With the rise of the positive cases of COVID-19 the fashion industry have also taken measures to prevent Corona Virus.Few weeks ago the Fashion Design council of India decided to postpone the fashion week, just before few days of the show.
The entire setup of the show was reading, starting from the decoration, setting up the stage and ramp to printing the passes, the pandemic paused it all.
This of course jolted the fashion industry with a lot of money riding on it, sales getting impacted and most importantly a big question mark on the future of Indian fashion Industry but the chairman of FDCI Sunil Sethi put our safety first and took this bold decision.
Mr Sunil Sethi decided to refund all the money to the designers,who invested tons on stalls and shows. Though many designers refused to accept the money and asked him to keep it for the upcoming fashion week but due to such uncertainty of the situation Mr Sethi refused this offer and asked for the bank details of the designers in order to refund them.
Mr Sunil Sethi also added that blocking someone's money in this crisis situation will be incorrect. Everyone should save money to fight the pandemic
" I felt it was the right thing to do. Even though the fashion week is just postponed but due to the uncertainty, FDCI cannot commit on a later date. In this medical emergency, this was a natural thing to do. So, the FDCI team asked all designers for the bank details and refunded the money. Many asked me to keep it for the upcoming fashion week which would happen eventually but it didn’t feel right to block their money. Having financial security in time like these is important and I have to be there for our fraternity as FDCI is an organisation by the designers and for the designer. If there is an applause, it should be for the camaraderie in the fashion fraternity because we are all united in the times of crisis,” says Sunil Sethi explaining how the industry is battling crisis.
Adding onto this, FDCI will also refund money to the sponsors, “They have always trusted us to deliver and in good said we have faith and keep it for when the fashion week is scheduled but businesses are also going through crisis. It is a hit on the chin for us as we haven’t got a refund or future adjustment credit note from JLN Stadium, even though they are sympathetic towards us and understand the situation. Now, we have approached the Sports Minister, Kiren Rijiju and hoping that things get resolved, “ he adds.
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