'The Fashion Week created a platform for individual designers’  ( August '13,2001, FE)

The colour of the week gone by is still fresh with the designs doled out by Mumbai’s haute couture at the Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW). And LIFW is also promising to paint a rosy future for the event promoters, Lakme Lever, a division of Hindustan Lever Ltd (HLL). In an exclusive interview with The Financial Express, Mr Anil Chopra, business head of Lakme Lever, dwells upon the action plan being drawn, leveraging an apt synergy between colour cosmetics and the fashion industry on the LIFW platform.

What is the main objective of the Lakme India Fashion Week?
The Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW) focuses on creating and maintaining a common platform for domestic and international individual designers. The strategy enables them to showcase and spread the knowledge of their fashion apparels and accessories.

In what way has the LIFW helped in creating and developing a brand image for Lakme? Will LIFW be an annual affair?
HLL had tied up with the Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) over a year back. Last year the first LIFW was held in Delhi, and this year too the fashion week is meant to create a synergy between colour cosmetics and apparels. Last year, HLL had associated with six fashion designers: Gitanjali Kashyap, Monapali, Rina Dhaka, Suneet Varma, Tarun Tahiliani and Wendell Rodricks to launch a range of Signature cosmetics collection to include lipsticks and nail enamels.

Will Lakme work closely with the fashion industry to include fashion accessories and clothings? Explain? What kind of synergy do you expect to derive?
Yes. In order to create, maintain and develop synergy, HLL has decided to work closely with the fashion industry. HLL has signed a three-year contract with FDCI, which is to be extended further. As part of this year’s strategy, HLL has associated with three apparel designers for the new cosmetics collection launched on the last day of the event.

The three designers, Rohit Bal, Rina Dhaka and Manish Malhotra, unveiled the Lakme Fashion statement to include not only variants in lipsticks and nail enamels, but also eye brushes and eyeshadows in different hues. As part of our association with the designers, HLL has chalked out a strategy to target the middle-end market through the exclusivity of these colour cosmetics range.

What are the marketing strategies you are looking at?
The strategy is targeted the middle-end of the market. This market is unable to afford a Rohit Bal costume but can wear a lipstick with a Rohit Bal tag.

How do you think LIFW will impact the company’s brand image?
LIFW will definitely add value to the Lakme brand, both in the fashion clothing and accessories segment. In addition, customers will be able to get an ultimate combination of clothing with colour cosmetics.