The big fashion hoax

Promising young designers in Mumbai and Delhi are being offered slots in New York Fashion Week but are being duped and taken elsewhere

In the past few months, many young and upcoming designers have received a phone call from a heavily accented voice that promises them a slot at the coveted New York Fashion Week. Needless to say, they all jumped at the offer. Television actress Neena Gupta's talented daughter Masaba Gupta, recently did too, and soon realized she’d been duped.

At 500 US Dollars, the designer was told that a select set of buyers, media and audiences will attend her 'Talent from India' fashion shows 'during' the New York Fashion Week. Says Masaba, "I was told that I would get to participate at the 'high profile' New York Fashion Week because they found my work good and of international quality.” She now knows that these calls are not international but are from an agency in Delhi. They’d had approached her last season too. “Now they have approached me again for the upcoming season in September. Then they slyly told me that it's at a venue away from NY FW. Now I realise that it's not New York but Nolcha Fashion Week, which is supposedly organised 'during' the dates of the NY Fashion Week, at some unknown venue close by."

When contacted this agency in Delhi. A girl named Krithi came on line to say that they would not want to reveal any details till the dates and names are being finalised for New York errr... Nolcha Fashion Week. But she revealed that they approach young and upcoming designers from India, at random. And they have contacted Nikasha Tawadey, Shrivan & Naresh, Pankaj and Nidhi and Gaurav Gupta, too." Nikasha however, was shocked to know that this agency is using her name. "No one called me. They are dragging my name to get credibility. I am getting married soon, so there's no time to look elsewhere anyway. God save people from such fraudsters."

Shrivan and Naresh from Delhi were approached too and almost confirmed the participation at 'Nolcha' Fashion Week. "But we took a step back because the agency wasn't revealing too many details and was neither promising any business to us. Since IMG handles New York Fashion week, I was taken aback at the way an agency was giving us a slot there and not IMG directly. We are still new in the fashion business. And just weren't sure. This seems like a hoax now."