Van Heusen launches X-Lifestyle

by EVENTFAQS Bureau | Marketing | October 11, 2012 | News

The launch event of the line was a unique affair, with a hangar as the venue. The event was attended by about 300 people comprised of journalists and a few well known faces from the social circuit who added a touch of glamour to the event. The event was compered by Kamaal Sidhu and led by Pranab Barua, Business Director, Apparel & Retail, Aditya Birla Nuvo.

The hangar was transformed into a glamorous backdrop for the fashion show. A Jet Airways aircraft was half covered in black cloth with the back door leading to a staircase down to the ramp. Models entered the ramp, which was set up in a X shape, from the inside of the plane.

The show started with an AV about the collection. Ashish Dikshit, CEO, Madura Fashion & Lifestyle addressed the audience on the launch before Barua unveiled the collection. The evening was a display of fashion and glamour which saw prominent entrepreneurs such as Phanindra Sama, CEO, Red Bus, and Sanjay Sharma, former Director of Swarovski India, walking down the ramp along with top models of the country like Chetan Hansraj, Adam Bedi, Shawar Ali, Acquin Pais, Alex O'Neil, Siddharth Kher, Sid Rawal, Freddy Daruwala styled in the X Lifestyle collection. Actor and style icon Rahul Khanna made an appearance as the showstopper for the event. The show was directed by Nisha Harale.

Speaking on the occasion, Ashish Dikshit, CEO, Madura Fashion & Lifestyle, said: "Over the last 22 years of existence in India, Van Heusen has been making the workplace more fashionable. We have consistently tracked and understood the evolving fashion needs of Indian professionals. With the professional world becoming more fashionable, we wanted to redefine corporate fashion. We are adding 40 stores every year and want to follow that trajectory. We believe this collection will take corporate India by storm and hence wanted an equally innovative way to launch it as well."

Speaking about the association with Van Heusen, Manish Dureja, Vice President, Jet Airways, said: "At Jet Airways, we pride ourselves in fostering long-term relationships with our guests and frequent flyers through constant customer-centric innovations. The aircraft wrap is like a flying billboard that allows clients to take their brands to the skies quite literally. All of us at Jet Airways are immensely proud and happy to have innovated to create another opportunity for media buyers. We are happy to partner with Van Heusen, and are certain X Lifestyle will reach out to its target customers through this unique branding opportunity."

Talking about the execution of the event and association with Jet Airways, Bimal Tarafdar, Marketing Head, Van Heusen, said: "The mandate given to Fountainhead was to bedazzle each person at the event by creating the one of its kind fashion show in a hangar in India. They had to plan and co-ordinate with Jet Airways on each minute detail for executing an event of this magnitude. Such an innovative product required an equally innovative setting to launch it. Hence the idea was to transform the ordinary hangar into a glamorous ramp for a fashion show. Jet Airways was a crucial partner all along this process and provided all technical support and necessary permissions and clearances for the event. There was a perfect TG match between Van Heusen and Jet Airways; hence Van Heusen approached Jet Airways for this innovation. Jet Airways' role was crucial here as they provided all the technical know-how and the space for such an event. "

Meanwhile, Lyle Pereira, Associate Account Manager, Fountainhead Events & Promotions, said: "We did the 'Disney Jet Set Go' event a month or two ago, Van Heusen wanted to know who executed it. Our name also came as a reference from within the Aditya Birla Group. Jet Airways also recommended us to them, so after getting in touch we started planning and discussing. We started off by designing the set and giving options for choreography and models. We coordinated the F&B service as well. Apart from the branding of the plane, we carried out most of the execution. Time was a bit of an issue though the restrictions were a problem. As cooperative as Jet Airways was, the uniqueness of having the event at a hangar was always going to be difficult and involve restrictions."