For those wanting to launch their labels in the Indian wedding market, exhibitions like Bridal Asia, Vivaaha and Bride and Groom provide platforms.
Salwar Kameez from Pakistan, clutch bags from Hong Kong, stuffed dates from Dubai, Belgian chocolates and customised wedding albums put together by Italian bookmakers - global labels, are now making a beeline for the recession-proof Indian wedding industry.
Global designer brands are now keen to showcase their products for the burgeoning Indian market as families today are keen to outsource a lot of wedding related activities which were earlier managed at home.
For those wanting to launch their labels in the Indian wedding market, exhibitions like Bridal Asia, Vivaaha and Bride and Groom provide platforms.
Honey Waqar, a Lahore-based fashion designer specialising in bridal and evening wear, launched her autumn-winter collection at Bridal Asia in India before she unveiled it in Pakistan.
Jannat Shahid, a young designer from Pakistan had a busy time as her designs were sold in no time. "I have sold 55 pieces since morning and most have been in the price-range of Rs 8000-10,000," says Shahid who has a pret and a couture line and retails in Karachi, Islamabad and Faislabad, beaming at her stall at the recently concluded Bridal Asia.
Shahid who is visiting India for the first time says she is keen to return to the exhibition again next year after the overwhelming response she got at Bridal Asia. She is already in talks with designer stores here who are keen to stock her garments.
"Honey has been coming for the past four years. We get designers from Pakistan, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka at our show as well," says Bridal Asia CEO Divya Gurwara as she visits stalls at her wedding show.
Bateel - a Saudi-Arabia based brand of premium dates - has benefited from stall sales at the exhibition. The plain dates cost Rs 1500 per kg while the stuffed ones come for Rs 2000 per kg.
"We have deseeded dates stuffed with roasted almonds, caramelised pecan nuts, and orange and lemon rinds and we package them in mother-of-pearl trays and boxes," says Hufrish Bahl, Managing Director, Bateel.
Dates at the Bateel stall at Bridal Asia were sold out on the first day of the exhibition and netted a total of Rs60,000 last year. Bahl says there was a 80 per cent jump in sales immediately after she participated in the exhibition for the first time in 2008.
This year the stall sold dates worth Rs90,000. Made of metal and studded with swarovski crystals Bharuch is a range of designer clutch bags made in Italy and Hong Kong.
Available at high-end malls in Dubai, the bags range between Rs7,000 to Rs45,000. The stall sold 100 of the 150 purses during the three-day exhibition at Hotel Ashoka here.Gunjan Prakash is a digital designer and art director who uses crystal, metal, silk and leather and works with Italian bookmakers to create photo albums.
"I do the artwork and layout for each page of the album and finalise it only after the client approves it," says Prakash who owns Instant Classic Designs. Sending a neatly packaged box of chocolates with a marriage invitation has become popular and colours like red, gold, silver and purple are usually used to decorate boxes and trays.
"Our special engagement tray has pearls and American diamonds on it. We use edible ink to write the names of the couple on the chocolates kept on the tray," says Pooja Bhutani who designs the trays and packages for Mesmerise - a range of luxury Belgian chocolates.
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