India Beach Fashion Week (IBFW) begins on October 26, 2017, and in its fifth season, has
roped in big names from the Indian fashion industry who will be showcasing
their newest trends and designs in front of a congregation of designers,
potential buyers, industry experts and the who’s who of the fashion and glamour
industry, in Goa. But few know that behind this extravaganza is a Goan boy
toiling endlessly, inching towards his dream of making it big in the fashion
world.
Hailing from the quaint village of Asnoda, Pallav Ojha, the
current CEO and co-founder of IBFW, has had a rather dreamy career journey.
After getting his HSC education from St Xavier’s College in Mapusa, Pallav knew
that Mumbai was the place to be for his entry into the glitzy and glamorous world
of fashion. After graduating from NIFT Mumbai, Pallav then set his eyes on all
that happens behind the ramp – the trade of fashion. Pallav recalls, “I knew
right from the beginning that I didn’t want to make clothes but be involved in
the process of selling it.”
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His first foray into the fashion world was his role as a
creative coordinator with one of the very few chains of designer fashion stores
in India of the time, Kimaya. After cutting his teeth in the industry, working
with brands like Bombay Dyeing and Gitanjali, working closely with designers
such as Sabyasachi Mukherjee and other key industry stakeholders for over a
decade, Pallav knew that the time was right to go solo.
Banking on his learnings from his involvement in India Resort
Fashion Week (IRFW) held in 2011-12, Pallav decided to incept a fashion week in
Goa with its focus on the business of fashion. Pallav says, “IRFW was an
overambitious project. We wanted to do too many things at the same time. We as
a team didn’t have our focus right. IBFW allowed me to do what I always wanted
to do.”
Pallav believes that fashion shows need to have commerce as
their focal point, and having fashion shows with the sole purpose of glamour is
not the right way of doing it. He says, “I see numerous fashion shows
mushrooming in the country. Yes, you may have a sponsor but if your sole
purpose is going to be glamour, then you’re not doing it right. Fashion shows
should facilitate interaction between the designers, producers and buyers.
Networking needs to happen. The industry should have something to look forward
to, beyond pretty faces to look at.”
The fifth edition of IBFW will be held from October 26-28 at Goa
Marriott Resort and Spa in Campal. The designer roster includes some of the
biggest names of the likes of RockyS, Pallavi Jaikishan, Anupamaa Dayal,
Manoviraj Khosla, Ken Ferns, to name a few, along with a mix of established and
upcoming designers from across the country. All eyes, however, will be
especially on the grand finale show by ace designer Vikram Phadnis, on the
concluding day of the event.
Pallav
is also ecstatic about the launch of a new product emerging out of IBFW – a
designer collective, COMO, named after Lake Como, an upscale resort area known
for its dramatic scenery, in Northern Italy’s Lombardy region. Pallav says,
“COMO will feature designer labels at affordable prices. We have roped in
50-100 designers whose work is going to be made available for that section of
aspiring people who have not been able to find anything good to wear at an
affordable price. We will have a healthy mix of clothes from veteran and
budding designers, at various price points and multiple sizes on offer.”
According to Pallav, the first COMO store opens in Goa next month and will
specialise in western evening and resort wear at the most affordable price
point. The store has been built across a sprawling 2400 sq.ft. store in Campal,
Panjim.
