also noted, with the majority being at the knee or slightly above/below it along with uneven handkerchief hems.
While the baby-doll ruled, inspired by lingerie, corset cutting that defined the bust area also seemed to be a close cousin that was noticeably interspersed in product mixes as were deep, plunging V-necks that were often cut within 3” of the bust radius, resulting in a fabulous, fitting effect.
Another very hot trend- prints- were equally important. Although huge geo-classical florals were still present, it was definitely the hey-day for large, abstract, bold prints that were inspired by Pucci, shown running the palette of fresh, bright and fruity colours, undoubtedly giving a spirit with a fresh attitude.
Summer 2007’s polka dot print range also took a leap forward to the next summer season, but was rejuvenated and spotted in tweaked deviations of the circular shape, as well as contributing to the trend of mix-match prints (that show a mix of diverse prints, almost reminiscent of patchwork) by often being paired (and super-imposed as well) with other prints as well.
The positive-negative trend, that proposes popular colour stories such as black-white, red-white, etc., were also seen, along with a growing appreciation for Native American inspired print motifs used especially as borders in both conventional and unconventional ways.
India’s strength, embroidery, and an always very obvious contributor to merchandise at the IIGF, had definitely taken a backseat and where seen-innovation was the key, often with unique techniques and embellishments finding a spot in other areas apart from the traditional neckline, sleeves, hemlines, etc. It was also used on prints, frequently merging with them as well as to just enhance certain areas.
In tune with the demand for softness and comfort, knits showed a good display and wovens, cottons, georgettes, voiles and crepes were the preferred fabrics, although there was also a display of synthetic blends such as rayon-viscose.
Gaining momentum with the international apparel market, the IIGF also showed a growing appreciation for accessories, that flanked not only quite a few garment apparel stalls, but also stood as distinct stalls on their own. Perhaps, exporters have understood that the buyer still wants designs and adornments, but with tighter purse strings are looking at other options rather than just the fixed elements and looks that garments provide. An excellent solution is accessories, allowing the consumer to get various looks, yet not spend so much on a fixed garment.
This demand is also maybe due to the fact that with garments generically getting simpler, the trend-conscious buyer still needs an interest or focal point, which accessories can provide. Whatever one may assume, the fact remains that this time, the IIGF saw a significant increase in the show of accessories that ranged from jewelry, bags, stoles, scarves and a somewhat more occasional splash of shoes, embroidered mobile pouches and belts.
Jewellery and bags seemed to be the most visible. The jewellery segment was dominated by long, chantilly-inspired, navel reaching lengths with a lenient sprinkling of large, chunky beads and stones mostly. These often huge, chunky, embellishments, for the most part were not opaque, but rather transparent-available in both coloured and non-coloured.
Innovation was very important in this category and apart from the beads and stones, some unique materials included shells, pieces of wood, feathers, etc.
As per trend directions, there is an overlapping of styles, resulting in garment trends percolating into the accessory segment. While detachable necklaces were seen on dresses and tops, the print rage from garments was seen on bags as well. With canvas being a favoured material, the large, unstructured/semi-structured shapes (that at times seemed to be backed by underlying, almost semi-duffel bag inspirations) were flocked by similar prints (barring florals) and colour stories from the garments segment.
Like their clothing counterparts, the prints on these were highlighted with some bold beads and sequins work, but barring the few traditionally heavily embroidered bags and clutches, embroidery was at a standstill. Many bags also had dual combination options such as matching scarves and pareos.
There were also scarves in abundance, but there was no clear trend that defined the product. Like bags and garments, similar prints were noticed, although there were some solid styles as well. Subtle lurex yarns and delicate sheen were also seen every now and then. In stoles, sporadically, a ruched and ruffled silhouette was noted too. Although a summer fair, there were also a few stalls that had traditional winter wear pashmina stalls, stoles, etc., yet, again there was no new trend to define them.
Slip-on shoes, flat or stilettos, made a splash as well. Adornment was key here, and they were heavily adorned with small circular sequins and geometrical, transparent (both coloured and non-coloured) beads.
