The final day has been reserved for buyers.

"We are on target," beamed Rathi Vinay Jha, director general of WIFW organiser Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI), as hectic preparations were underway at the Ashoka Hotel to ensure the shows run like clockwork.

"WIFW will see designers hailing from across different regions of India, making it a truly national event," she maintained, adding: "Having perceived the value in our event, our list of participating designers has consistently grown at each event."

Among the designers participating are Abraham & Thakore, Aki Narula, Ashima/Leena, Ashish Soni, Ayesha Depala, Rohit Gandhi & Rahul Khanna, Deepika Gehani, Deepika Govind, Falguni & Shane Peacock, J.J. Valaya, and Kavita Bhartia.

This apart, Manav Gangwani, Mandira Wirk, Manish Arora, Meera Muzaffar Ali, Raghavendra Rathore, Rajesh Pratap Singh, Ranna Gill, Rina Dhaka, Ritu Kumar, Rohit Bal, Satya Paul, Shantanu & Nikhil, Suneet Varma, Tarun Tahiliani and Varun Bahl will also feature at the event.

The event will also preview some of the best established and upcoming names among models, choreographers, hair and make-up teams.

Adding teeth to the foreign contingent will be Didier Gumbach, president of the Paris Fashion Week, Anna Orsini, head of the international office of the London Fashion Week, and Vanashree Singh, convenor and director of the Durban Fashion Week.

Among the foreign journalists attending the event will be Hilary Alexander, fashion director of The Daily Telegraph, Khabi Mirza of Drapers, Shizue Hamano of Vogue Nippon; Barbara Pasiquini, foreign correspondent of Collezione and Diane Pernet, editor-in-chief of Shaded View on Fashion.

Welcoming the international guests, Jha said: "We are proud that WIFW is being recognised internationally. We have received positive feedback and interest from various fashion councils to partner with them.

"We've got some of the most eminent names in the business attending WIFW. It is through these and other such relationships that the FDCI is garnering support for our member designers to showcase their talent abroad," Jha added.

"After all, WIFW is India's only fashion event focused on the Business of Fashion and in line with our objectives. We will continue to build relations with these international stakeholders."

According to Atul Chand, vice president of principal sponsor ITC Lifestyle Retailing: "The growing attendance of international delegates at Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week is a strong indication of the growing global stature and recognition of the event. We are committed to taking the event to newer and greater heights."

Another first this time will be the presence of Jaap Scheeren and Estelle Hanania, the winners of the prestigious Festival International des Arts de la Mode et de la Photographie (International Fashion And Photography Festival), held at the Villa Noailles in the south of France.

That WIFW is clearly making a mark internationally is evident from the fact that some of the international participants have made repeat visits to the event.

After his visit here last year, Didier Grumbach invited the FDCI along with six member designers to the Festival International des Arts de la Mode et de la Photographie at the Villa Noailles in April 2006.

Of equal importance is the recognition that WIFW designers like Manish Arora, Varun Bahl, Tarun Tahiliani, Ashish Soni, Ritu Kumar and others have received.

"This increasing international exposure will lead to an increased understanding and demand for Indian fashion abroad," Jha maintained.

In all this, FDCI is giving equal importance to promoting upcoming Indian talent and toward this, five promising designers will debut at WIFW.

Ameet Sikka, Neetu Gupta, Samant Chauhan, Shubhra and Zubair Kirmani were selected after an arduous scrutiny of 20 prospects and will showcase in the new Hi-5 category of the event.

Creativity, quality and design edge were the benchmarks for their selection.

"We nurture young talent and encourage them to enter the market. Hence, the introduction of this initiative was only a natural step to take forward the process of evolution of the Indian fashion industry," Jha pointed out.