The Lakme Fashion Week, which kicked off on Friday, isn't entirely about haute couture, it turns out. Several non-fashion brands are also taking the ramp.
 

For long, the annual event was associated with fashion brands, whether apparel or accessories.But lately, companies from sectors as diverse as auto, telecom and technology have been seeking that association too. This year, Mahindra and Mahindra with its scooters, Samira Habitats with its designer homes and Philips Electronics with its posse of lifestyle products, to name some, would be among those seeking eye and mind share.

Talk about aspiration --- the need to improve a brand's style quotient by association.
"Fashion weeks aren't merely about luxury brands anymore," says Anil Chopra, advisor, HUL, the brain behind Lakme Fashion Week. "The reach of a fashion week is beyond the high-heeled, filthy rich urban Indians now. We all are style-conscious and brands that have anything to do with style are joining the bandwagon," he adds.

Devendra Shinde, vice-president, Mahindra 2 Wheelers seems to agree. "Our consumer research tells us that they look at their two-wheeler not just as a means of transport but as an extension of their lifestyle. Thus, a two-wheeler is indeed very much a part of their style and fashion," Shinde says of the decision to bring the scooter Rodeo, which is aimed at people of humbler means, to the event.
"By associating with designer Kunal Rawal's show, we are depicting Rodeo's style, sophistication, power and exemplary design," says Shinde.
Rawal, who is known for his innovative and elegant menswear designs, has created the Rodeo collection, which has hints of a connection with Cuba where scooters are the primary mode of transport.
On its part, Samira Habitats has tied-up with designer Sabyasachi Mukherjee to showcase its designer homes.

Mihir Nerurkar, executive director (projects), Samira Habitats, says the company will use the opportunity to launch its upcoming project. "Samira Habitats' homes are a combination of elements that create fashion, the difference being we blend these with brick and mortar," he says.
But the surprise of the pack is easily Philips Electronics.

Vivek Sharma, chief marketing officer, Philips Electronics, says, "For Philips, this event is a way to reach out to anyone who has an interest and opinion on good design and looks for such occasions to derive a personal style and style statement. Just like fashion designers, designers at Philips also bring style into the home through lifestyle products that are beautifully designed and perfectly tailored for our consumers."
The growing fashion and lifestyle consciousness of Indians sure justifies these associations.
Going by a recent Assocham report, the fashion industry is expected to touch Rs 750 crore by 2012 from less than Rs 290 crore now --- that's a three-fold jump in three years flat.

Little wonder the events are no longer the preserve of fashion apparel and accessory brands.
"What we are currently witnessing is an increasingly fragmented landscape in the luxury market. There is for sure enough ground for any brand that can speak style.

Products as diverse as high-end automobiles, top-shelf liquor brands and private jet companies are increasingly teaming with beauty pageants, fashion weeks, music and celebrities to market their products. The strategy is simple yet extremely effective," says Anil Khosla, CEO, iNIFD.The definition of luxury brands too has evolved --- they are now more available and affordable to consumers.

HUL's Chopra agrees. "Skoda Auto continues its partnership with LFW for the third season as the event helps it meet its perfect TG (target group) to launch new variants and generate brand salience for existing variants. Also, telecom and technology related brands like Cellucom, Dell, Nikkon and Hitachi have fruitfully associated with LFW. Today, LFW has been instrumental in lowering its TG profile from 35+ to a 22-year-old college girl, ready to experiment, while continuing to maintain its appeal to its earlier TG. That's what is drawing non-fashion, non-luxury brands on to the stage," he says.

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